Stress is an inevitable part of our daily lives, and living and working in a city can be particularly demanding. But when the expectations we place on ourselves and our work are so high, sometimes life can seem completely overwhelming.
No-one functions at their best when feeling anxious, tired or fraught. Work or business starts to suffer, mistakes happen and relationships with friends and colleagues become strained. The paradox being that when we are relaxed everything begins to flow more easily.
Although a little stress can give us the energy to complete a task or take action, if you start to feel that the demands of work or life are out of control and if you catch yourself saying, ‘I have far too much to do..’, ‘I need to work 24/7 to meet the deadlines…’, ‘I can’t cope with the hundreds of emails..’, it’s time to take positive action….
Know your Circle of Influence. In Stephen Covey's book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, he writes about the Circle of Influence and the Circle of Concern. We each have a wide range of concerns at some time in our lives - our family, our relationships, problems at work and it is these that make up our Circle of Concern. Some things we have little or no real control over and others we can do something about. The latter are concerns that are within your Circle of Influence. People who focus their energy and efforts on the Circle of Influence work on things they can do something about and as a result the nature of their energy is positive and enlarging, causing their Circle of Influence to increase. As Stephen Covey says 'Be part of the solution, not part of the problem'.
Set your boundaries. A huge source of stress is over commitment and poor time management. Resist the temptation to schedule things back to back and build in enough flexibility to allow for planning, preparation time and dealing with the odd crisis.
Take care of your body. Well nourished and rested bodies are much better able to cope with the rigours of daily life. Physical exercise, such as running, swimming, or walking, is a great way to release tension and energise you.
Laugh out loud. Laughter like exercise releases tension and floods your body with 'feel good' chemicals. Whatever makes you laugh whether it is watching a funny movie, a comedy show on the television or spending time with someone who makes you see the silly side of life, seek out some fun during your working week on a regular basis.
Take a mini vacation. As part of your week try to plan ahead and allocate specific days or time of day for your stress reduction plan whether this is meditation, reading, listening to music, being with friends, taking the dog for a walk or running. Make sure to turn off the phone, switch off the TV, and close down the computer!
Finally, as Elisabeth Kubler-Ross said, "there is no need to go to India or anywhere else to find peace. You will find that deep place of silence right in your room, your garden or even your bathtub".
To find out more about our career coaching and development programmes please contact Susan@careerinsights.co.uk and we can book you in for an initial consultation.
No-one functions at their best when feeling anxious, tired or fraught. Work or business starts to suffer, mistakes happen and relationships with friends and colleagues become strained. The paradox being that when we are relaxed everything begins to flow more easily.
Although a little stress can give us the energy to complete a task or take action, if you start to feel that the demands of work or life are out of control and if you catch yourself saying, ‘I have far too much to do..’, ‘I need to work 24/7 to meet the deadlines…’, ‘I can’t cope with the hundreds of emails..’, it’s time to take positive action….
Know your Circle of Influence. In Stephen Covey's book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, he writes about the Circle of Influence and the Circle of Concern. We each have a wide range of concerns at some time in our lives - our family, our relationships, problems at work and it is these that make up our Circle of Concern. Some things we have little or no real control over and others we can do something about. The latter are concerns that are within your Circle of Influence. People who focus their energy and efforts on the Circle of Influence work on things they can do something about and as a result the nature of their energy is positive and enlarging, causing their Circle of Influence to increase. As Stephen Covey says 'Be part of the solution, not part of the problem'.
Set your boundaries. A huge source of stress is over commitment and poor time management. Resist the temptation to schedule things back to back and build in enough flexibility to allow for planning, preparation time and dealing with the odd crisis.
Take care of your body. Well nourished and rested bodies are much better able to cope with the rigours of daily life. Physical exercise, such as running, swimming, or walking, is a great way to release tension and energise you.
Laugh out loud. Laughter like exercise releases tension and floods your body with 'feel good' chemicals. Whatever makes you laugh whether it is watching a funny movie, a comedy show on the television or spending time with someone who makes you see the silly side of life, seek out some fun during your working week on a regular basis.
Take a mini vacation. As part of your week try to plan ahead and allocate specific days or time of day for your stress reduction plan whether this is meditation, reading, listening to music, being with friends, taking the dog for a walk or running. Make sure to turn off the phone, switch off the TV, and close down the computer!
Finally, as Elisabeth Kubler-Ross said, "there is no need to go to India or anywhere else to find peace. You will find that deep place of silence right in your room, your garden or even your bathtub".
To find out more about our career coaching and development programmes please contact Susan@careerinsights.co.uk and we can book you in for an initial consultation.
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