Take vacations to keep you mentally and physically healthy
Stress for Success
July 10, 2007
Unrelenting stress – even good stress -- leads to illness, disease, depression, burnout, and strained relationships. Why then do so many resist taking more time away from it? Some fear retribution at work if they take too much or even any vacation. Others think they’re invincible and don’t need time off. Eventually, however, it’ll catch up with you.
Vacations are mentally and physically healthy:
§ Psychosomatic Medicine: a study from State University College, Oswego, New York, showed men who take more frequent vacations have a 30% and women a 50% lower risk of dying of heart disease compared to those who don’t.
§ The Wisconsin Medical Journal: Marshfield Clinic research found that women who take frequent vacations are less likely to become depressed and report higher marital satisfaction
§ Participating in more leisure activities gives you greater satisfaction with life
Vacations also protect you from burnout, which is very difficult to recover from without a major life change. My husband and I were both severely burned out in the late 1990s due to professional and family stress. Our solution? We vacationed an entire year in a huge motor home traveling throughout the U.S., western Canada and Alaska. Upon our return we were ready and raring to go again. Wouldn’t it be great if everyone could create such an opportunity for themselves?
There are shorter and less expensive vacations that can improve your health. Last week I mentioned taking several long weekends vs. using up all of your annual days in one main vacation.
Another is to vacation at home. Disconnect from all work and possibly even personal communications and tour your own community. It’s much cheaper and we live in a tourist destination where there’s lots to do and see.
The minimum we should all do daily, or at least several times a week, is to take mental vacations. To facilitate this, enlarge and frame a photo of your most relaxing destination and keep it close by. As pressure builds, take a couple of minutes, close your eyes and take a mini-vacation in that beautiful spot. You’d be surprised how relaxing it can be. It won’t take the place of real vacations but it relieves stress like a boiling tea kettle releases steam.
You can reduce stress by fighting to protect the incredibly shrinking American vacation (putting energy into a goal reduces stress) by joining those who believe in a minimum paid-leave policy for all. The “Work to Live” and the “Take Back Your Time Campaign” have joined forces to pass a national three-week minimum paid-leave law. They argue that 127 other countries have laws protecting vacations. We don’t. They’re working to make this an issue in ’08 presidential campaign. If you’d like to join in, go to www.timeday.org.
Letting go of daily stressors through vacations allows your mind and body to recoup and build up greater resiliency to future stress. They recharge and rejuvenate you while improving your job performance when you return. It’s your responsibility to figure out how to best do that for your lifestyle and budget.
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com with your questions or for information about her workshops on this and other topics and to invite her to speak to your organization.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Working less, vacationing more can increase productivity, lower stress
Stress for Success
July 3, 2007
Tomorrow we celebrate America’s independence. It’s one of the few holidays that virtually everyone gets off from work and spends it eating and perhaps drinking too much. But hey! It’s only one day. And that’s the problem.
This year July 4th falls in the middle of the week so fewer people will take additional days off to create a long weekend. And we Americans, working far more than other industrialized nations, need not only more vacation days, we need to take off the days we earn.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American gets 8.1 days vacation after one year on the job, and only 10.2 days vacation after three years! We haven’t worked this many hours since the 1920s. Almost 40% of us work more than 50 hours a week! This is absolutely nuts!
How can humans be expected to produce quality work when they’re perpetually overstressed and exhausted? Do employers who pressure employees not to take all of their vacation time actually think they’re increasing productivity? Does a small business owner expect to be more industrious after working 60 to 70 hour weeks month after month?
According to a National Institute of Management report performance declines 25% after a 60 hour workweek.
But does more time off equate to greater productivity? Joe Robinson, author of "Work to Live: The Guide to Getting a Life" says evidence shows that it does. Vacation days mandated by law vary from 30 in Spain and France, to 25 in Japan, to 21 in Norway down to zero in the United States. Americans work 6½ weeks more a year then the British and 12½ weeks more than the Germans!
"Contrary to the American myth,” Robinson says, “a number of European countries have caught up with the United States in productivity." According to the US Federal Reserve Board, Europe had a higher productivity growth rate in 14 of the 19 years between 1981 and 2000.
Not only can time off enhance productivity but the opposite is also true; stress, partly caused by too little vacation time, is estimated to cost employers $150 billion a year.
But corporate America doesn’t seem at all close to changing its attitude about paid time off (couldn’t they at least let us take off our birthdays?). So how can you use your few and very precious annual vacation days to maximize stress reduction?
It makes logical sense to me that instead of taking all of your leave days in one continuous vacation to take off several long weekends a year. Simply planning a longer holiday can cause significant stress in itself and by the time you've adapted to the different pace of your planned vacation it’s time to go back to work.
Instead consider strategically scheduling your vacation days with long weekends such as Labor Day or Memorial Day. Several mini-vacations each year give you more frequent stress breaks so you won’t reach the peak of stress waiting an eternity for your once a year time away from work.
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com with your questions or for information about her workshops on this and other topics and to invite her to speak to your organization.
Stress for Success
July 3, 2007
Tomorrow we celebrate America’s independence. It’s one of the few holidays that virtually everyone gets off from work and spends it eating and perhaps drinking too much. But hey! It’s only one day. And that’s the problem.
This year July 4th falls in the middle of the week so fewer people will take additional days off to create a long weekend. And we Americans, working far more than other industrialized nations, need not only more vacation days, we need to take off the days we earn.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American gets 8.1 days vacation after one year on the job, and only 10.2 days vacation after three years! We haven’t worked this many hours since the 1920s. Almost 40% of us work more than 50 hours a week! This is absolutely nuts!
How can humans be expected to produce quality work when they’re perpetually overstressed and exhausted? Do employers who pressure employees not to take all of their vacation time actually think they’re increasing productivity? Does a small business owner expect to be more industrious after working 60 to 70 hour weeks month after month?
According to a National Institute of Management report performance declines 25% after a 60 hour workweek.
But does more time off equate to greater productivity? Joe Robinson, author of "Work to Live: The Guide to Getting a Life" says evidence shows that it does. Vacation days mandated by law vary from 30 in Spain and France, to 25 in Japan, to 21 in Norway down to zero in the United States. Americans work 6½ weeks more a year then the British and 12½ weeks more than the Germans!
"Contrary to the American myth,” Robinson says, “a number of European countries have caught up with the United States in productivity." According to the US Federal Reserve Board, Europe had a higher productivity growth rate in 14 of the 19 years between 1981 and 2000.
Not only can time off enhance productivity but the opposite is also true; stress, partly caused by too little vacation time, is estimated to cost employers $150 billion a year.
But corporate America doesn’t seem at all close to changing its attitude about paid time off (couldn’t they at least let us take off our birthdays?). So how can you use your few and very precious annual vacation days to maximize stress reduction?
It makes logical sense to me that instead of taking all of your leave days in one continuous vacation to take off several long weekends a year. Simply planning a longer holiday can cause significant stress in itself and by the time you've adapted to the different pace of your planned vacation it’s time to go back to work.
Instead consider strategically scheduling your vacation days with long weekends such as Labor Day or Memorial Day. Several mini-vacations each year give you more frequent stress breaks so you won’t reach the peak of stress waiting an eternity for your once a year time away from work.
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com with your questions or for information about her workshops on this and other topics and to invite her to speak to your organization.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Doing nothing but worrying? Develop a sense of proportion
Stress for Success
June 26, 2007
Can I trust my daughter’s friends? Is my job safe? Will we have hurricanes this season? Are my parents being well taken care of? Do we have enough retirement income? Will terrorists strike again? There’s an endless list of things to worry about.
The original intent for all stress emotions, including worry, was to motivate you to take positive action regarding whatever is bothering you. An example of healthy worry is if at bedtime you fear that you didn’t lock up the house, you go check. Theoretically, once you investigate and secure any unlocked doors -- you take positive action -- your anxiety should dissipate.
