Blog Archives
25 Weird Breaks for Stress Relief
When you keep trying to apply the same solutions to old problems all you get is the same results. If you want to develop your emotional strength, you have to be a scientist. Experiment with many different solutions and notice what works and what doesn’t. If the old solutions don’t work, it’s time to try something new.
I recently wrote a guest post for Zen Habits, 6 Amazing Techniques to Staying Happy During a Stressful Project. The feedback was tremendous.
Out of all the techniques, the one that got the best response was “Take a Weird Break.” I wasn’t expecting that.
Here is what I wrote:
Use Your Time Off
(Can’t see the video? Then try watching it at Work Happy Now)
Your time off from work is probably underutilized. You may use it to run errands or tie up loose ends, but you should be using it for your mental and physical health. A stressed out you won’t be happy and productive at work if you aren’t in a balanced state.
This video post talks about the importance of using your time off to its full advantage.
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A Work Happy Now Interview on Let It Flow
An interview is a wonderful way of understanding what you believe. You can’t prepare for random questions; you just have to say the first thing that pops in your head. Most of the time. We can’t say everything. Stacey of Let It Flow asked me some very interesting questions, so check out the half hour interview and listen to what we talked about.
Podcast Wednesday: Interview with Karl Staib of Work Happy Now
My favorite technique of Stacey’s was her ability to ask follow up questions that dug deeper into the subject of work happiness. There are millions of staged interviews, but they are always boring. Always! The best ones are when the conversation flows naturally.
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Stressed Out and Loving It
(If you have trouble viewing this video click here and watch it at Work Happy Now)
Stress can be a great teacher if we are willing to listen. I’m not always in the mood for listening, especially to my big bully “stress,” but lately I’ve been having civil conversations with these feelings and we’ve learned to become friends.
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Stress Relief Techniques for Your Commute
I recently read a bumper sticker on the back of a rusted old pick-up truck. It said:
“I’ve got nowhere special to be, so why don’t you get off my butt!”
I was actually riding his bumper because I was rushing to get to work. I had already hit three red lights and now I was staring at that rusty old truck. Since I couldn’t pass him I eased off my gas and thought about that bumper sticker. The more I read it, the more it made sense. That man understood that whenever he got to his destination, regardless of the time, it was going to be just fine.
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Active Relaxation
Using relaxation exercises to improve your emotional intelligence will also help you be more productive. It’s a win win for you and the people you work with. I’m working on a relaxation book as we speak, but it’s still a few months away (Summer 2009). Trying to come up with something completely fresh is not an easy task. But that’s where the true fun lies, in discovering hidden depths of focus, passion and creativity that I never thought possible.
The only way that I can hold down a full-time job, enjoy a healthy marriage and put so much into this blog is by using relaxation techniques that I’ve developed over the past two years. Each one is near and dear to my heart because they’ve helped me break away from worry, fear, and anger to take advantage of my opportunities.
You need to discover new parts of you every single day, otherwise you get comfortable and stop creating. Creativity is our second most important gift. Love is number one.
Creativity is inside all of us, from the young man who can take apart an engine and put it back together to a woman who can take apart an atom and discover a new world. We all have the ability to create. Everyone can draw stick figures and paint a tree. Some may do it better than others, but that’s not the point. Creativity is something we all must uncover as we grow older. The best way to do this is through active relaxation. It may sound like an oxymoron, but it isn’t.
When we send requests to our subconscious we can learn to unlock the fear that holds us back from these discoveries. Try this one on for size and let me know what you liked and didn’t like. Just be honest, so I can learn how to improve this relaxation as much as possible.
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Pick an Object in the Room and Describe Its Beauty
How:
Find anything that intrigues you and describe its beauty. It could be a plant, another person, or your dog.
Focus on:
The little nuances that most others would miss.
Why:
When we move our focus away from our usual routine we open new neural pathways in our brain, which helps us stay creative.
When:
When you are stuck in a room and you need to stop a cyclical thought pattern.
What I liked:
I picked my dog. The different shades in her coat and the shadows that she created entranced me. I liked how the energy within me changed from an intense feeling like a zooming dragonfly to a wispy butterfly, just going with the flow.
Who could use this:
- A teller in a bank waiting for a customer.
- A security guard passing the time.
- A clown sitting down after a long night of performing.
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The great part about this meditation is its ability to make me feel differently each time. Now take 60 seconds to do this meditation. Let us know in the comment section how it makes you feel. Does it help you relax, or do your thoughts get carried away to something else? It may take a little practice, so if you can’t focus on one object for 60 seconds just do 20 seconds and build from there.
Other Stress Relief Articles to Calm Yourself in an overstressed day:
- Hand Massage for Stress Relief
- 7 Tips to Process Your Stress Faster
- How to: Relieve Your Stress With a Three Step Plan
- Feeling Lucky, Punk! Then go ahead, click here.
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Image courtesy of DistortedSmile
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Leisure Expert Alison Link Answers a Work Happy Now Question
We all need to slow down throughout the day and take some time to relax. That’s what scheduling in leisure time is all about. Yesterday I posted Tell Your Boss You Need Leisure Time. We need to make sure that our bosses understand that we aren’t robots and we need some joking around, coffee break and just plain fun time. I was able to procure an interview with Alison Link. I thought that she would be very helpful to my Work Happy Now readers and lo and behold I was right.
I only wanted her to answer one question in order to help you understand the benefits of leisure time at work, and she answered it better than I could have expected.
I asked her, “How does someone schedule in leisure time when they don’t have enough time to get everything done that their boss asks of them?”
