|
Five Instant Ways to Reduce Environmental Stress - Part Two
It’s time for part two of the series to reduce environmental stress in your life. In Five Ways to Reduce Environmental Stress - Part One, I shared with you five ways you can immediately reduce stress by controlling your environment. Now I will...
Menopause and Women's Health
Creating a “quality” menopause transition requires following certain guidelines to minimize its effects on women’s health. You probably know that this condition wrecks havoc on female anatomy creating chemical imbalances and overall discomfort for a...
New CDs Help to Relieve Stress and Promote Deep Meditative States Within Minutes
LOVINGSTON, Va., April 13 /Xpress Press/ -- For many people, stress is a fact of life. To alleviate its aggravating symptoms, growing numbers of people are turning to meditation as a way to quiet the mind, replenish the spirit, and allow the body...
Pesticides In Food A Major Health Hazard
Copyright 2004 by http://www.organicgreens.us and Loring Windblad. This article may be freely copied and used on other web sites only if it is copied complete with all links and text intact and unchanged except for minor improvements such as...
Stress: Making The Doctors Rich!
We work hard to get wealth and in the process many acquire an additional component-Stress!
Stress is one of the worlds' silent killers. Remaining in the background for years,it rarely shows its physical ravages under its own name, but rather...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stress Prevention in a Word - "No"
We teach our pets the meaning of the word. We quickly learned its meaning as toddlers when we reached for mommy or daddy's car keys. Even an anti-drug campaign was built around the word. Yet, now that we're older, wiser and more responsible, the word struggles to break free from our own lips when we need to use it the most. That word? "No".
Just saying "no" is essential in dealing with, managing, and even preventing stress. Knowing your limitations can prevent you from digging yourself into holes when you realize you can't live up to the commitment you took on.
It's funny, when we were children, no diplomacy was required. Little Joey would decide that our favorite toy was to become communal property, without our prior notification. When he grabbed for our precious play-thing, "no" just seemed to flow from our lips, and if that didn't do it, we added about 5 more no's . How easy it was back then.
Of course, just saying "no" (and nothing else) to your boss is not wise when they drop one more project on your desk -- adding to the 5 they've already given you. Just saying "no" can be mistaken as subordination. More diplomacy is required!
But, there's a point when we can only take on so much. In order to prevent stress, we have to know our limitations.
What if my performance on the job, reputation amongst co-workers and friends is unfairly based on one instance of "just saying no"?
============================
If you are known for being a responsible and reliable person, people tend to take you more seriously when you just can't do something for them. Your reputation of integrity and reliability won't disappear in a "poof" of smoke if you say no to one request.
One thing I never hesitate to do is let people know the exact reasons why I have to turn down a request -- essential when refusing a request from people over you in authority.
Doesn't the pile of work in my in-box say I can't take another assignment?
============================
Having a desk with piles of work doesn't say you're busy - it just says you're unorganized or possibly inefficient - and that you need time management and organization help!
Think of yourself as a manufacturing plant
============================
Treat your schedule as importantly as the job schedule in a manufacturing plant. A plant production manager always knows what needs to get done, what's been accomplished and would never increase production if the workers can't keep up with the workflow. It would look bad on their ability to manage the workers, the employees would get disgruntled and the inability to fulfill orders would
erode the company's integrity and reputation.
One idea to clue others in to your current work load is to keep a very visible dry marker board near your desk or in your office. Use it to write down the tasks or projects you're working on. Check off the items completed and leave the one's yet to be finished on the board until you've done them. Add new requests to the board as they come in. A visible check-list will keep you from procrastinating on simple tasks -- acting as a constant reminder. And, you might deter someone from giving you another project if it's obvious you've already got more than you can handle.
Pass the buck when the buck needs passing
============================
If your task and assignment list is built from internal office assignments and a new request comes in from your supervisor, use their authority to your favor. Allow them to adjust your priority list for you. Allow them to bump a project or move back it's deadline. If necessary, allow your supervisor to take responsibility for promises you can't keep to others (if they are the reason that you can't). If you do that -- it is very important that others are notified of the schedule or deadline changes and that the changes were made by those in authority over you. This will relieve you of unnecessary pressure and stress. Is this passing the buck? If you were in a car accident that was clearly not your fault, knowing all of the implications that go along with responsibility, would you take the blame for it? Probably not. The same should hold true for less complicated situations.