However, worrying may become unhealthy when you:
§ continue worrying about something after you’ve attended to it
§ take no positive action about whatever you’re concerned with
§ obsessively fret over anything
If you could clearly see that most of what you worry about isn’t worth your energy, would it motivate you to worry less? See if you’re like Althea, a mother who worried nearly constantly and was treated for this at an Adlerian Psychology family counseling center.
Althea especially worried about her 10-year-old son. She started worrying the second her eyes opened in the morning and throughout her entire day. The psychiatrist assigned her to:
§ Daily write down on paper every single worry (large and small) that entered her mind, and put them all in the one spot
§ After writing down each worry she was to stop fretting about it.
§ Make a one-hour weekly appointment with herself to do nothing but worry about each concern she’d written. She chose Wednesdays from 8 - 9 a.m. to worry at her family-room desk. Outside of that one hour she was not to worry at all.
During her Wednesday morning meetings with herself she’d do her best to worry about what was on those pieces of paper like, "Sammy’s 5 minutes late", "I wonder what the expiration date was on that milk he drank", "It’s going to rain and Sammy forgot his jacket."
It’s very difficult to sit for one hour and do nothing but worry; try it.
Althea was amazed at the myriad of things she worried about. It didn't take her long to discover that vast majority of her worries:
§ were trivial in nature
§ were about Sammy
§ never came to pass
§ focused on things beyond her control
§ were definitely not worth the time, energy and stress she invested in them
Once she became consciously aware of these epiphanies, she made a goal to decrease her worries by 50% each week. After just one month she quite easily decreased worrying to a more “normal” level.
It’s difficult as a parent, a business owner, or as someone with a medical condition not to worry. Often the worry is appropriate because something does require your positive action. Learn the difference between your own healthy and unhealthy fretting and preserve your stress energy for the concerns that can actually benefit from your attention.
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com with your questions or for information about her workshops on this and other topics and to invite her to speak to your organization.
Stress for Success
June 26, 2007
Can I trust my daughter’s friends? Is my job safe? Will we have hurricanes this season? Are my parents being well taken care of? Do we have enough retirement income? Will terrorists strike again? There’s an endless list of things to worry about.
The original intent for all stress emotions, including worry, was to motivate you to take positive action regarding whatever is bothering you. An example of healthy worry is if at bedtime you fear that you didn’t lock up the house, you go check. Theoretically, once you investigate and secure any unlocked doors -- you take positive action -- your anxiety should dissipate.
However, worrying may become unhealthy when you:
§ continue worrying about something after you’ve attended to it
§ take no positive action about whatever you’re concerned with
§ obsessively fret over anything
If you could clearly see that most of what you worry about isn’t worth your energy, would it motivate you to worry less? See if you’re like Althea, a mother who worried nearly constantly and was treated for this at an Adlerian Psychology family counseling center.
Althea especially worried about her 10-year-old son. She started worrying the second her eyes opened in the morning and throughout her entire day. The psychiatrist assigned her to:
§ Daily write down on paper every single worry (large and small) that entered her mind, and put them all in the one spot
§ After writing down each worry she was to stop fretting about it.
§ Make a one-hour weekly appointment with herself to do nothing but worry about each concern she’d written. She chose Wednesdays from 8 - 9 a.m. to worry at her family-room desk. Outside of that one hour she was not to worry at all.
During her Wednesday morning meetings with herself she’d do her best to worry about what was on those pieces of paper like, "Sammy’s 5 minutes late", "I wonder what the expiration date was on that milk he drank", "It’s going to rain and Sammy forgot his jacket."
It’s very difficult to sit for one hour and do nothing but worry; try it.
Althea was amazed at the myriad of things she worried about. It didn't take her long to discover that vast majority of her worries:
§ were trivial in nature
§ were about Sammy
§ never came to pass
§ focused on things beyond her control
§ were definitely not worth the time, energy and stress she invested in them
Once she became consciously aware of these epiphanies, she made a goal to decrease her worries by 50% each week. After just one month she quite easily decreased worrying to a more “normal” level.
It’s difficult as a parent, a business owner, or as someone with a medical condition not to worry. Often the worry is appropriate because something does require your positive action. Learn the difference between your own healthy and unhealthy fretting and preserve your stress energy for the concerns that can actually benefit from your attention.
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com with your questions or for information about her workshops on this and other topics and to invite her to speak to your organization.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Channel storm fears productively
Stress for Success
June 19, 2007
Here we go again! We’re less than two weeks into the hurricane season and we've already had two named storms. Wow!
Tropical Storm Barry, however, also demonstrated that tropical storms are a natural and important part of Florida's ecological balance. In other words, storms are not necessarily bad; in fact they’re necessary.
If you’re already stressed-to-the-max about hurricane season you’ll need to productively channel your fears to avoid being exhausted by the end of November. If you excessively worry it may be because:
§ You’re experiencing post-traumatic-stress disorder from having been through a life-threatening storm before. Please consider getting counseling for this. There’s no reason to suffer needlessly.
§ You’re a worry-wart no matter what the situation. I’ll have a great technique for you in next week’s column.
To keep your imagination from going wild, creating unnecessary tension, there are three basic stress management principles you can use when experiencing storm anxiety.
The first is to understand that Mother Nature’s survival emotions, anger and fear, are intended to motivate you to take positive action in response to whatever is triggering them. Take your storm anxiety energy and invest it into identifying positive actions you could take to calm your fears.
Secondly, putting your energy into preparing for hurricanes gives you a greater sense of control, which automatically lowers your stress.
Thirdly, keep your anxiety commensurate with the reality of the storm threat. This begins and ends with what you say to yourself. Wherever your thoughts are going that’s where you are going. Thinking fearful and stressful thoughts leads you toward fear and stress. Replace scary thinking with “What are my options?” repeated over and over until you think of a positive action you could take.
To practice these principles also get reliable information to educate yourself so you can gauge how stressed you need to be for each storm. For example, knowing two hurricane terms can help you decide how worried you need to be.
§ "Hurricane watch"; a hurricane is possible in your area
§ "Hurricane warning"; a hurricane is expected
Doesn’t it make sense to invest less fear into something that’s possible rather than expected?
To moderate your fear level, watch weather updates (but not obsessively until and unless there’s a hurricane knocking on our door). Remain watchful as long as we’re in the "cone of uncertainty". Once we’re out of this cone your anxiety level should drop in proportion to the decreased threat. Not all storms are created equal. If you remain as stressed it means you’re not allowing reality to influence your fears. Accurate information counters unrealistic fears so get the News-Press’ Hurricane Guide 2007 in the Sunday, June 3 newspaper (also distributed through Circle Ks) to help you prepare for storms ahead of time.
Given the experiences of the past few years with hurricanes, it’s wise to be alert and prepared. As your anxiety increases use that energy to review and act on your preparation plans rather than letting your fears be based on fear alone.
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com with your questions or for information about her workshops on this and other topics and to invite her to speak to your organization.
Stress for Success
June 19, 2007
Here we go again! We’re less than two weeks into the hurricane season and we've already had two named storms. Wow!
Tropical Storm Barry, however, also demonstrated that tropical storms are a natural and important part of Florida's ecological balance. In other words, storms are not necessarily bad; in fact they’re necessary.
If you’re already stressed-to-the-max about hurricane season you’ll need to productively channel your fears to avoid being exhausted by the end of November. If you excessively worry it may be because:
§ You’re experiencing post-traumatic-stress disorder from having been through a life-threatening storm before. Please consider getting counseling for this. There’s no reason to suffer needlessly.
§ You’re a worry-wart no matter what the situation. I’ll have a great technique for you in next week’s column.
To keep your imagination from going wild, creating unnecessary tension, there are three basic stress management principles you can use when experiencing storm anxiety.
The first is to understand that Mother Nature’s survival emotions, anger and fear, are intended to motivate you to take positive action in response to whatever is triggering them. Take your storm anxiety energy and invest it into identifying positive actions you could take to calm your fears.
Secondly, putting your energy into preparing for hurricanes gives you a greater sense of control, which automatically lowers your stress.
