You’re sitting in a cozy café on a Sunday morning waiting for a friend to come and catch up on the week that went by. The coffee is hot and strong, just like you like it. The croissant smells heavenly and you can’t wait to bite into it. Your mood couldn’t be better because it’s the perfect weekend routine that you look forward to every week. That is until your friend joins you. Right off the bat, he breaks the news of him getting laid off from his organization. Your mood suddenly changes, and now you’re not just sad for your friend but also worrying about what if, God forbid, you’re faced with a similar situation.
That’s how contagious stress is!
But did you know, stress is one of the most important human responses that keeps us motivated? And that not all stress is bad stress? Yes, you read that right. Although the word ‘stress’ has a negative connotation to it, a little bit of stress is necessary for us to function in daily life. Good stress or ‘eustress’ is a positive type of stress that is manageable and ends up energizing us to face life head-on. While bad stress or ‘distress’ can lead us to anxiety, confusion, poor concentration, and decreased performance.
But how do we recognize which is which? The answer is easy. More often than not, the type of stress we’re experiencing depends on the response we have to potential situations that might stress us out. Now as a leader, you face these situations significantly more than regular people. So, let’s first understand how you can identify stressors that you can and can’t control.
Stressors you can control:
- Identify what you can control, such as, like we’ve emphasized before, the way you choose to react to problems.
- Prepare a list of things that cause you stress, then decide which things on the list can you take an action on. Sometimes inaction is the biggest factor behind chronic stress, so get moving.
- Evaluate whether you can change the situation that you find yourself into, perhaps by dropping some responsibility, relaxing your standards, or asking for help. Remember, you don’t have to do it all and you don’t have to do it alone.
- Look for sources of stress you can limit, like limiting your use of phone, social media, consuming news, or even having less contact with certain people. The world we live in is increasingly filling with polarizing and aggressive viewpoints and witnessing that is just as draining.
Stressors you can’t control:
- Try to accept things as they are. We have to get comfortable with accepting the fact that not everything can be controlled. There are some things that demand only acceptance and going against them will only cause more distress.
- Focus more on what you can control rather than focusing on what you can’t control. Shifting your focus from obstacles to opportunities is where it’s at.
- Look for the positive side of things. Sometimes changing your perspective of looking at things can help you with personal growth even while facing the biggest challenges of your life.
Identifying your stressors makes it easier for you to manage them effectively. Now let’s quickly look at some tips that will help you manage and mitigate the identified stress.
1. Recognize Stress Signals
Pay attention to your body’s response to stressful situations. Your body speaks to you when it is in discomfort, listen intently. You’ll notice signs like increased heart rate, muscle tension, or trouble sleeping when you’re dealing with distress. Recognizing these signals early can help you manage stress before it escalates and compromises your health.
2. Maintain Work-life Balance
With the amount of work and diverse responsibilities that leaders deal with, it is like amateur hours to add this as one of the tips, but work-life balance is just as, or more important for leaders as it is for anyone else. Setting boundaries and prioritizing self-care will not only help you lead a sound life but also encourage your team to do so.
3. Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness isn’t just a zen concept meant for Buddhist monks anymore. Practising mindfulness has real life measurable benefits in the material world. When you become more aware of your actions and reactions, it helps you make more informed decisions and increases your productivity. Meditating for even 20 mins daily will help you with practising mindfulness.
4. Seek Support
Having a support group in place will give you a great outlet to communicate your stressors. Keep your peers, seniors, family members, trusted friends, or whoever it is that you include in your support group close. Their presence and advise will help you stay on track with your stress-management goals.
5. Take Care of Your Physical Health
In all the noise of information around mental health, we often ignore the simple, doable pre-requisites for maintaining a good mental health. These include drinking enough water, staying physically active, taking enough sunlight, and sleeping well.
