I just read an article in the latest issue of Spirituality and Health magazine entitled "How Stress Shrinks Your Brain." Since stress seems analogous to life these days, the article got my attention. The bad news presented in the article is that prolonged stress changes the way the brain looks and functions. The good news is that the damage is reversible with any number of interventions that diminish resulting anxiety such as cognitive therapy, medication, exercise and meditation.
The article brought to mind a friend who, as a senior manager, has what some might consider a stressful job, but who rarely seems stressed. After a brief discussion about how he spends his time at work, I had an idea about what helps him avoid the all-too-common stress reactions.
First of all, Tom, as I'll refer to him, has a home office. While his schedule requires travel to meetings with a variety of people during the week, Tom spends at least two days out of five working alone at home. During these days, he can focus on his writing and considerable correspondence without interruptions, take necessary stretch breaks that incorporate deep breathing and eat his lunch on the terrace in the company of chickadees and cardinals.
In other words, Tom's workday at his home office is balanced by connections with nature and attention to his physical and intellectual needs. When he shifts gears to attend meetings at conventional offices, he is in good shape to effectively manage the predictable array of issues or attend to staff members who need his immediate input, without getting caught up in any particular drama or crisis.
Though he admits it was not intentional, Tom seems to have discovered several effective ways to avoid work stress. While most of us cannot structure our workdays like Tom's, we can all incorporate some of the useful strategies inherent in his situation. I've listed several simple tips from his story that may help anyone better manage or even ward off stress at work:
- Recognize what you personally need in order to work optimally (e.g. uninterrupted moments each day, contact with people on a regular basis, time to attend to physical needs).
- Review your daily schedule to determine how your needs can be addressed and put a plan in place.
- Build short breaks into your workday. These can be as simple as taking a brief walk outside the building, or doing a few yoga stretches. You can set your computer to remind you to pause every hour or so.
- Eat lunch and avoid multi-tasking during lunchtime! A high percentage of workers skips lunch or continues with work while eating. This behavior neglects a basic physical need that can lead to fatigue and lack of focus.
- Consistently eat your lunch away from your workspace. When your workday is long and uninterrupted, you are more likely to feel bombarded by stress and less likely to be at the top of your game.
- Incorporate a change of scenery into your workday and get out into nature for a few minutes. It just might change your mood or even inspire you!
- Breathe. Research shows that conscious breathing increases blood circulation throughout the body, including the brain—an important benefit when you are trying to solve a problem or deal with stress.
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