Crush Stress Before it Crushes You

The word stress is bandied around a lot of late. And it's no wonder. Statistics from the American Institute of Stress say that 83% of workers suffer daily from work-related stress and research from Indeed cites that 52% of employees feel burnt out. The flow on effect is the impact on relationships, loss of productivity, health, and absenteeism to name a few.

A major cause of this is workload. For more on how to counter this refer to my article from last week.

There is much being talked about in helping reduce stress by engaging in mindfulness, meditation and deep breathing. These methods are a helpful way to soothe the wired up nervous system in the moment but they are not the only answer. Indeed regular practice allows an overall calming of the body and a way to develop self trust and intuition.

What we aren't talking about is what stress is and what we can do to stop the stress from taking hold in the first place. Employers take note because you are in a prime position to help yourselves and your employees reduce their risk for burnout.

Here's a few ideas.

Get Educated About Stress

How we experience stress is based on mindset. Our mindset is based on the thoughts we think repeatedly. When stressed, what do you believe this situation is doing to you? Our beliefs can lead us to think we are powerless, lack control, or reinforce the limiting beliefs we all have about failure, imposter syndrome, or overwhelm to name a few.

Often stress is described as a feeling of overwhelm:

• I have too much to do
• I don't know where to start
• My thoughts are moving so fast I don't know where to focus
• I am stuck, trapped or powerless.

When you know your own thinking is contributing to stress then you have the power to change those thoughts. Shocking right?

The wise words of William James ring true here: "The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another."

To me the word that stands out here is CHOOSE. At any given moment we can be thinking something disempowering or empowering. The choice is individual.

Instead of saying I have too much to do say:

• I'm embracing my busy workload
• I am choosing to work on one thing at a time
• What is the single most important thing for me to do right now?
• Who or what could help me?

Which brings me to the next point:

Clear Communication

If you are feeling stressed, chances are the people around you are feeling it too. Feelings are contagious - so watch what you catch and what you spread.

Remember what stresses you may not stress someone else. Public speaking is a great example of this - some people love getting up in front of a crowd and others are terrified. Some folks love a packed work schedule and others feel overloaded.

Talk openly about stress and pressure at work. Managers can lead the conversation to make it safe for others to share what they are experiencing. The key here is to hold the container and not let it overflow. Managers may worry they can't stop the complaining if they do this! That's where you need to tune in your questioning and listening skills.

Talk about stress as a 'current challenge' that you are working on rather than 'stress'. Stress is way too ambiguous so get clear on the specific challenge. If you can label it, then you have a greater chance of finding a solution or even simply acknowledging it. Sharing team or individual challenges in team meetings gives everyone a chance to come together and support each other.

I like to call stress a signpost - what is this stress or pressure trying to tell me? Chances are it is awakening a fear inside. I love the acronym for fear: False Expectations Appearing Real.

Get ahead of the curve because often worries and fears are unfounded. When fear does take hold then it can lead to a flee or flight response causing you to remain stuck or spiraling. Instead listen to what specifically is creating the challenge and take action on that. Is it a conflicting deadline? Is it overwhelm? If you put your tasks and priorities on paper and began to work on them one by one chances are you would feel a whole lot better. Not sure how - ask for help!

Support Systems

Many workplaces have Employee Assistance Programs that support mental health or provide additional services such as financial counseling. These provide a ready resource. For more ideas on financial wellness, check out my colleague Shelley Smith 's article .

When these services are available, awareness of the resource must be shared and made explicit so employees feel comfortable and clear how to access these tools.

Additionally, workplace wellness programs can be a huge value add too. Anything that promotes good self care, builds resilience. Sleep habits and exercise particularly, are critical to employee wellbeing. Believe it or not, exercise can help as quickly as in a single day to bust stress!

Remember awareness must be created about the value and availability of these programs and the benefits of behaviors to gain widespread adoption.

Flexible Work Hours

While not all businesses can provide this as an option this is something that builds trust and autonomy for employees. Two critical factors in personal empowerment and potential. When people have some choice over how and when they work, they can make their work fit to their life. These days it is less about work life balance and more about work life integration. Getting home to have dinner with the family may be more important than staying at the office that extra hour or two. That hour or two could be made up flexibly by doing a little more after the kids are in bed.

Taking Breaks

Many workers are guilty of eating lunch at their desk or not taking a break during the day. Taking breaks is not just about switching your mind from work, it's also about getting up and moving so the blood flows back up to the brain. Spending hours sitting or standing at a desk is not creating the circulation your body needs to perform at it's best. Studies have shown that time taken for a short break doubles productivity upon returning to work, so yep, it pays for itself.

Workplaces can encourage taking breaks through role modeling, creating signage to remind employees, having mandatory break times, or meeting free times that encourage people to leave their desk. Breaks are important to reduce stress. Encourage some social activity - connecting with fellow workers and having a laugh can lighten a heavy load.

These are just a few ways workplaces can help change the conversation around stress. I love a good yap about any and all these topics so if you are interested in learning more about a workplace wellness program or how to talk to your team about stress let's connect!

Vivien Hudson is a resilience and well-being coach. She works with leaders and their teams to foster resilient workplaces that thrive. Her favorite topics are stress and well-being. With a 30-year background in healthcare, she knows what it takes to shift the needle in health and well-being.