Firm Foundation
Working in the corporate wellness space I consistently see and hear about the toll stress has on the mental and emotional well-being of employees and, therefore, the productivity of the organizations they work for. This is even more top-of-mind in April as it is Stress Awareness Month.
We all need some stress to get things done. The pressure helps us to prioritize, collaborate, and build resiliency. But there comes a tipping point where too much stress is not a good thing. It leads to strain and then burnout. That tipping point is different for everyone, but we all have one.
I work with organizations all the time helping them to diagnose where stress is coming from with their teams and then developing strategies to minimize the negative impacts of stress and maximize the positive impacts of stress. In one of the workshops I lead called The FLOW Process, I teach participants an easy-to-do 4-step process for managing stress.
The first step in the FLOW Process is “Foundation.” Foundation represents the foundation to your day. The more solid the foundation of your day is, the better equipped you are to manage the challenges of the day. To have a solid foundation, you want to focus on what I call the “Three M’s” which are minimize, maximize, and move.
Minimize the morning news feed. Our brains have a built-in negativity bias. In other words, we are naturally wired to look for the threats around us. When you start your day tuned into the daily damage report, otherwise known as the morning news shows and social media, your fight or flight hormones start coursing through your veins and before long your heart starts racing and your ability to think clearly dissipates. Instead, try one of the other two M’s below.
Maximize mindfulness. Mindfulness is not only about sitting around and “OOOMMMMing,” although I must say I like OOOMMMing. There are also many other ways to practice mindfulness like meditating, praying, focusing on your breath, journaling, and writing down three things that you are grateful for each day. There is lots of science that supports all these practices. The bottom line is all these mindfulness approaches help you focus on the present. When you are focused on the present you are not ruminating about the past or worried about the future. Pick one thing and try to do it three to five times a week. Just five minutes a day will get you results. You need to be consistent. You won’t get lasting results by sporadically practicing mindfulness.
Move your body. In addition to the well-documented physical benefits of exercise, there are many mental benefits to exercise. One of the primary benefits is you get an increase in the neurotransmitter, endorphins, otherwise known as your body’s natural mood booster and pain reliever. It is also known to reduce depression and anxiety and increase pleasure. When you start your day with endorphins coursing through your veins, you have more power to manage the curve balls that come your way throughout the day. While it is beneficial to get yourself into Zone 2 Cardio at least 150 minutes a week, your mental well-being will also benefit by walking or stretching. I regularly record 10-minute Express Desk Stretch videos that you can use to begin your day or at any time of the day. Check out the library here and get moving.
By minimizing the morning news feed, maximizing mindfulness, and moving your body daily you will establish strong roots that will enable you to withstand the winds of the daily challenges that try to knock you down. Before you know it, you will be more resilient, strong, and able to weather the storms of life.
Anita