Thirdly, keep your anxiety commensurate with the reality of the storm threat. This begins and ends with what you say to yourself. Wherever your thoughts are going that’s where you are going. Thinking fearful and stressful thoughts leads you toward fear and stress. Replace scary thinking with “What are my options?” repeated over and over until you think of a positive action you could take.
To practice these principles also get reliable information to educate yourself so you can gauge how stressed you need to be for each storm. For example, knowing two hurricane terms can help you decide how worried you need to be.
§ "Hurricane watch"; a hurricane is possible in your area
§ "Hurricane warning"; a hurricane is expected
Doesn’t it make sense to invest less fear into something that’s possible rather than expected?
To moderate your fear level, watch weather updates (but not obsessively until and unless there’s a hurricane knocking on our door). Remain watchful as long as we’re in the "cone of uncertainty". Once we’re out of this cone your anxiety level should drop in proportion to the decreased threat. Not all storms are created equal. If you remain as stressed it means you’re not allowing reality to influence your fears. Accurate information counters unrealistic fears so get the News-Press’ Hurricane Guide 2007 in the Sunday, June 3 newspaper (also distributed through Circle Ks) to help you prepare for storms ahead of time.
Given the experiences of the past few years with hurricanes, it’s wise to be alert and prepared. As your anxiety increases use that energy to review and act on your preparation plans rather than letting your fears be based on fear alone.
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com with your questions or for information about her workshops on this and other topics and to invite her to speak to your organization.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Live through your strengths to create happiness
Stress for Success
June 12, 2007
I'm very grateful for my blessed life, which is full of loving relationships, adventure, and a fascinating career. Taking the "VIA Signature Strengths Test" at the Authentic Happiness web site (http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu) explained why my life is so good.
This test measures 24 character strengths; from humor to humility. It's part of Positive Psychology (PP), which researches mental health vs. mental illness. To create authentic happiness PP tells us to live our lives through our natural strengths vs. fixing our weaknesses.
My test results show that my life choices are an expression of my five top strengths: genuineness, curiosity and interest in the world, capacity to love and be loved, gratitude, and perseverance. (Other character strengths measured include, optimism, open-mindedness, leadership, fairness, spirituality, forgiveness, bravery, kindness, plus eleven more.)
A high “curiosity and interest in the world” score means “always asking questions, finding subjects/topics fascinating, and liking exploration and discovery”. This helps explain why, at the age of 22, I joined the Peace Corps for 2 ½ years and why I chose the career of public speaking. My “genuineness” high score may explain why customers consistently tell me that my presentations are so practical.
My high “capacity to love and be loved” score must have something to do with being happily married for 29 years and having a large and loving circle of friends.
Interestingly at the bottom of my strengths were “modesty” and “teamwork”. These also make sense regarding my career choices (and maybe my willingness to share my character strengths with you!);
§ Too much modesty would make for a boring speaker.
§ My profession is largely a solitary one, which is fine because I don’t crave teamwork in an office environment. I'm happy as a clam working mostly by myself.
To increase your own happiness PP says to follow the following three paths. It’s better if you pursue all of them:
1) Do more of what gives you pleasure and/or joy
2) Immerse yourself in your passions
3) Live a meaningful life
Go to the above web site and take their tests to discover how to become happier. Your honest responses will lead to valuable feedback on your strengths and vulnerabilities.
Then follow PP’s advice: compensate for your weaknesses that interfere with happiness with your character strengths. For instance,
§ If you work alone but “teamwork” is one of your highest scores you’d probably be happier working with others.
§ If your “kindness” score is high but you aren’t giving a lot of energy to others, you may feel unmotivated.
§ Look for any way to live your strengths. “Catching people doing something right” can express a high “gratitude” score, as would daily acknowledging all that you’re grateful for.
Proactively increase the expression of your strongest character strengths while letting go of striving to improve upon your imperfections, which can be very difficult. It’s much easier and far more fun to express your strengths, which increases your energy, which increases your hope and motivation to continue making these easier changes. How can you lose with this formula?
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com with your questions or for information about her workshops on this and other topics and to invite her to speak to your organization.
Stress for Success
June 12, 2007
I'm very grateful for my blessed life, which is full of loving relationships, adventure, and a fascinating career. Taking the "VIA Signature Strengths Test" at the Authentic Happiness web site (http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu) explained why my life is so good.
This test measures 24 character strengths; from humor to humility. It's part of Positive Psychology (PP), which researches mental health vs. mental illness. To create authentic happiness PP tells us to live our lives through our natural strengths vs. fixing our weaknesses.
My test results show that my life choices are an expression of my five top strengths: genuineness, curiosity and interest in the world, capacity to love and be loved, gratitude, and perseverance. (Other character strengths measured include, optimism, open-mindedness, leadership, fairness, spirituality, forgiveness, bravery, kindness, plus eleven more.)
A high “curiosity and interest in the world” score means “always asking questions, finding subjects/topics fascinating, and liking exploration and discovery”. This helps explain why, at the age of 22, I joined the Peace Corps for 2 ½ years and why I chose the career of public speaking. My “genuineness” high score may explain why customers consistently tell me that my presentations are so practical.
My high “capacity to love and be loved” score must have something to do with being happily married for 29 years and having a large and loving circle of friends.
Interestingly at the bottom of my strengths were “modesty” and “teamwork”. These also make sense regarding my career choices (and maybe my willingness to share my character strengths with you!);
§ Too much modesty would make for a boring speaker.
§ My profession is largely a solitary one, which is fine because I don’t crave teamwork in an office environment. I'm happy as a clam working mostly by myself.
To increase your own happiness PP says to follow the following three paths. It’s better if you pursue all of them:
1) Do more of what gives you pleasure and/or joy
2) Immerse yourself in your passions
3) Live a meaningful life
Go to the above web site and take their tests to discover how to become happier. Your honest responses will lead to valuable feedback on your strengths and vulnerabilities.
Then follow PP’s advice: compensate for your weaknesses that interfere with happiness with your character strengths. For instance,
§ If you work alone but “teamwork” is one of your highest scores you’d probably be happier working with others.
§ If your “kindness” score is high but you aren’t giving a lot of energy to others, you may feel unmotivated.
§ Look for any way to live your strengths. “Catching people doing something right” can express a high “gratitude” score, as would daily acknowledging all that you’re grateful for.
Proactively increase the expression of your strongest character strengths while letting go of striving to improve upon your imperfections, which can be very difficult. It’s much easier and far more fun to express your strengths, which increases your energy, which increases your hope and motivation to continue making these easier changes. How can you lose with this formula?
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com with your questions or for information about her workshops on this and other topics and to invite her to speak to your organization.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Achieving happiness by enhancing inner you
Character strengths can make people happy
Stress for Success
June 5, 2007
Happiness is that elusive American birthright enshrined in our Declaration of Independence and can be difficult to achieve.
According to psychologist Dr. Martin Seligman, founding director of the Positive Psychology Center, University of PA, and author of “Authentic Happiness”, there are three major ways to achieve it. Live a life that’s:
§ full of pleasure, passion and joy
§ full of “flow”, as psychologist and author Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls it, where you lose yourself in your passions
§ meaningful, full of purpose
He found the key to happiness comes from our internal qualities and character strengths and by enhancing these we make ourselves happier.
In recent years Seligman and his colleagues have identified 24 character-strengths that make people happy, including creativity, bravery, and kindness. They discovered that happiness was most strongly associated with what they labeled “heart- strengths”: the ability to love and be loved, gratitude, curiosity, and hope.
Not surprisingly love was at the top of the list. Because humans are a social group, being enjoyably occupied with others, including at work makes us the happiest. And it doesn’t have to be romantic love, as anyone with close friends knows.
Expressing gratitude is also very rewarding because you’re focusing on what’s good in your life. The person you’re thanking feels appreciated, which encourages him to strive to improve. The relationship is strengthened leaving you both feeling happier. What goes around comes around. Expressing gratitude infrequently, however, doesn’t impact your happiness significantly. Expressing it frequently does.
