You didn’t need the alarm to buzz at six am Monday, because your eyes snapped open at five. Sadly, you only sleep well on Fridays.
All morning at work, you knew that report wasn’t going to be ready in time. Your heart was beating faster, your blood pressure was climbing, and sweat was making two ugly spots on your freshly-pressed oxford by 10:30. Just before noon, your boss barked at you because of that unsatisfactory report/long-awaited brilliant idea/solution to a difficult client relationship, and after lunch, you crunched a few antacid tablets to settle your stomach.
Lately, your allergies have been acting up and your immune system has been down. It’s just a matter of time before you catch the latest virus. The only good thing about being sick at home for three days though is being able to avoid uncomfortable people and the work piling up on your desk.
This “generalized stress response” as it is often called, is pre-programmed to get us through uncomfortable (and hopefully infrequent) situations. But if the scenario I just described is a long-term daily occurrence, your physical and emotional health is at risk from stress and you need to act now.
Nobody grows up hoping to spend their lives hating their job. We all hope that our gifts and talents result in a well-paid, fulfilling career while serving others at the same time.
A 2007 report on work stress and job performance by Statistics Canada shows that positive responses can give people a sense of control over their stressful situations and improve their perspective. It says that social support and positive coping mechanisms (proper health habits, problem-solving and verbal communication skills, etc.) are protective factors for workers, while negative coping mechanisms (isolation and substance abuse, self-blame) were likely to increase work impairments.
Beyond improving communication skills however, is developing a sense of purpose and joy in life. Most people can endure very difficult circumstances if they believe there’s purpose in it. So when the duties of every work day never change, you must change your perspective through a process I call, “Intentional Living.” Long-term changes in our thoughts, actions and habits are not easy, but the process pays back dividends. Here are a couple of ideas for you to ponder:
Fun: When was the last time you had any? Do you like movies, music, book clubs, camping, power shopping…parasailing? Don’t live to work, work to live.
Exercise: A recent news feature showed how daily strenuous, aerobic exercise substantially improved academic outcomes even for students with tough behavioral problems. It’s time to jump off that couch and reboot your brain!
Relationships: Those friends you haven’t spoken to in weeks…do they remember who you are? It’s time to make a date for dinner and a show. And don’t forget to call your mother…she worries about you!
Unplug: Is it really necessary to check your Blackberry messages in the middle of the night? The details can wait until morning. Concentrate on getting a good night’s sleep.
Purpose: Learn to look at the big picture. What are your daily activities, no matter how mundane, accomplishing for someone else? On a recent trip to Liberia, Africa, I saw how after 16 years of brutal civil war, 28 people were paid to manually carve six half-acre tilapia ponds out of the hillside with 10 wheelbarrows and 12 shovels. How did they accomplish such an overwhelming task? They took joy in building a future for their community, so that their children could look forward to a better life. What higher purpose is there than that?
