Some years ago I created a training for managers on how to avoid getting stressed staff and how to handle it if staff have already reached the stress level that seriously influences their health. I did this together with the health department of the company I worked for, which was a good mix, getting the perspectives from medicine and human resources (me being the HR person obviously).
Medical Department and HR Department, sounds technical, doesn’t it? But, what’s the basic human reaction to stress? Flee or fight, right? In an office it’s not very helpful to start running every time you feel overwhelmed.. Or hitting your boss, or whoever gave you the additional task that was the last drop in your already full glass.. As we are developed creatures, however, we swallow it down and push the stress away (resulting in an ulcer later on). If we are talking about bad stress, that is.
Good stress, that’s the bubbly feeling of excitement. A new project, a new task, a new customer/client, a new challenge in whatever format. The one that we can’t wait to get our teeth into, no matter how much else we have to do. It’s energizing, and working fast and long hours doesn’t matter, we’re on a high!
My experience tells me that we move between the good and bad stress all the time. And sometimes the good stress turns into bad stress and the bad stress into good stress – the latter probably not so often. Key is to know yourself; when is it exciting and energizing, when is your body giving you messages of “too much” (headaches, can’t sleep, muscle pain)? If you are like me, you don’t even feel when it’s too much – then you can trick yourself by implementing structures in busy periods. Whether you are an employee or self-employed, remember that you always have a choice. It is possible to say “no”, look for other solutions and share work. Share your thinking too, maybe others have ideas on how to handle the tasks, or they give you different perspectives on the same situation (friends, colleagues or a coach).
In these difficult financial times, pressure is on delivery for less money – and less staff doing more work. Taking care of our own stress levels and health is imperative.