Another heart-strength is curiosity. Following your curiosities puts you into a circle of people who share them. It’s the best way to make new friends. It’s what brought my own large and embracing circle of girl friends together. Our mutual curiosities attracted us to work in the same community organizations 25 years ago and here we are still best friends and still sharing new ideas.
Regularly appreciating what has gone well in your day also boosts happiness by changing your focus from what’s wrong to what’s right. Life is good. Nightly before bed time list what went well during your day. Doing this for a couple of months you may notice a lightening of your moods and increased happiness.
The wonderful thing about living your life with more love, gratitude and curiosity is that it creates greater hope. You look forward to more tomorrows.
If you don’t think you possess any of these heart-strengths you can still find greater happiness by living your life by one of your character-strengths. In research participants identified their top five strengths and then used one of them in a new way every day for a week. For example, an adventurous person watched a TV travel show of a place she’d love to visit someday. Another day she challenged herself to learn a new sport, etc., creating more happiness.
Don’t assume happiness is beyond your grasp; pursue it. Start with easy changes: every morning upon awakening list what you’re grateful for and each night at bedtime review what went well that day.
For more information on this fascinating and important research go to http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu.
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com with your questions or for information about her workshops on this and other topics and to invite her to speak to your organization.
Character strengths can make people happy
Stress for Success
June 5, 2007
Happiness is that elusive American birthright enshrined in our Declaration of Independence and can be difficult to achieve.
According to psychologist Dr. Martin Seligman, founding director of the Positive Psychology Center, University of PA, and author of “Authentic Happiness”, there are three major ways to achieve it. Live a life that’s:
§ full of pleasure, passion and joy
§ full of “flow”, as psychologist and author Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls it, where you lose yourself in your passions
§ meaningful, full of purpose
He found the key to happiness comes from our internal qualities and character strengths and by enhancing these we make ourselves happier.
In recent years Seligman and his colleagues have identified 24 character-strengths that make people happy, including creativity, bravery, and kindness. They discovered that happiness was most strongly associated with what they labeled “heart- strengths”: the ability to love and be loved, gratitude, curiosity, and hope.
Not surprisingly love was at the top of the list. Because humans are a social group, being enjoyably occupied with others, including at work makes us the happiest. And it doesn’t have to be romantic love, as anyone with close friends knows.
Expressing gratitude is also very rewarding because you’re focusing on what’s good in your life. The person you’re thanking feels appreciated, which encourages him to strive to improve. The relationship is strengthened leaving you both feeling happier. What goes around comes around. Expressing gratitude infrequently, however, doesn’t impact your happiness significantly. Expressing it frequently does.
Another heart-strength is curiosity. Following your curiosities puts you into a circle of people who share them. It’s the best way to make new friends. It’s what brought my own large and embracing circle of girl friends together. Our mutual curiosities attracted us to work in the same community organizations 25 years ago and here we are still best friends and still sharing new ideas.
Regularly appreciating what has gone well in your day also boosts happiness by changing your focus from what’s wrong to what’s right. Life is good. Nightly before bed time list what went well during your day. Doing this for a couple of months you may notice a lightening of your moods and increased happiness.
The wonderful thing about living your life with more love, gratitude and curiosity is that it creates greater hope. You look forward to more tomorrows.
If you don’t think you possess any of these heart-strengths you can still find greater happiness by living your life by one of your character-strengths. In research participants identified their top five strengths and then used one of them in a new way every day for a week. For example, an adventurous person watched a TV travel show of a place she’d love to visit someday. Another day she challenged herself to learn a new sport, etc., creating more happiness.
Don’t assume happiness is beyond your grasp; pursue it. Start with easy changes: every morning upon awakening list what you’re grateful for and each night at bedtime review what went well that day.
For more information on this fascinating and important research go to http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu.
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com with your questions or for information about her workshops on this and other topics and to invite her to speak to your organization.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Stress for Success
May 22, 2007, Week 167
5/29/07
Happiness not permanent state
Who you are on the inside matters more than external pursuits
"Happiness is never as good as you imagine it will be, and it never lasts as long as you think it will", says William Cromie of the Harvard News Office. Whew! What a relief for those who think that if you’re not always happy something’s wrong!
That’s why Daniel Gilbert, Harvard University psychology professor, suggests we accept that happiness is not a permanent condition but rather a state that we move in and out of. "The fact that you're not always happy is not a problem," he says. "So don't look for a solution when there is no problem."
It seems we also need to accept that just as your body weight has a set point around which you fluctuate regardless of how much you eat (within reason), you also have a set point for happiness that’s part of your overall personality which remains quite stable over your lifetime. That's why something wonderful can happen to you and after you get used to it you return to the happiness level you had before the event occurred.
This theory comes from fascinating twins research. In 1996 University of Minnesota researchers Auke Tellegen and the late David Lykken compared the happiness scores of identical and fraternal twins who grew up together or were reared apart to determine the degree to which happiness is genetically determined. They found that about 80% was attributable to genetic differences.
This is good news for some and bad news for others.
It has also been found that people with higher set points of happiness share common personality traits. In a 1998 review of 148 studies, social psychologists Kristina DeNeve of Baylor University and psychologist Harris Cooper of the University of Missouri - Columbia, found that happier people were friendlier, more extroverted, trusting and conscientious. They also believe they have control over their lives therefore were less prone to anxiety and mood swings.
So if you believe your set point is too low what can you do? You need to accept that you, like everyone else, will float in and out of happiness and that’s OK. Don’t exaggerate the awfulness of it. All that does is make unhappiness worse. Also:
§ Figure out how you can maximize more of the listed traits above. If being more conscientious seems the best place to start, then do your work more meticulously. Be more reliable and hard-working. Where would you benefit from being more careful and thorough?
§ Accept that happiness doesn’t come from external things. Stop buying stuff in the false expectation that it’ll make you happier. Also, don’t pin your happiness hopes on trying to get your loved ones to be more perfect so you’ll look better, therefore be happier.
§ Identify areas of your life in which you can be more in control.
§ Pursue what gives you pleasure, passion and joy.
Life’s too short to spend your precious energy going after external things in pursuit of happiness. What’s important is who you are on the inside, not what you look like from the outside.
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com with your questions or for information about her workshops on this and other topics and to invite her to speak to your organization.
May 22, 2007, Week 167
5/29/07
Happiness not permanent state
Who you are on the inside matters more than external pursuits
"Happiness is never as good as you imagine it will be, and it never lasts as long as you think it will", says William Cromie of the Harvard News Office. Whew! What a relief for those who think that if you’re not always happy something’s wrong!
That’s why Daniel Gilbert, Harvard University psychology professor, suggests we accept that happiness is not a permanent condition but rather a state that we move in and out of. "The fact that you're not always happy is not a problem," he says. "So don't look for a solution when there is no problem."
It seems we also need to accept that just as your body weight has a set point around which you fluctuate regardless of how much you eat (within reason), you also have a set point for happiness that’s part of your overall personality which remains quite stable over your lifetime. That's why something wonderful can happen to you and after you get used to it you return to the happiness level you had before the event occurred.
This theory comes from fascinating twins research. In 1996 University of Minnesota researchers Auke Tellegen and the late David Lykken compared the happiness scores of identical and fraternal twins who grew up together or were reared apart to determine the degree to which happiness is genetically determined. They found that about 80% was attributable to genetic differences.
This is good news for some and bad news for others.
It has also been found that people with higher set points of happiness share common personality traits. In a 1998 review of 148 studies, social psychologists Kristina DeNeve of Baylor University and psychologist Harris Cooper of the University of Missouri - Columbia, found that happier people were friendlier, more extroverted, trusting and conscientious. They also believe they have control over their lives therefore were less prone to anxiety and mood swings.
