Posted July 25, 2009
These tips are from Lisa Pasbjerg, a social worker who founded Ann Arbor-based Focused Coaching, which provides executive coaching and training services. (Learn more at www.focusedcoaching.net.)
–Make exercise a scheduled part of your day and concentrate on proper nutrition. “Adopt an elite athlete mind-set,” Pasbjerg said. “Train your body like you’re going to run a marathon each day.”
–Make sleep a priority. Try going to bed earlier in 15-minute increments. If you don’t feel better after adjusting your bedtime by 15 minutes, try going to bed another 15 minutes earlier.
–Talk to colleagues about ways to reduce stress and burnout. Be open about how you can support one another. Surround yourself with supportive and appreciative people at work.
–Eliminate as many stressors and small annoyances as possible. “It’s often surprising how one small change can make a difference,” such as disabling the pop-up indicator on your computer that indicates you have new e-mail, Pasbjerg said. That can help you focus uninterrupted on the task at hand.
–Take a break from electronics and technology. Every day, set aside time when you turn off the phone and computer, even if it means going out to the parking lot and sitting quietly in your car.
–Develop positive rituals to begin and end your day. In the morning, this might be showering with a favorite soap and using a special towel. In the evening, it might be listening to music, writing down three things that went well in the day or praying. “You’ll train your body to make that shift and be more relaxed,” Pasbjerg said. “The more you do it, the more your body moves into it. That’s why rituals are soothing.”
What bosses can do: Look around to find ways to reduce stress. “Often there are things they can do for next to nothing … and make things better,” such as changing the flicking overhead light that drives people nuts, Pasbjerg said.
Date: July 21, 2009
To see more of the Detroit Free Press, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.freep.com.
Copyright © 2009, Detroit Free Press
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.