Alison’s answer:
Become more aware of the benefits of leisure. If you have a strong value for leisure, others will see you as a role model when they understand that your quality of life is higher than theirs. You will help them believe it is possible to have leisure in your life and not be less productive (short term and long term). You should make time for leisure because it provides the balance we need to handle non-leisure activities well and enhances resilience and life satisfaction.
While there are a few happy workaholics, most people need time away from work in order to meet all of their needs. They may have talents that do not get expressed on the job, partners or families they want to spend time with, projects to complete and values they want to support. They also need to unwind, relax, refresh and revitalize themselves.
A leisure-positive lifestyle:
- Increases physical and psychological well-being. It reduces stress and increases wellness, and enhances people’s sense of independence.
- Perceived freedom in leisure has been shown to help people resist stress-induced illness.
- Impacts professional performance, enhancing decision-making and problem-solving capabilities.
- Supports personal development by clarifying values, increasing social interaction and breaking down barriers
When people live a balanced life, they provide an important benefit to their communities as well, simply by demonstrating that such a life is possible and valuable.
My follow-up:
My readers are constantly bombarded with needing to get more done in less time. I was hoping that you might have some insight.
Alison’s answer:
There is evidence to show that leisure is linked to productivity. Adults have been shown to be able to maintain higher attention levels when they have more frequent breaks. Several U.S. and Canadian studies show that leisure programs “increased productivity by seven percent while decreasing absenteeism by 20 percent.”
Leisure education as provided by The Leisure Link builds employee morale and strengthens team functioning through its positive impacts on:
- Self concept, self esteem and self confidence
- Sense of autonomy and perception of freedom
- Stress reduction and relief of boredom
Employees may find a renewed sense of purpose for its own sake. Also, increasing leisure can increase creativity.
Everyone can use more creativity in their lives (even at work, even if you have trouble getting everything done that your boss asks of you). Whatever you do, being able to generate a lot of ideas about it will help you do it better.
Leisure education helps people create the conditions for nurturing creativity in their lives and in their work. People are at their most creative when they are in a “flow state.” When was the last time you became completely engaged in your work? And how about your leisure? Remember that your work and leisure both have a ripple effect into each other. Thing about what kind of ripple you want that to be.
In Closing:
Basically it’s about teaching the people at work that it’s okay to schedule in a little leisure time. If you have any trouble convincing your boss just send me an email with his/her name and phone # and I’ll give him/her a call. I’ll put on my best Tony Soprano voice and I’ll make sure that he/she allows you to relax and destress at work.
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Check out Alison Link’s website The Leisure Link Consulting. The Work Happy Now readers and I thank you for taking the time to answer my question. If you are having any trouble creating leisure time in your hectic life I would suggest hiring Allison.
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Related articles:
- Tell Your Boss You Need Leisure Time
- Renew Your Thoughts to Improve Your Work Outlook
- 8 Mental Boosts that Never Fail
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Image courtesy of Alison’s website
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Work Bullies are Stressful
Sometimes the boss stresses you out and other times it’s a co-worker who’s a bully, but no matter what it is you must face it in order to relieve the anxiety that a difficult situation creates. Dumb Little Man wrote an excellent article, How to Deal with a Workplace Bully. I’ve had mild cases of being bullied. Some people just like to push themselves on to you. They might not even realize that they are making you feel uncomfortable. Try talking to them and making them aware of how they are acting and most likely they will stop. If they don’t, then try reading this article and see if you can use some of his tips.
Bullying is a deliberate attempt to control or undermine you. It typically happens over a prolonged period of time and it can severely damage your self esteem and confidence. It can be subtle or overt. It can take place in private or in front of others. The circumstances can vary greatly from person to person. Here are some examples of bullying behavior at work:
A co-worker or supervisor constantly complains to other team members that you aren’t pulling your weight. They make jokes at your expense and accuse you of making mistakes you haven’t made. In private they constantly belittle, insult and even threaten you. You feel frightened, angry, ashamed and embarrassed.
Most of our stress doesn’t come from the work itself; it’s the people who we are involved with that cause our stress. Please be aware of how other people are making you feel, and if they aren’t treating you right then stand up for yourself or find help.
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How to: Relieve Your Stress With a Three Step Plan
Create a plan and you’ll relieve your worry. When you have a lot on your mind you probably try to over think the situation. However, worrying only creates more confusion.
Planning helps create internal balance. When you’re stressed out, organizing your thoughts is the best way to get yourself back on track.
Step 1: Understand your worry
Step back, take a deep breath and look at the situation objectively. Make a mental or actual list of everything that is causing you stress. Let’s say that you are afraid you might lose your job because of cutbacks. You’re worried that you’ll lose your source of income. That’s understandable and should create a little stress, but you know there is money to be made in every industry. Use that stress to formulate your plan.
Step 2: Create a plan
Now that you’ve figured out what the problem is you can create a plan of action. Give yourself at least two or three options, this way if one fails or you need more choices, you are covered.
Write out your plan. For example:
- Update your resume
- Connect with old contacts
- Search the web for jobs
And you’re back on track to creating the career you desire.
Step 3: Execute your plan
Many people create a plan, but are afraid to execute it. They feel overwhelmed by the process. That’s why you wrote out the list and why you should start by tackling the easiest thing on it. Start out slow, then gradually allow your actions to build and gain momentum. Before you know it you’ll be out on an interview, creating your own career instead of leaving your life in the hands of someone that probably doesn’t care about you.
Stress is dictated by how you perceive a certain situation. If you look at the possibility of losing your job as an opportunity to find something that you truly love then you won’t be stressed out, you’ll be excited. You’ll harness this excitement and find the job that you deserve.
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