So if you believe your set point is too low what can you do? You need to accept that you, like everyone else, will float in and out of happiness and that’s OK. Don’t exaggerate the awfulness of it. All that does is make unhappiness worse. Also:
§ Figure out how you can maximize more of the listed traits above. If being more conscientious seems the best place to start, then do your work more meticulously. Be more reliable and hard-working. Where would you benefit from being more careful and thorough?
§ Accept that happiness doesn’t come from external things. Stop buying stuff in the false expectation that it’ll make you happier. Also, don’t pin your happiness hopes on trying to get your loved ones to be more perfect so you’ll look better, therefore be happier.
§ Identify areas of your life in which you can be more in control.
§ Pursue what gives you pleasure, passion and joy.
Life’s too short to spend your precious energy going after external things in pursuit of happiness. What’s important is who you are on the inside, not what you look like from the outside.
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com with your questions or for information about her workshops on this and other topics and to invite her to speak to your organization.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
More money doesn’t equal more happiness
May 22, 2007
Stress for Success
Can money buy happiness? Are wealth and happiness even connected?
If they are connected, according to data from the 2000 U.S. Census, psychologist David G. Myers, of Hope College in Holland, Michigan, should have found that Americans are three times happier than fifty years ago because our buying power has tripled since 1950.
But when Myers compared University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center surveys, which has surveyed Americans’ level of happiness in most years since 1957, he found greater affluence has not made us happier. The percentage of Americans who described themselves as "very happy" has remained surprisingly consistent, at about one third.
In fact, putting your energy into extrinsic attempts to find happiness will largely be disappointing. Anything external to yourself, like your job, home, car, or your appearance cannot make you happy for any length of time.
Interestingly, our hereditary past may explain why.
Traits that get passed on from one generation to the next are the ones that helped our ancestors survive so they could produce yet another generation. One such trait is called habituation, which means becoming accustomed to the status quo. This is hugely helpful when you’re faced with adverse conditions, such as a chronic disease or, in the case of many Floridians, living with increasing growth and congestion. After awhile, you adapt to the unpleasantness.
Habituation also applies to the positive events in our lives. No matter how wonderful the event at first, like winning a multi-million-dollar lottery, if it becomes a constant, you habituate to it.
Another trait we’ve inherited from our ancestors is to notice the negative more quickly than the positive since negative events may prove to be life-threatening. In other words, our human tendency is to take our positive experiences for granted and to focus more on the stressors of life. Bummer.
But Madison Avenue tries to convince you otherwise. It wants you to believe that if you’d just buy one more luxury you’d be happier.
Putting your happiness eggs in the buy-everything-you-want-basket, however, makes your contentment very vulnerable. Extrinsic happiness depends upon something outside of yourself; and that may not always be there. So, if your happiness is dependent upon your youthful appearance, for example, what happens as you age? Your happiness plummets, unless you find another way to enhance your appearance. Besides, you’ll habituate to each new surgery or expenditure so it no longer, in itself, makes you happy.
You’re much more likely to find true and lasting happiness if you express your positive traits, strengths and talents, such as kindness, service to others, gratitude, creativity, etc, in your work and in your personal life. All of these are considered intrinsic (natural to yourself) traits. Therefore, if what makes you happy is to help other people, any aging stress becomes irrelevant. Expressing your natural, internal traits and strengths is a constant in your life regardless of what happens outside yourself and is a much more reliable source of happiness.
So what else can truly increase your happiness? That’s our topic for next week.
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com with your questions or for information about her workshops on this and other topics and to invite her to speak to your organization.
May 22, 2007
Stress for Success
Can money buy happiness? Are wealth and happiness even connected?
If they are connected, according to data from the 2000 U.S. Census, psychologist David G. Myers, of Hope College in Holland, Michigan, should have found that Americans are three times happier than fifty years ago because our buying power has tripled since 1950.
But when Myers compared University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center surveys, which has surveyed Americans’ level of happiness in most years since 1957, he found greater affluence has not made us happier. The percentage of Americans who described themselves as "very happy" has remained surprisingly consistent, at about one third.
In fact, putting your energy into extrinsic attempts to find happiness will largely be disappointing. Anything external to yourself, like your job, home, car, or your appearance cannot make you happy for any length of time.
Interestingly, our hereditary past may explain why.
Traits that get passed on from one generation to the next are the ones that helped our ancestors survive so they could produce yet another generation. One such trait is called habituation, which means becoming accustomed to the status quo. This is hugely helpful when you’re faced with adverse conditions, such as a chronic disease or, in the case of many Floridians, living with increasing growth and congestion. After awhile, you adapt to the unpleasantness.
Habituation also applies to the positive events in our lives. No matter how wonderful the event at first, like winning a multi-million-dollar lottery, if it becomes a constant, you habituate to it.
Another trait we’ve inherited from our ancestors is to notice the negative more quickly than the positive since negative events may prove to be life-threatening. In other words, our human tendency is to take our positive experiences for granted and to focus more on the stressors of life. Bummer.
But Madison Avenue tries to convince you otherwise. It wants you to believe that if you’d just buy one more luxury you’d be happier.
Putting your happiness eggs in the buy-everything-you-want-basket, however, makes your contentment very vulnerable. Extrinsic happiness depends upon something outside of yourself; and that may not always be there. So, if your happiness is dependent upon your youthful appearance, for example, what happens as you age? Your happiness plummets, unless you find another way to enhance your appearance. Besides, you’ll habituate to each new surgery or expenditure so it no longer, in itself, makes you happy.
You’re much more likely to find true and lasting happiness if you express your positive traits, strengths and talents, such as kindness, service to others, gratitude, creativity, etc, in your work and in your personal life. All of these are considered intrinsic (natural to yourself) traits. Therefore, if what makes you happy is to help other people, any aging stress becomes irrelevant. Expressing your natural, internal traits and strengths is a constant in your life regardless of what happens outside yourself and is a much more reliable source of happiness.
So what else can truly increase your happiness? That’s our topic for next week.
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com with your questions or for information about her workshops on this and other topics and to invite her to speak to your organization.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Do more of what gives you pleasure
Stress for Success
May 15, 2007
On your deathbed how will you finish off this incomplete statement, “Gee, I wish I would have done more …?”
I bet your answer wasn’t work or clean your house more. You probably said you wished you’d traveled more or spent more time with your family.
Here’s a related challenge. Take thirty seconds and count on your fingers the number of things you do regularly, whether daily, weekly, monthly or even annually, that gives you pleasure, passion and/or joy. Go ahead. Count them up.
Some of you quickly list several enjoyable things you do regularly while others are scratching their heads coming up with nothing.
Your answers to these are telling you what you’d better get started doing now!
They’re also related to what Positive Psychology (PP) is all about.
Unlike traditional psychology which focuses on mental illness, PP focuses on mental health, on human strengths rather than weaknesses. It teaches you to nurture happiness by identifying and using your strengths and positive traits in your work and in your daily life vs. trying to “fix” your weaknesses and limitations.
By living your life according to your "signature strengths" you create more happiness and meaning, which buffers you against life’s misfortunes and negative emotions, and makes your life more positive. Pursuing what gives you pleasure, passion and/or joy requires the use of some of your signature strengths.
Unrelated research out of the University of Arizona found that retired people’s two biggest regrets were not being assertive enough and not taking more risks. Think of these answers in relation to doing that which gives you joy. Doesn’t it suggest that you’d better get going now and not wait until it’s too late?
So what gives you joy or pleasure? Is there something you used to do, like a sport or a hobby that you stopped when you started a new job or a family? Could you get back into that? You wouldn’t have to commit vast amounts of time to it; just a little for now.
Over the next couple of weeks, notice what you see and do that brings a smile to your face and a lightness to your heart. What makes you laugh out loud? What motivates you to get out of that TV chair? Which activities challenge your skills and strengths? Do more of these things.
Once you identify activities that please you the challenge is to make time for them; you may need to literally schedule them. The more you do these things, while still honoring your regular commitments, the lighter your heart becomes. The joy these activities bring you becomes the motivation to keep doing them.