In a very popular podcast called ‘The Diary of a CEO’, Dr. Tara Swart, a brilliant neuroscientist explains, “The first thing I came up against was the lack of understanding of the brain-body connection. These high-performing executives were acting like their body was just the vehicle that was moving their brain around from meeting to meeting and both disrespecting their physical health but also not understanding that what they’re actually being paid for was to use their brain and they weren’t creating the best conditions for that brain.”
This doesn’t just apply to the pattern that Dr. Tara noticed at the time of financial crisis when people were dropping dead on the trading floor due to heart attacks, it applies to everyone. We shouldn’t be surprised of the visible repercussions when we fail to take care of ourselves. Only a sound body inhibits a sound mind.
6. Practise Time Management and Delegation
Slash down unnecessary things in your schedule that take up your time, like work meetings that hardly discuss work. Sometimes as a leader, you tend you take up more than you have the bandwidth for. In times like these, trust your team with some of the tasks that you usually would do yourself and get rid of the feeling of overwhelm that comes with biting on more than you can chew.
7. Show Appreciation and Gratitude
Appreciation and gratitude are powerful forces and they have a positive effect on the whole environment when expressed genuinely. Not only the morale of your team will be boosted by appreciating them publicly on a regular basis, but you will also feel more confident about the abilities of your team.
8. Be Aware of and Regulate Your Emotions
Being aware of your emotions will help you regulate them better. A lack of understanding of your own emotions will result in sudden outbursts, and you don’t want that as a leader. Notice when you’re feeling the negative feelings and regulate them by creating some space for yourself and taking a step back from the bustle.
9. Prioritize Restorative Activities
As an enthusiastic leader, you might argue that you get all your energy from work, but let’s be honest here, work takes up more energy than it gives. Engage in activities like outdoor recreation, spending time with friends and family, and indulging in your favourite hobbies. Give your brain the much-needed break that it deserves.
10. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help
We’ve listed 10 tips in this blog to help you manage your stress. If you go in search of another similar blog, you might find 10 more tips, but we’re no experts when it comes to situations that are more serious than they look on the surface. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you realize that your stress is not manageable anymore and is hindering with your daily functions. A therapist or counsellor will help you way more than any blog ever could.
For your ease, we’ve listed some sources available for mental health support. Reach out and get the necessary help.
- SAMHSA’s National Helpline: SAMHSA offers a confidential and free 24/7 service, available in English and Spanish, for individuals and families dealing with mental health and substance use disorders. It provides treatment referrals and information.
- Crisis Hotlines, Warmlines & Resources: The California Department of Public Health has compiled a comprehensive list of crisis hotlines, warmlines, and suicide prevention resources that cater to a wide range of needs, including specific populations.
- Online Therapy Services: You can access virtual counseling from licensed therapists, psychologists, or psychiatrists through online platforms like ReGain, Pride Counseling, and Teladoc.
- NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness is the largest grassroots mental health organization in the United States, dedicated to improving the lives of those affected by mental illness. They offer helplines, educational materials, advocacy, and support groups.
- California Coalition for Mental Health: This coalition unites mental health organizations in California, advocating for improved mental health care delivery. Their membership includes family and consumer organizations, nonprofit service providers, professional associations, hospitals, and others.
- Youth Mental Health Resources Hub: The California Health and Human Services department provides a collection of mental health resources tailored to youth, including the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, warm lines, and local support options.
- Kaiser Permanente: Kaiser Permanente offers mental health services and personalized treatment without the need for a referral.
- It’s Up to Us Riverside: This website is a convenient gateway to mental health and suicide prevention resources. It provides a wide array of tools, information, and tips to support a healthy and well-balanced life, along with details on staff, research programs, clinical trials, and more related to mental health and suicide prevention.
Closing Remarks
As a leader, it is crucial that you manage your stress effectively to avoid burnout and maintain your well-being. Your team will follow suit when you set standards for self-care, and it will ultimately lead to a happier and more productive work environment. You not only set a positive example, but also foster a culture of well-being within your organization, promoting employee morale and overall success by prioritizing self-care and stress management.
