Self Development Best Practices

Is STRESS Impeding Your Success?
By Bobbi Gemma, MCC
Published: November / December 2008

If you feel as if you’re emailing, time-blocking and to-do-listing yourself into the corporate equivalent of a black hole lately – you aren’t alone. If you’re using all the high-tech gadgets designed to manage your crazy-busy life and you still feel exhausted… relax, (if you can) – the culprit is stress.

Many of us are running on empty and wondering why we don’t seem to be making progress. The truth is we’ve got a personal energy crisis. Our energy is depleted – used up – spent! And when this happens, we become stressed and lose focus. We’re also less creative, quicker to become angry and more likely to make judgment errors. Hardly anyone’s definition of a capable leader!

You’ve likely heard stress described as the number one killer in America. Studies confirm that career related pressures and fears are the leading source of stress for adults. So called ‘office rage’, violence, absenteeism and lost productivity are just a few of the results of stress in the workplace. And if you’re a business owner, the costs of medical, legal, and insurance, including workers' compensation awards and other judgments, can severely impact your bottom line. The price tag of stress to U.S. industry is estimated at over $400 billion annually.

In an environment of rapid change, long work hours, deadlines, travel, family and community responsibilities, here are a few guidelines for reducing unhealthy stress.

Be well!

How often we express this sentiment to others only to ignore it when it comes to practicing sound wellness principles ourselves!

Fast food, high fat and skipped meals, caffeine, alcohol and prescription meds add to our society’s stress. Sleep deprivation, headaches, backaches and ‘no time to exercise’ are common complaints. As living creatures we must be nourished to flourish; there are no short cuts to peak performance. Depending on the choices we make, we can plan on lots of expensive medical procedures down the road or we can look forward to living a long and healthy life. If you have not already done so, make your wellness, and that of your family and employees, a top priority beginning now.

Shift from time management to energy management

It’s easy for us to become passionate bordering on fanatical when it comes to our vision boards, stretch-goals, Outlook calendars and Blackberrys. But achieving true success requires the discipline of knowing that all tasks are not created equal!

Stop thinking in terms of how much you can cram into your schedule, and instead get into the habit of checking in with yourself each time you make a commitment or take action. Ask yourself, “How does this align with my top priorities and goals? Is it really necessary?” Start saying no to activities that pull you off course and people who drain your energy and you’ll notice a positive shift in your available time and resources.

Busy is as busy does

Our culture places an extremely high value on ‘being busy,’ on having more to do than can humanly be done. Being slammed to the wall with packed calendars says we’re important, valuable, and indispensable. It’s time to let that go!

The inner reward received from achieving an important personal goal is greater than a lifetime of ‘being busy.’ Take up the practice of sitting calmly, taking a walk or listening to music for ten or fifteen minutes when you feel the pull of a ‘being busy’ mindset. Notice how your priorities naturally sort themselves into a more manageable sequence once you’re calm and centered.

Clear your space of “Visual Clutter”

To reduce the energy drains that pull us off focus and cause stress, we have our clients take an inventory of their physical environment for “Visual Clutter” – a major energy thief at work and at home.

Is your office filled with papers to be filed, trade brochures, magazines and books to be read? Do you have technology in need of replacement or repair? Our homes and offices, even our cars, are ripe for the accumulation of Visual Clutter. Clear them out. Sort and toss all the stacks, organize the closets (do it little at a time so it doesn’t add to overwhelm), and you’ll feel a positive shift in your energy.

Be light

Incorporating humor and lightness into our work is a standard custom for us in our coaching practice. We actually recommend it as an essential ingredient for workplace success.

Why? The physical act of laughing has incredible powers. It increases oxygen to the brain, helps problem solving, fosters interpersonal relations and reduces turnover in the workplace, to name a few. Our Clients know that no matter how serious the conversation and issues may be, if we haven’t laughed at least once during a session, we haven’t succeeded fully. By stepping back occasionally and seeing the lighter side of the conditions that present themselves in our business and daily lives, we increase our effectiveness and reduce stress.

Go for the flow

It’s impossible to avoid all stress, and even if we could, we wouldn’t want to!

Healthy stress is motivational – it’s an essential ingredient in helping us to achieve the sense of flow – that feeling of exhilaration we get when we are operating at peak performance and moving past the previous ‘edges’ of our abilities.

By paying attention to where we expend our energy, and by learning effective ways to recapture depleted energy reserves, we can reduce stress and live happier, healthier and more successful lives.

Bobbi Gemma, Master Certified Coach for more than two decades has been guiding and supporting entrepreneurs/small business owners, women in leadership, corporate leadership, government agencies, academic institutions, professional associations, and individuals looking to determine what’s next in their lives. You can contact Bobbi at: 727-784-3181. www.thegemmagroup.com.

back to top