Some of you think you’re too busy to do more of what you want or may feel guilty when you do. Again I ask, on your deathbed what will you say you wished you’d done more of? Do it now. Create the habit of increasingly doing what gives you pleasure, passion and/or joy so when you’re actually on your deathbed you’ll have no regrets.
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com with your questions or for information about her workshops on this and other topics and to invite her to speak to your organization.
Stress for Success
May 15, 2007
On your deathbed how will you finish off this incomplete statement, “Gee, I wish I would have done more …?”
I bet your answer wasn’t work or clean your house more. You probably said you wished you’d traveled more or spent more time with your family.
Here’s a related challenge. Take thirty seconds and count on your fingers the number of things you do regularly, whether daily, weekly, monthly or even annually, that gives you pleasure, passion and/or joy. Go ahead. Count them up.
Some of you quickly list several enjoyable things you do regularly while others are scratching their heads coming up with nothing.
Your answers to these are telling you what you’d better get started doing now!
They’re also related to what Positive Psychology (PP) is all about.
Unlike traditional psychology which focuses on mental illness, PP focuses on mental health, on human strengths rather than weaknesses. It teaches you to nurture happiness by identifying and using your strengths and positive traits in your work and in your daily life vs. trying to “fix” your weaknesses and limitations.
By living your life according to your "signature strengths" you create more happiness and meaning, which buffers you against life’s misfortunes and negative emotions, and makes your life more positive. Pursuing what gives you pleasure, passion and/or joy requires the use of some of your signature strengths.
Unrelated research out of the University of Arizona found that retired people’s two biggest regrets were not being assertive enough and not taking more risks. Think of these answers in relation to doing that which gives you joy. Doesn’t it suggest that you’d better get going now and not wait until it’s too late?
So what gives you joy or pleasure? Is there something you used to do, like a sport or a hobby that you stopped when you started a new job or a family? Could you get back into that? You wouldn’t have to commit vast amounts of time to it; just a little for now.
Over the next couple of weeks, notice what you see and do that brings a smile to your face and a lightness to your heart. What makes you laugh out loud? What motivates you to get out of that TV chair? Which activities challenge your skills and strengths? Do more of these things.
Once you identify activities that please you the challenge is to make time for them; you may need to literally schedule them. The more you do these things, while still honoring your regular commitments, the lighter your heart becomes. The joy these activities bring you becomes the motivation to keep doing them.
Some of you think you’re too busy to do more of what you want or may feel guilty when you do. Again I ask, on your deathbed what will you say you wished you’d done more of? Do it now. Create the habit of increasingly doing what gives you pleasure, passion and/or joy so when you’re actually on your deathbed you’ll have no regrets.
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com with your questions or for information about her workshops on this and other topics and to invite her to speak to your organization.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Increase personal power by focusing on your options
May 8, 2007
Stress for Success
You’re in a painful relationship. You know it’s unhealthy and yet you see no way out. You feel trapped and powerless. You assume that nothing you do will make a difference so you change nothing. You suffer in silence or look for ways to get even for the perceived wrongs you suffer. Your stress mounts inhibiting your ability even more to see a way out.
This is a classic example of “learned helplessness,” the most stressed position of all. You assume you have no options. It’s a condition named by Dr. Martin Seligman of the University of PA.
Learned helplessness and low self-esteem go hand-in-hand. To inch toward greater personal power focus on what your options are in dealing with your challenging situation vs. on how miserable you are.
Generating options is a vital problem-solving step. Choices equal a perception of control. Just knowing what they are (you don’t even have to act on them) can lower your stress at least a little because you don’t feel so cornered.
The options you can see are determined by your perception of the situation. The more you obsess over the parts of your stressor that are beyond your control the fewer viable alternatives you’ll see. To be a creative problem-solver, open your mind to the fact that there are choices that you can’t see -- yet. Always keep your ears and eyes open. You never know from where your best solution will come.
To produce legitimate options you must first know what your desired outcome is in your stressful situation. State your goal in a way that’s within your control to reach.
§ E.g., to work toward a healthy relationship by first being honest with yourself about it
Preliminarily, what are your obvious options?
§ Seek therapy
§ Journal to uncover your “truth”
§ Talk with your partner about your troubled relationship
To expose additional choices you can’t see yet, try these:
§ Regularly journal about your stressor, especially when you’re upset about it. Repetitive journaling helps you to see your stressor differently. This eventually triggers new ideas of how to handle it. These ideas may pop into your head through the journaling itself or while dreaming or even showering. Be open to them. Don’t reject them. Explore them even more through additional journaling.
§ Journal questions and answers about your stressor. Question-asking is the most important skill in problem solving. Questions lead to more questions, which eventually lead to answers, then to solutions.
§ Have someone you trust pepper you with questions about your stressor. Any question that triggers your defensiveness, emotionalism and/or rigidity points to deeper truths.
Accept that your historic interpretations of a stressor can inhibit you from seeing workable solutions. What have you got to lose? When you’re unsuccessful in resolving your stressor stretch your perception muscles by challenging how you look at your situation. Perceptual expansion through journaling and question asking will, over time, trigger better and healthier options for handling your stressor. This not only lowers your stress, it also increases your self-esteem.
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com with your questions or for information about her workshops on this and other topics and to invite her to speak to your organization.
May 8, 2007
Stress for Success
You’re in a painful relationship. You know it’s unhealthy and yet you see no way out. You feel trapped and powerless. You assume that nothing you do will make a difference so you change nothing. You suffer in silence or look for ways to get even for the perceived wrongs you suffer. Your stress mounts inhibiting your ability even more to see a way out.
This is a classic example of “learned helplessness,” the most stressed position of all. You assume you have no options. It’s a condition named by Dr. Martin Seligman of the University of PA.
Learned helplessness and low self-esteem go hand-in-hand. To inch toward greater personal power focus on what your options are in dealing with your challenging situation vs. on how miserable you are.
Generating options is a vital problem-solving step. Choices equal a perception of control. Just knowing what they are (you don’t even have to act on them) can lower your stress at least a little because you don’t feel so cornered.
The options you can see are determined by your perception of the situation. The more you obsess over the parts of your stressor that are beyond your control the fewer viable alternatives you’ll see. To be a creative problem-solver, open your mind to the fact that there are choices that you can’t see -- yet. Always keep your ears and eyes open. You never know from where your best solution will come.
To produce legitimate options you must first know what your desired outcome is in your stressful situation. State your goal in a way that’s within your control to reach.
§ E.g., to work toward a healthy relationship by first being honest with yourself about it
Preliminarily, what are your obvious options?
§ Seek therapy
§ Journal to uncover your “truth”
§ Talk with your partner about your troubled relationship
To expose additional choices you can’t see yet, try these:
§ Regularly journal about your stressor, especially when you’re upset about it. Repetitive journaling helps you to see your stressor differently. This eventually triggers new ideas of how to handle it. These ideas may pop into your head through the journaling itself or while dreaming or even showering. Be open to them. Don’t reject them. Explore them even more through additional journaling.
§ Journal questions and answers about your stressor. Question-asking is the most important skill in problem solving. Questions lead to more questions, which eventually lead to answers, then to solutions.
§ Have someone you trust pepper you with questions about your stressor. Any question that triggers your defensiveness, emotionalism and/or rigidity points to deeper truths.
Accept that your historic interpretations of a stressor can inhibit you from seeing workable solutions. What have you got to lose? When you’re unsuccessful in resolving your stressor stretch your perception muscles by challenging how you look at your situation. Perceptual expansion through journaling and question asking will, over time, trigger better and healthier options for handling your stressor. This not only lowers your stress, it also increases your self-esteem.
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com with your questions or for information about her workshops on this and other topics and to invite her to speak to your organization.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Problem-solve what you can control is important to health
Stress for Success
May 1, 2007
Stress management boils down to problem-solving; something’s stressing you so solve it, even if the only solution is to tolerate it. This is my Mind Management Truism - general rules that apply to all stress - #5: problem-solve on what’s within your control. (To read about the others click on “Jackie’s blog” at my web site.)
