Jan
07
2015
Managing stress at work: the Centre’s tea challenge
By Sally Pearman.
When it’s dark like this I just want to hibernate until the sun comes out. I’m so stressed my head could explode. I actually fell asleep on the tube last night. I’ve had this cold for weeks. I’m just feeling run down. I’m going to have an early night tonight - I’m shattered. I need my caffeine fix!
Do any of these sound familiar?
It's funny isn’t it; we live in a fast-paced, generation ‘y’, technology-fuelled age, where everything is instant - instant messaging, instant coffee, instant dinners. And yet every day in the office you hear the gossip, the tell-tale signs, that people are overstretched.
“Why, I feel all thin, sort of stretched, if you know what I mean: like butter that has been scraped over too much bread. That can't be right. I need a change, or something.” J.R.R. Tolkien Lord of the Rings
Now I’m not saying that going into work is an epic battle of good vs. evil (well perhaps it does feel like that on a Monday morning in January!) but we all get those physical signs that we’re worn down and that our body is crying out for a little TLC. And yet I can hold my hand up and say I’ve definitely ignored them. Because life goes on. Work, pitches, birthdays, reports, the school run are all too important to stop. The reality for most of us is that we’re juggling a lot of plates. And stopping might create more problems than it solves.
So what’s the solution: the Centre’s tea challenge
We’re challenging you to take ten minutes out of your working week, every week, to have a cup of tea and focus on reviewing your work-life balance. Time to reflect upon how you manage stress at work, how you can make small changes that make you happier and healthier.
That’s it… no magic. Just a ten minute weekly commitment to focus on you.
Unless you’ve had an abnormally fruitful New Year’s resolution it’s unlikely that managing stress at work is something you’re reviewing seriously, on a regular basis. I’ve outlined some simple steps you might like to take a look at during your tea challenge to kick-start your personal stress audit.
How much time do you really have?
No one lives in a vacuum; we all have responsibilities outside of work. More of us are in dual career relationships or have sandwich care responsibilities; caring for children as well as elderly relatives. A lot of us are single which means that everything comes down to you, from the washing-up right through to mortgage applications.
A big step towards addressing your work-life balance is simply to measure the amount of time you have left outside of your core care and work commitments. Keeping a journal of your must dos, the time you usually wake up, the time you go to sleep and then simply plot what’s left.
Make sure you have that tea to hand as it’s at this stage you’ll realise that your ‘free’ time is very limited.
Time to prioritise
Now you’ve realised what ‘free’ time is available, you might want to reconsider where you’re spending that precious ‘you’ time. Are you letting work overspill into your personal time? Are you making enough time for your partner, family and interests? Are you getting enough sleep?
Are your current priorities having a negative impact on the things that really matter to you? Often our support network are the people that we neglect first when we are stressed or under a lot of pressure.
But that’s only a short-term solution. This is generally the point in which you’ll have to start prioritising your activities in line with your career and personal goals. I’m currently studying alongside my full-time job and I’ve learnt that, to avoid stress, I have to say “no” a lot more than I’m used to.
SMART goals
Setting yourself ambitious goals around yoga retreats in Ibiza and extra childcare are probably not feasible (or affordable!) for most of us. For changes to stick in the long-term we’re probably looking at baby steps that will build-up over time.
Specific: pin point exactly the behaviour or habit you’ll be changing
Measurable: how will you measure the change?
Achievable: a 20% stretch from your comfort zone is often a good push
Results: what will be different after you achieve this goal?
Time: when will you get to your goal, a month is a good time scale to keep you on track
My dad has always said to do anything well you need to focus on one thing at a time and that’s the advice I’d recommend to you. Aim for one goal a month that you can really commit to and form a habit before tackling another challenge.
Get the support you need
You might want to spend one of your tea breaks thinking about what support you need.
I’m very external, so for a plan to cement in my mind I need the opportunity to talk through the process with someone else. That’s usually the Centre’s MD, my partner or sometimes I use an external coach. But my cup of tea might not be yours so it’s definitely worth thinking about what has worked well for you in the past.
If you’re more internal or reflective you might find keeping a journal a really useful tool. If you’re often on the go you might find podcasts or TED Talks helpful. If you don’t know where to begin some coaching or training around managing stress, resilience, assertiveness or time management might be useful.
We’re really keen to hear your views and top tips around managing stress so please tweet us @CSCTheCentre #TeaChallenge.
The Centre offers a number of training courses that address the issues discussed in this blog including Stress management and resilience, Mindfulness, Time management for managers, Time managers for administrators and Assertiveness skills.
Our Stress management and resilience course provides an interesting, practical and helpful introduction to the subject of stress, pressure and achieving wellbeing. This course is running at our central London training suite on 20 February – book now.
