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According to Center for Creative Leadership experts Vidula Bal, Michael Campbell, Joan Gurvis and Sharon McDowell-Larsen, there are several ways to manage stress effectively and efficiently. Here are their eight suggestions, along with my personal experience with each:
#1: Recognize the signals of stress. Learn to pay attention to your body’s response to stress. What triggers a feeling of stress and what are your physiological responses? For me, I tend to get hot and start sweating. I still remember my first week on the job when my parents wanted to visit my new workplace and meet my boss. I love my parents, but I’d only known my co-workers for a few days. Fortunately, my parents and I still laugh at how sweaty I was in all the pictures!
#2: Create a ritual. Make sure you take stress breaks. Get up from your desk and walk around, or get outside for some fresh air. This is very important for me. I generally try to get away from my desk at lunch time…just to have a break from the office. Unfortunately, I don’t take too many opportunities to walk outside in the fresh air, but I recognize the importance of ritual…and the opportunity to “get away” for stress reduction.
#3: Get away. Find effective ways to set boundaries between work and home life. Whether it’s turning off the cell phone and email during personal or family time or participating in a social activity or hobby, keep your commitment to having a life outside of work. This one is becoming increasingly more difficult, as the boundaries between a “work from anywhere” culture blur into the lines of family time. I recognize the importance of finding fulfillment outside of work as well, so I’m an active volunteer with our church, participate in my kids’ activities, and write this blog on leadership. All of these efforts help me stay balanced, especially during those times when work is particularly stressful.
#4: Exercise regularly. A regular exercise program is the best way to minimize the negative health outcomes associated with the demands of the job. This is an area where I could improve. I haven’t made a commitment to exercise at least 30 minutes twice a week like I know I should. Last year, I had a solid three months leading up to a 5k…then, it got hot in Houston, and I stopped running…
#5: Develop a support system. Try creating your personal Board of Directors: a support group that will help you cope with stress and leadership. Ask a diverse group, such as your peers, your boss, a family member and a trusted friend, to work with you to understand your goals for managing stress and to help you stay on track. I have a strong support system on the job and at home…which is invaluable to managing my stress.
#6: Relieve stress by re-grouping on the task. When a task is stressful, look for ways to organize and streamline your work. Good strategies include defining roles and clarifying expectations, managing a project schedule and completing tasks ahead of deadline. Gaining focus may reduce stress before or during a task. As a leader, I find that I often need to define and clarify roles and responsibilities for my team members. This is to both ensure expectations are clear and to reduce their stress in figuring out what they’re responsible for. Don’t minimize this leadership responsibility.
#7: Take time to recover. Athletes have long understood that pushing oneself hard at 100 percent capacity, 100 percent of the time, results in little or no long-term gains in performance. Building in enough time to relax and recharge is critical for clear and creative thinking, strong relationships and good health. Early in my career, a wise leader who just returned to work from a heart attack urged me to “take your vacation.” He explained that he was out of the office for six months and faced the same issues upon his return that he was working when he left. Keep the big picture in mind. Plan fun vacations and times with family and friends. That’s one reason I like visiting my parents and my in-laws. Both places where they live provide a slower pace of life than our hectic schedules with three kids…and time for rest, which is critical for my own stress reduction!
#8: Re-define balance. Make clear choices that support your core values. Life balance is complex, not really something we can ever hope to accomplish. Demands and interests change over time, and what felt like balance at one point quickly becomes outdated. But if your life reflects who you are and what you value, you will feel more in balance – even when there isn’t enough time. That’s why my last post on the Three Steps to Out of This World Leadership Values are so important to your ultimate stress management strategy.
As we close out this year’s Stress Awareness Month, may you take these tips to heart, as you shoot for the stars!