Before jumping into problem-solving, however, first figure out what regarding your stressor what’s within and what’s beyond your control (MMT #2). For example, your boss has delegated entirely too much work for the allotted time.
§ Beyond your control: her expectations, decisions, personality
§ Within your control: identifying your options, your reactions including emotional ones
Regarding the elements beyond your control is there something within your control that you can do about them? Your boss’s expectations are beyond your control but you could educate her on your responsibilities that make it impossible to get everything done within her timeframe.
Next, problem-solve on what’s within your control.
If it’s a small problem you’ll likely solve it automatically by routinely scanning for options. In the above example your options include:
§ Scramble to get everything done
§ Grumble to coworkers
§ Ask your boss to prioritize your work so if something doesn’t get done it’ll be something less important
§ Educate her on your workload, etc.
You then choose the best option to lower your stress.
If you’re not solving your problem quickly, go through the more structured problem-solving steps.
The first and most important step is to ask questions about your challenge. If you ask no questions your stressor tosses you around like clothes in a dryer; round and round. Ask no questions and you’ll find no answers.
In fact, Stanford University’s Rochelle Myers and Michael Ray (authors of Creativity in Business) say that the quality of your solutions is determined by the quality of your questions. If you haven’t solved a stressor it’s because you haven’t asked good enough questions.
Questions lead you. They lead to more questions, which lead to answers and eventually to solutions. They dig underneath symptoms to get closer to the underlying cause; the real problem.
Sometimes you don’t want to know an answer because it would demand that you do something uncomfortable. But your subconscious mind is fully aware of what you’re avoiding so you’re really dodging nothing. You’re in denial and your stressor is still bothering you. E.g., Denial allows you to conveniently think you’re sick because others are spreading a cold when actually you’re sick because the hidden stress is depressing your immune system.
Ask the questions about your stressor anyway. You don’t have to act on your answers immediately. Being consciously aware of them prepares you to act when you’re ready.
To get a great solution you’ve got to ask great questions. The only dumb question is the one you don’t ask. Ask the journalists’ questions about your stressors: who, what, when, where, why and how. Explore your answers, which may generate more questions, and eventually expose your solution.
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com with your questions or for information about her workshops on this and other topics and to invite her to speak to your organization.
Stress for Success
May 1, 2007
Stress management boils down to problem-solving; something’s stressing you so solve it, even if the only solution is to tolerate it. This is my Mind Management Truism - general rules that apply to all stress - #5: problem-solve on what’s within your control. (To read about the others click on “Jackie’s blog” at my web site.)
Before jumping into problem-solving, however, first figure out what regarding your stressor what’s within and what’s beyond your control (MMT #2). For example, your boss has delegated entirely too much work for the allotted time.
§ Beyond your control: her expectations, decisions, personality
§ Within your control: identifying your options, your reactions including emotional ones
Regarding the elements beyond your control is there something within your control that you can do about them? Your boss’s expectations are beyond your control but you could educate her on your responsibilities that make it impossible to get everything done within her timeframe.
Next, problem-solve on what’s within your control.
If it’s a small problem you’ll likely solve it automatically by routinely scanning for options. In the above example your options include:
§ Scramble to get everything done
§ Grumble to coworkers
§ Ask your boss to prioritize your work so if something doesn’t get done it’ll be something less important
§ Educate her on your workload, etc.
You then choose the best option to lower your stress.
If you’re not solving your problem quickly, go through the more structured problem-solving steps.
The first and most important step is to ask questions about your challenge. If you ask no questions your stressor tosses you around like clothes in a dryer; round and round. Ask no questions and you’ll find no answers.
In fact, Stanford University’s Rochelle Myers and Michael Ray (authors of Creativity in Business) say that the quality of your solutions is determined by the quality of your questions. If you haven’t solved a stressor it’s because you haven’t asked good enough questions.
Questions lead you. They lead to more questions, which lead to answers and eventually to solutions. They dig underneath symptoms to get closer to the underlying cause; the real problem.
Sometimes you don’t want to know an answer because it would demand that you do something uncomfortable. But your subconscious mind is fully aware of what you’re avoiding so you’re really dodging nothing. You’re in denial and your stressor is still bothering you. E.g., Denial allows you to conveniently think you’re sick because others are spreading a cold when actually you’re sick because the hidden stress is depressing your immune system.
Ask the questions about your stressor anyway. You don’t have to act on your answers immediately. Being consciously aware of them prepares you to act when you’re ready.
To get a great solution you’ve got to ask great questions. The only dumb question is the one you don’t ask. Ask the journalists’ questions about your stressors: who, what, when, where, why and how. Explore your answers, which may generate more questions, and eventually expose your solution.
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com with your questions or for information about her workshops on this and other topics and to invite her to speak to your organization.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Cope with what’s beyond your control to limit your stress
Stress for Success
April 24, 2007
To be a great stress manager you must also be a great mind manager. That’s why I’ve come up with Mind Management Truisms, general rules that apply to all stress. These rules should help you avoid getting lost in your stressed-out mind rethinking over and over again the same habitual thoughts.
The Mind Management Truisms I’ve covered in recent weeks include (go to my web site and click on Jackie’s Blog to read these articles):
§ #1: Stress is in the mind of the beholder. How you behold situations is communicated to you through your self-talk. Listen to your thoughts to increase awareness of your interpretations of stress.
§ #2: It’s (virtually) all about control. The definition of stress is that you think (behold) that you don’t have as much control in stressful situations as you want. The trick to this truism is to consciously acknowledge in each stressor where you actually have control (everything about yourself, your own reactions and choices) and where you don’t (pretty much everything else).
§ #3: The more you fuss and stew about what's beyond your control the more stressed you become and the more stress energy you create. It’s normal to fuss a bit but the more you do the longer it takes to get to problem-solving.
Today we’ll look at Mind Management Truism # 4: Cope with (accept, don’t obsess about) what's beyond your control.
Let’s say your stressor is handling angry customers. Here’s your list of anything that pops into your mind about them:
1. They don’t understand our policies
2. They’re rude
3. I’m tired of it; I don’t get paid enough to put up with them
4. I feel attacked so I get defensive
5. I get headaches by noon!
6. I guess I could learn new skills in calming down angry people
7. Deep breathing is supposed to help
Everything about other people is beyond your control in the sense that you can’t make others change. It’s within your control, however, to change your own approach with them in hopes of bringing about a different outcome. So numbers 1 and 2 are beyond your control.
Number one is not completely beyond your control, though, because you could do something to educate your customers about your policies. But to fuss and stew about their rudeness would be to go against Mind Management Truism #3.
Mind Management Truism #4 tells you that to put your energy into trying to:
§ make others change
§ hope that they will
§ fuss and stew because they don’t
is wasted energy. All of these strategies increase your stress.
You’re going against this truism when you frequently complain to your co-workers about how aggravated you get with angry customers. Instead, each time you start complaining affirm repeatedly to yourself, “I’m giving great customer service to all. I’m a professional.” Or ask, “What are my options in dealing with these customers?”
Your only real options will be in the areas that are within your control, the Mind Management Truism covered next week.
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com with your questions or for information about her workshops on this and other topics and to invite her to speak to your organization.
Stress for Success
April 24, 2007
To be a great stress manager you must also be a great mind manager. That’s why I’ve come up with Mind Management Truisms, general rules that apply to all stress. These rules should help you avoid getting lost in your stressed-out mind rethinking over and over again the same habitual thoughts.
The Mind Management Truisms I’ve covered in recent weeks include (go to my web site and click on Jackie’s Blog to read these articles):
§ #1: Stress is in the mind of the beholder. How you behold situations is communicated to you through your self-talk. Listen to your thoughts to increase awareness of your interpretations of stress.
§ #2: It’s (virtually) all about control. The definition of stress is that you think (behold) that you don’t have as much control in stressful situations as you want. The trick to this truism is to consciously acknowledge in each stressor where you actually have control (everything about yourself, your own reactions and choices) and where you don’t (pretty much everything else).
