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From Stressed to Blessed:Stress Management for a Happier, Healthier, more
Productive Company
Worksite Wellness Summit * October 13, 2015
Dr. Susan Mathison
Work=Stress?
• Monday Morning Blues
• Wednesday Hump Day
• TGIF
• Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. ~ Confucius
• The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more. ~ Jonas Salk
My Messy Wonderful Life
The Message is in the “Mess”
Transforming our stresses into blessings!
Everyone is in this together!
Let’s do a little check in:Rate your level of stress on a scale of 1-10
1 means NO STRESS
10 means EXTREME STRESS
How would you rate your average level of stress during
this past month?
Exploring the Impact of Stress on your Health, Relationships, and WorkCount the following statements with which you agree
Your Health
1. I feel to busy or overwhelmed to find time to exercise.
2. I find myself craving carbs, salt, and sugar.
3. I have been drinking more than 1 drink per night or using drugs because it helps “take the edge off.”
4. I wake up in the middle of the night and worry about things
5. I feel fatigued during the day.
Your Relationships1. I find myself feeling frustrated or irritated at my partner or
children at home.
2. I tend to be very competitive with other people.
3. When I am out with my partner on a date or with friends, I feel compelled to check my phone emails, text messages, Facebook updates, or surf the internet.
4. I am feeling more isolated and less connected with other people.
5. I tend to be hard on myself and experience self-doubt or self-judgmental thoughts.
Your Productivity at Work
1. I have missed work from time to time due to stress.
2. I find it hard to concentrate or stay on task at work.
3. I feel overwhelmed with too much to do and not enough time to do it.
4. I feel stressed by some of my relationships with colleagues at work.
5. I feel work has become all-consuming and find it hard to take time to dedicate to family, friends, or having fun.
Add up and write down the total number of statements you have circled
REFLECTING ON YOUR LEVEL OF STRESS
Stress level: 1-3 and circled 3 or fewer statements = Low/Mild stress
Stress level: 4-7 and circled 4-7 statements = Moderate stress
Stress level: 8-10 and circled 8 or more statements = Severe stress
American Psychological Association: Stress in America
• Average stress has ranged from 4.9-6.2
• In 2012, 44% of adults reported moderate stress (stress levels 4-7)
• In 2012, 20% of adults reported severe stress (stress levels 8-10)
Where does you stress level fall at the moment?
Implications of StressA study evaluated 70,000 adults over 10 years in the United Kingdom
• Increased the risk of death from cancer, heart attacks, accidents, and injuries
• Estimated that between 75-90% of all visits to primary care doctors are for stress-related conditions
• Only 1 in 5 patients say their stress-related concerns are adequately addressed by their doctor
• Stress also taxes relationships– correlated with increased risk of divorce
• Stress at work is correlated with outburst/withdrawing from partners at home
• 50-60% of employees report lost productivity due to stress
• 40% of workers say their job is extremely stressful
• 25% of workers view their jobs as the number one stressor in their lives
Stress In Healthcareand other Industries
• Death and dying
• Poor patient diagnosis
• Coping with emotional needs of patients and their families
• Relationships with other clinical staff
• Lack of control
• Poor group cohesion
• Lack of adequate supervisory support
• Work load
• Inadequate staff cover
• Time pressure
• Leadership and management style
Life is a Roller Coaster, Not a Ramp
• Holistic View of our Teams as People
• Understand What causes the Peaks and Valleys
• BUT: What if it’s not the stressors that are the issue, but our mindset and response to the stress?
• The more you resist feeling stress, the more you feel stress.
Here’s the Good News
Research shows encouraging news:
• How to manage your stress when it hits you
• Your mindset about stress is the most important factor
• Rewire your brain to become more resilient with stress
• THERE IS AN UPSIDE TO STRESS!
Changing Our Perspective on Stress
Stress - It involves something you care about.
What if we could change our relationship to the stress feelings?
What if we could intentionally approach our stress feelings instead of habitually avoiding them.
What if we could relate to our stress feelings as helpful?
What if we could relate to our stress feelings as our body making energy that we can use to accomplish whatever we need to do?
Three Types of Stress Responses
The Threat Response:• when the situation is dangerous and you need to escape or fight
The Challenge Response:• when the situation is demanding and you need to rise to the occasion
The Tend and Befriend Response:• when the situation is dangerous and or demanding and you need to (a) seek assistance or (b) assist another
All of these are adaptive, normal stress responses.
Let’s go on Safari
What Happens at the Office?
Take a Walk on the Softer Side of Life
Mindfulness
Acknowledge and Accept Feelings
Change Behavior
Solution Focus
Baby Steps
Reach Out
Support
Affirm
Stress Mindsets
Threat- Aggressive, Defensive, Elusive
Challenge- Determined, Innovative, Creative
Tend and Befriend- Empathy, Cooperation
Neurochemical Nerdiness
Adrenaline
Cortisol
DHEA
BDNF
Oxytocin
How to Get Better at Stress• Acknowledge stress and talk about it
• Ask for training, ask for help
• Be on the lookout for colleaugues in need
• Understanding our brain’s response to stress• Amygdala scans our environment for threats and mobilizes for fight or flights
• Prefrontal Cortex is responsible for awareness and can sooth the amygdala
• Mindfulness about emotions• Openness, curiosity, kind, and compassionate way to be aware and NAME your
feelings and emotions
• Name your feelings instead of being the feelings• Helps to improve our brain’s resilience and calms our psychological response• Name it to tame it!
• Self-care before healthcare• The thoughts you think affect every cell in your body• Emotions affect your thoughts, and likewise, the thoughts you think affect your emotions• The way your care for your body: healthy diet, exercise, sleep, breathing• The nature of your relationships affect physical, emotional, and mental health
• Just breathe.
How to Manage Stress Better
• Affirmations/Words that resonate• Challenges Help Me Grow
• Challenges Bring Opportunities
• Today Has Limitless Possibilities
• I Can Find Love and Support
• I Am Strong
• Peace Is Power
• This Too Shall Pass
• I Am Doing My Best
• My Happiness Comes From Within
• Each Moment Brings Choice
• I Can Find My Happy Place
How to Manage Stress Better
How to Manage Stress BetterTry to:1. Keep things in perspective, prioritize
2. Share your worries with friends and family
3. Clear up any misconceptions and give yourself the tools and resources to cope
4. Don’t be too hard on yourself
5. Confront your problems and make plans to solve them
6. Set realistic goals
7. Exercise regularly and eat healthy
8. Practice relaxation techniques
9. Have fun with family and friends
10. Understand your stress response and mindset
Remember: It’s normal to have setback- they can be overcome!
Lessons learned?
• Remember your why: Develop a personal mission statement“To relieve suffering, and to help other lead happier, healthier, and more
beautiful lives.”• Reflect on why your career matters to you and others and even to your
children
• Don’t wait for the Promised Land to be happy• If we can’t learn to be happy where we are now, we’ll never be happy when
we ‘arrive’ at wherever it is we spend so much time wanting to be• Realize that stress is our constant companion because we CARE and we can
use it to rise up, energize and make a difference
How to Manage Stress Better
We are blessed to lead lives with so much intrinsic goodness!We have the ability to make a deep impact every day!
