HOW DEALING WITH STRESS CAN ENHANCE YOUR PERFORMANCE ON THE JOB

Transcription

1 Tuesday: Breakout Session 4 Workshop B Time: 1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. Location: Regency 2 HOW DEALING WITH STRESS CAN ENHANCE YOUR PERFORMANCE ON THE JOB Are you hopelessly stressed, pulled in 50 directions, overscheduled at work and at home, rushing at light speed, overwhelmed by everything that comes along, under pressure from all sources, losing sleep, straining your personal and professional relationships, and clueless about what to do about it? This workshop is for YOU! We will explore ways to control stress rather than allowing it to control us. Presenter: Moderator: Patti Spear Senior Associate/Client Liaison Deloitte Consulting Tallahassee, FL Judy Jordan Market Leader Specialist Deloitte Consulting Little Rock, AR My Notes... ERICSA 47th Annual Training Conference & Exposition Lexington, Kentucky 10

2 How Dealing With Stress Can Enhance Your Performance on the Job 1

3 Stressed Out: Welcome to the Club 50% surveyed said that stress was affecting their health 21% surveyed said that stress was negatively affecting their friendships 19% surveyed said that stress was negatively impacting their relationship with their spouse or significant other 15% surveyed said stress was negatively impacting their performance at work 2

4 What is Stress? There are two definitions: Stress is what you experience when you believe you cannot cope effectively with a threatening situation Stress is created when your mind overrides the body s basic desire to choke the living daylights out of some idiot who desperately deserves it. 3

5 Where Does It Come From? 10 signs that you are stressed at work 4

6 Work Related Stress: The 10 Signs You re often irritable Your having trouble concentrating You re tired all the time You ve lost your sense of humor You get into more arguments than you use to You get less done You get sick more often You care less about your work Getting out of bed on a workday morning is a major effort You have less interest outside of work 5

7 Work Related Stress: What Triggers It? Work Overload Work Underload You re tired all the time Poor Work Environment Long Hours Lack of Positive Feedback Job Insecurity Problems with Boss or Management Problems With Coworkers Lousy Pay for What You Do Lots of Pressure to Perform Lack of Control Over Work Process 6

8 Identify What You Can Change Before You Go To Work: Start your day as unstressed as possible Overcome Sunday Night stress Calm your commute Lets look closer.. 7

9 Start Your Workday Unstressed Some Things to Consider Go to Bed: Arriving at work tired is one sure way to guarantee that the day is not going to be one of your best. Get Up a Tad Earlier: Will ensure you are not rushing to get out the door. Eat Breakfast: Studies show that people who do not eat breakfast more often report feelings of fatigue and stress during the day. Workout Before You Shower: If you can manage it, getting some physical exercise works. 8

10 Overcome Sunday Night Stress Some More Things to Consider Go to Bed a Little Early Sunday Night: Many people find their Sunday night the worst sleep of the week. Avoid Eating That Late-night Heartburn Special: This is guaranteed to keep you up until Wednesday. Plan Something Fun for Sunday Night: This will distract your worry over Monday. Don t Schedule Something Bad for Monday: Save the bad for Tuesday. 9

11 Calm Your Commute Even More Things to Consider Practice Some Auto Relaxation: When caught in traffic or at a light stretch your muscles. Beat the Crowd: Leaving a little early or a little late can make a big difference. Amuse Yourself: Daydream, listen to music/talk radio, audio books. If riding public transportation bring something to read or just people watch..there is always an amusing sight to behold! 10

12 Identify What You Can Change When You Get To Work Letting Go of Tension Quieting Your Mind Getting Organized Finding More Time Lets look closer.. 11

13 Letting Go of Tension Mind over body: Use the power of suggestion on you own body to force it to relax. Find a quite spot and tray a few simple exercises. With every breath you take: Your breath is fine, it s you breathing that s bad! Try breathing slowly and deeply. Stretching it Away: Practice some office yoga or do some simple stretching exercise throughout the day. 12

14 Quieting Your Mind Stop your thoughts: When worrisome thoughts enter your brain, mentally step back and recognize that it is an unwanted thought and clear your mind. Some people use meditation. Everything is not a catastrophe: Stop making a molehill into a mountain. Ask, How important is it really? and Will I remember this event in 3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days or even 3 hours? Can t-stand-it-itis: Do you really can t stand or hate something or do you just not like it. There is a big difference. Quit over-reacting to stuff. Stop what-if-ing: STOP worrying about stuff that has not happened! 13

15 Quieting Your Mind More Mind Reading and Conclusion-Jumping: There are simply times you do not have enough information to make an informed decision.wait until you do! Curb Unrealistic Expectations: If your expectations are out of whack it is a pretty sure bet you will overreact to a stressful situation. Stop Self-rating: The problem starts when you feel you have to be perfect, you must be successful, and everybody has to like you..snap out of it! 14

16 Getting Organized Clear away the clutter: Schedule time for it, work at it and determine what your clutter threshold is and never exceed it. Lose the paper trail: You will either merge it or purge it. Create a file system and keep important papers where you know they are safe. Keeping your life organized: If the roof leaks stop trying to figure out where to put the buckets fix the roof. Rather than trying to figure out strategy to less complicate your life catch the problem at the source and fix it. 15

17 Finding More Time Know where the time goes: An important step in changing the way you manage your time is becoming aware of how you use your time. Define your priorities: Figure out what you want to spend more time or less time doing. Work from a To-Do list where each item has an assigned priority. The Art of Delegation: If someone else can do the job delegate it to them..you do not have to do everything. Overcoming Procrastination: Pull a John Wayne.just bite the bullet and do it. Get the bad stuff over and out of the way; you will feel better. 16

18 Identify What You Can Change Things You Need to Do All The Time. Stop feeding your stress: Foods that make you feel good are not usually good for you..watch what you eat. Think activity rather than exercise: It is not exercise it is activity. Find the time each day to participate in some type of physical activity. Getting quality sleep: Most people need between 7 and 8 hours of sleep a night for optimal health and performance. Experiment and find your optimal sleep time. 17

19 Where Do You Start? Identify what your stressors are. For each one ask, Do I have control over it? If not.let IT GO. Make time for yourself.it is OK. Connect with others. Having people you can talk to, complain to, cry with, and laugh with represent important stress buffers in your life. It may be your family or friends. Try to gain balance. You work to live not live to work. 18

20 Questions and Answers Patti Spear Manager Deloitte Consulting, LLP 19