Whether you work at CARS, as a homemaker, or elsewhere, job stress is inevitable… some days more than others. But what if the effects of stress could be easily managed by shifting our perception of our circumstances and using our breath? Good news – it can!
In Job Stress? How to Keep Catastrophic Thoughts from Killing You, Joe Robinson shares informative and practical insights into how we can manage stress, regardless of its source. You may be familiar with that stress feeling– the chest tightens slightly, the stomach feels queasy, the breath quickens, and dread, fear, overwhelm, or anxious energy surrounds you. At its worst, thinking begins to loop on reels of doom and gloom, and solutions seem impossible.
Robinson states: “Yes, there are plenty of stressors coming at us in a warp factor 9 workplace, but it’s not the deadline, what a customer says, or the conflict with a colleague that’s causing your stress. The reality is you are. (emphasis added) It’s the story you tell yourself about the negative event or the stressor that’s causing the stress. We all have the ability to change the stories that create our stress, if we know how the dynamic works.”
He goes on to share, “You can exit the trap of work stress by increasing your control over the work environment as best you can and changing the false story of the caveman brain to one based on the facts of the situation as soon as you feel the wave of emotions and irrational thoughts go off. There are a number of effective techniques that can help reframe the story, as well as relaxation tools that can reduce the anxiety, so you can build in your rebuttal to the irrational thoughts.”
Changing the story you tell yourself about your situation will help reduce stress. The next time you are experiencing stressful thinking, take a moment and try a box-breathing technique: breathe in for a count of 4, hold for a count of 4, breathe out for a count of 4, hold for a count of 4, and repeat for 2-5 minutes until your mind has quieted and you feel a sense of peace. To enhance feelings of contentment, as you box-breath, focus on being grateful for a person, pet, place, or event in your life. After a few moments, challenge yourself to reframe the story you are telling yourself about your situation.
CARS Employees: Don’t forget, you can use your free and confidential Employee Assistance Program to help!
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