Put yourself in their shoes
============================
What if you ordered a product as a holiday gift -- if it didn't arrive in time because the company couldn't meet the demand of orders, wouldn't you rather them be upfront and honest and tell you no -- that they can't delivery the gift in time? Think about how upset you would be! Think about how upset others would be if you took on more than you can handle and didn't have the time or energy to fulfil the request.
Maybe that anti-drug campaign slogan "Just Say No" should get a new face for the 21st century. Instead of bumper stickers, maybe it should be printed on coffee mugs or flash as screen savers. And if we find ourselves still struggling to say no when we've already maxed out our to-do list, maybe we can just add it to the to-do list as priority number one.
About the Author
Robert Cooper is the creator of BeProductive.com - a web site which provides resources, advice and tips on topics that affect personal organization and issues relating to becoming a more productive individual.
|
|
|
|
|
| Stress Management Tips and Techniques from Mind Tools |
| More than 100 stress management tips and techniques, helping you manage the job-related stress in your life. |
| www.mindtools.com |
|
| Stress Management Techniques, Stress Relief & Stress Reduction ... |
| Mind Tools helps you manage the causes of stress and teaches useful stress management techniques. |
| www.mindtools.com |
|
| Stress Management |
| Stress Management. What is Stress? Stress is the "wear and tear" our bodies experience as we adjust to our continually changing environment; it has physical ... |
| www.ivf.com |
|
| Stress Management: Information and Resources on Stress From About.com |
| Find a wide variety of stress management strategies you can use in your daily life. Learn about the causes and effects of stress, healthy and effective ... |
| stress.about.com |
|
| Stress Management |
| Links to stress management information on the web. |
| www.pp.okstate.edu |
|
| Links to Stress Related Resources |
| Return to the Stress Management and Emotional Wellness Page ... Cognitive Restructuring Approaches to Stress Management ... |
| www.imt.net |
|
| International Stress Management Association(UK) |
| The leading professional body for stress management. The ISMA website has articles from their journal Stress News, links and general advice on lifestyle and ... |
| www.isma.org.uk |
|
| Stress Management for Patient and Physician |
| Stress management for patient and physician. Stress is the most common cause of ill health, probably underlying as many as 70% of all visits to family ... |
| www.mentalhealth.com |
|
| Stress Management: Counseling Services, University at Buffalo |
| The description on stress management. ... Stress Management. Introduction Stress is a part of day to day living. As college students you may experience ... |
| ub-counseling.buffalo.edu |
|
| Stress Management and Anxiety Relief |
| Welcome to stressmanagement.co.uk - We specialise in managing your stress. |
| www.stressmanagement.co.uk |
|
| Stress Management for effective ways to manage stress |
| Our stress management services allows you to find the solutions to all types of stress. We also have professional stress management counsellors available 7 ... |
| www.stressmanagement.com.au |
|
| Stress Management--UIUC Counseling Center |
| Self-help Brochures. What is Stress? Stress is the "wear and tear" our bodies experience as we adjust to our continually changing environment; ... |
| www.couns.uiuc.edu |
|
| The Stress Management Society |
| Congratulations to taking the first step to freedom from the stress trap. This is the place to learn more about stress and its management. |
| www.stress.org.uk |
|
| Stress management - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| Stress management encompasses techniques intended to equip a person with effective ... Definition of stress: Stress management defines stress precisely as a ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
|
| Stress |
| Stress Management. Everyone experiences stress from time to time, so it is perfectly normal ... Fortunately, stress management is largely a learnable skill. ... |
| www.cyberpsych.com |
|
| SBC Academic Resource Center | Stress Management |
| With stress management training, you can learn to avoid procrastination and other stress-producing situations. Stress Quiz: How Stressed Are You? ... |
| www.arc.sbc.edu |
|
| Mind Tools - How to Master Stress |
| 3. Stress Management Techniques. Raising Stress Levels - Psyching Up · Stress Reduction Techniques · Reducing Short-Term Stress - Mental Techniques ... |
| www.psywww.com |
|
| Stress, stress management, occupational stress, stress prevention ... |
| A recent survey showed that 70-90% of us feel stressed at work and outside. Unless we learn to manage stress, we will get sick. |
| www.holisticonline.com |
|
| HSE - Stress Management Standards Homepage |
| The International Stress Management Association has produced a leaflet showing how employees can work with their employers to tackle work-related stress ... |
| www.hse.gov.uk |
|
| Stress Management Tips for Stressed and Overworked People. |
| Free weekly stress management tips and relaxation CD plus practical resources for stressed people. |
| www.stresstips.com |
|