A Sign of the Times

   

Many of us are well aware of situations or circumstances that cause us stress.  In the moment we can recognize the signs of emotional response to the stress we are suddenly experiencing.  Are we as good at recognizing stress over the long term?  What about stress that slowly creeps in?  The kind of stress that seems small but accumulates over time and before you know it, we are blowing our tops.  We have all experienced this stress at some time or another in our lives.  It isn't as easily recognized or noticeable in our lives until it accumulates and become too much.  

There are still ways of catching this stress before it becomes too much.  We need to be much more intentional about recognizing it before it becomes overwhelming. 

The following is a list of signs and symptoms of stress, personal and work related stress:

• weight change
• changes in hygiene
• posture
• trembling or shaking
• increased smoking or coffee drinking
• change in energy (highly energized, or lethargic)
• skin pallor or blushing
• breathlessness
• inarticulate speech
• sighing
• changes in health
• nail biting
• tearfulness
• frowning or overly serious
• tone of voice
• alcohol or drug abuse

Signs and symptoms of stress at work:

• being late for work
• absenteeism
• longer lunch breaks
• clock watching
• leaving early
• changes in productivity
• performance issues
• frequent mistakes or accidents
• poor memory
• difficulty making decisions
• impaired judgment
• lack of personal care
• loss of temper, mood swings, over-reactions
• withdrawal socially or isolating self
• poor time management and inability to meet deadlines
• low morale / commitment to the employer
• conflict in workplace relationships
• low efficiency

   Do any of these sound familiar? When you reflect on the particularly stressful times in your life, which of these were prevalent?  We can't always rely on the obvious emotional responses to stress.  Not everything that causes us stress is immediate, sometimes it happens over a prolonged period of time.  However, if we pay attention to our physiological responses we can still recognize and respond accordingly.  If any of these signs and symptoms stand out to you chances are they are the best indicators of sneaky stress in your life.  Evaluate these areas often and note any changes that you notice.  Once you have started regularly monitoring your emotional, psychological, as well as your physiological patterns, you will be able to recognize the signs of stress earlier and deal with it in a more effective way.

No Parking Zone

The reality television show Parking Wars is an interesting way to learn about human reaction in crisis, frustration and about how people accept (or don't accept) responsibility.
One evening I decided to pop into the show briefly and observed a young woman state that she had received seven parking tickets after parking in the same No Parking Zone several times.  These seven tickets totaled $281.00 plus the fee to impound the car, as a result of the seven unpaid tickets.  The fee to park in the underground parking lot across the road would have been $7.50 per day.  What I found most interesting was her dialogue with the Impound Officer and her friend about whose responsibility and problem this actually was. Somehow this young woman had convinced herself that it was the Ticket Officer's problem.  She was full of excuses, blame and even personal put downs about the Ticket Officer.
This same scenario plays out in workplaces all the time.  Someone makes a mistake or a bad choice, and rather than own it and accept responsibility, fingers start pointing and blame and excuses fuel the dialogue.
There are clear benefits of owning your choices, actions and decisions:

• It demonstrates integrity
• Owning up shows you are not perfect
• Relationships are maintained instead of becoming strained
• You can change the behavior for next time or to improve the situation
• Owning your actions reduces chance of the same mistake(s) occurring again
• There is learning and growth

The benefits of owning your choice and actions far outweigh blame, excuses and putting the responsibility onto others.  Workplace environments that faster respect, acceptance, and trust provide the "safety zone" for team members to effectively handle mistakes and own their actions.

Quiet the Mind, Open the Heart

How fun to have my photo beside Lindsay Wagner! I was the opening guest on a radio show we both presented on. I must say...it was awfully fun to be side by side, even though it was virtually, with the bionic woman, a show that I watched faithfully in my pre-teens years ago.

The bionic woman, Jamie Sommers, reminds us of the importance of listening. While on the show, Lindsay Wagner's character had amplified hearing in her right ear. We can be reminded of the importance of listening. I mean really listening. Another lesson is that of discerning what information is to be shared, and what is not. Often on the show Jamie would receive a message that said Top Secret...This information is classified. I find far too often information that should not be shared or divulged is communicated, and this can break trust, and certainly create other challenges in the workplace. Listening and knowing how to effectively manage the information we glean from listening is a critical skill in building and maintaining relationships.

Is there a relationship, work or personal, that you need to practice better listening with? Do something about it today! Make it a point to focus during conversations with that person and really listen to what they say. Set it as a goal to play a part in enhancing that relationship by by coming into the conversation prepared to be present!