§ #3: The more you fuss and stew about what's beyond your control the more stressed you become and the more stress energy you create. It’s normal to fuss a bit but the more you do the longer it takes to get to problem-solving.
Today we’ll look at Mind Management Truism # 4: Cope with (accept, don’t obsess about) what's beyond your control.
Let’s say your stressor is handling angry customers. Here’s your list of anything that pops into your mind about them:
1. They don’t understand our policies
2. They’re rude
3. I’m tired of it; I don’t get paid enough to put up with them
4. I feel attacked so I get defensive
5. I get headaches by noon!
6. I guess I could learn new skills in calming down angry people
7. Deep breathing is supposed to help
Everything about other people is beyond your control in the sense that you can’t make others change. It’s within your control, however, to change your own approach with them in hopes of bringing about a different outcome. So numbers 1 and 2 are beyond your control.
Number one is not completely beyond your control, though, because you could do something to educate your customers about your policies. But to fuss and stew about their rudeness would be to go against Mind Management Truism #3.
Mind Management Truism #4 tells you that to put your energy into trying to:
§ make others change
§ hope that they will
§ fuss and stew because they don’t
is wasted energy. All of these strategies increase your stress.
You’re going against this truism when you frequently complain to your co-workers about how aggravated you get with angry customers. Instead, each time you start complaining affirm repeatedly to yourself, “I’m giving great customer service to all. I’m a professional.” Or ask, “What are my options in dealing with these customers?”
Your only real options will be in the areas that are within your control, the Mind Management Truism covered next week.
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com with your questions or for information about her workshops on this and other topics and to invite her to speak to your organization.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Take a step back, evaluate stressorsStress for Success
Stress for Success
April 17, 2007
Living by Mind Management Truisms, general rules that apply to all stress, helps you deal more effectively with life’s challenges. Keep these in mind when determining where to put your energy when something’s stressing you.
Stress is in the mind of the beholder is Mind Management Truism #1. For example, if you obsess about screaming kids in a restaurant “Those kids are driving me nuts! Why don’t parents leave unruly kids at home”, etc., you’re stressed.
It boils down to what you say to yourself. Wherever your thoughts are going that’s where you are going. Your stressful interpretation makes you stressed. Perhaps your dinner partner doesn’t even notice the kids so her interpretation doesn’t stress her. Neither of you is right or wrong. To reduce your stress, however, your thoughts must sooner rather than later lead toward problem-solving.
Mind Management Truism #2 is about your perception of control. Control equals options so it’s vital that you put your mental energy into identifying them. You usually have more choices than you think you do. If you think you don’t have any you won’t look for them. The trick is to look for options in areas where you actually have control and cope with the areas in which you have no control.
Mind Management Truism #3 is the one we’ll consider today: the more you fuss and stew about what's beyond your control the more stressed you become and the more stress energy you create. It’s normal to fuss about something for a while but how long is enough?
If you perceive something as stressful it means you see it as a threat. Stressful thoughts are by definition angry and/or fearful and are automatically triggered whenever you feel threatened. This is normal. How long you stay in these stressful thoughts determines not only how stressed you are but also which options you can or can’t see to solve the problem.
Some of you virtually never fuss but instead automatically jump into solving your stressor. Great! It may not be 100% good in situations that trigger your strong emotional reactions, however. Jumping too quickly into problem solving allows you to hold difficult emotions at arms length; you intellectualize much of life.
But repressed emotions ultimately control you more than those that you appropriately express. Denying them inhibits your ability to deal with them.
Fussing and stewing too much over stressors, delaying effective problem solving, create complications for multiple reasons:
§ The more stressed you are the more your life blinders (we all wear them) narrow so you see less and less, which also means you see fewer problem solving options.
§ When you think stressful (angry/fearful) thoughts you keep your Stress Cycle going round and round so nothing changes. You’re like a hamster stuck on a wheel; you perpetuate the very problem you supposedly want to resolve.
§ Stressful (angry/fearful) thinking releases more cortisol into your body making you more vulnerable to illness and disease.
So vent quickly about what stresses you then apply advice from a workshop participant’s grandmother, “Stop stewin’ and start doin’.”
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com with your questions or for information about her workshops on this and other topics and to invite her to speak to your organization.
Stress for Success
April 17, 2007
Living by Mind Management Truisms, general rules that apply to all stress, helps you deal more effectively with life’s challenges. Keep these in mind when determining where to put your energy when something’s stressing you.
Stress is in the mind of the beholder is Mind Management Truism #1. For example, if you obsess about screaming kids in a restaurant “Those kids are driving me nuts! Why don’t parents leave unruly kids at home”, etc., you’re stressed.
It boils down to what you say to yourself. Wherever your thoughts are going that’s where you are going. Your stressful interpretation makes you stressed. Perhaps your dinner partner doesn’t even notice the kids so her interpretation doesn’t stress her. Neither of you is right or wrong. To reduce your stress, however, your thoughts must sooner rather than later lead toward problem-solving.
Mind Management Truism #2 is about your perception of control. Control equals options so it’s vital that you put your mental energy into identifying them. You usually have more choices than you think you do. If you think you don’t have any you won’t look for them. The trick is to look for options in areas where you actually have control and cope with the areas in which you have no control.
Mind Management Truism #3 is the one we’ll consider today: the more you fuss and stew about what's beyond your control the more stressed you become and the more stress energy you create. It’s normal to fuss about something for a while but how long is enough?
If you perceive something as stressful it means you see it as a threat. Stressful thoughts are by definition angry and/or fearful and are automatically triggered whenever you feel threatened. This is normal. How long you stay in these stressful thoughts determines not only how stressed you are but also which options you can or can’t see to solve the problem.
Some of you virtually never fuss but instead automatically jump into solving your stressor. Great! It may not be 100% good in situations that trigger your strong emotional reactions, however. Jumping too quickly into problem solving allows you to hold difficult emotions at arms length; you intellectualize much of life.
But repressed emotions ultimately control you more than those that you appropriately express. Denying them inhibits your ability to deal with them.
Fussing and stewing too much over stressors, delaying effective problem solving, create complications for multiple reasons:
§ The more stressed you are the more your life blinders (we all wear them) narrow so you see less and less, which also means you see fewer problem solving options.
§ When you think stressful (angry/fearful) thoughts you keep your Stress Cycle going round and round so nothing changes. You’re like a hamster stuck on a wheel; you perpetuate the very problem you supposedly want to resolve.
§ Stressful (angry/fearful) thinking releases more cortisol into your body making you more vulnerable to illness and disease.
So vent quickly about what stresses you then apply advice from a workshop participant’s grandmother, “Stop stewin’ and start doin’.”
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com with your questions or for information about her workshops on this and other topics and to invite her to speak to your organization.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Quit stewing, identify your options
Problem-solving best cure for stress
Stress for Success
April 10, 2007
Perception of control isn’t everything in stress, but it’s almost everything.
For example, early researchers assumed top executives had the most organizational stress because they had the most responsibility. However, they found that the lowly secretary had the most because she had lots of responsibilities but little control. Top executives had the least because they had the most control.
Having an internal locus of control means you know that you have options. You see that your own efforts and skills determine your outcomes so you’re more empowered and less stressed and depressed.
If you think you have no control, no options, then you don’t because you won’t look for any. This is an external locus of control. You feel at the mercy of outside forces such as luck or fate, leaving you feeling powerless therefore more anxious and depressed.
Developing an internal locus of control, understanding that you can influence life circumstances, goes a long way in helping you look for therefore find stress reducing options. That’s why wilderness experiences like Outward Bound can profoundly impact people with external locus of control beliefs because they learn that through skill development they can develop competence and power in their experiences.
In addition to having a sense of control you also need to understand that you only have control over yourself; your choices, actions and emotions. You have no control over other people, the weather, etc. So you can change your behavior with a difficult person in hopes of bringing about a better outcome but you can’t make that person change.
Wisely using an internal locus of control means putting your energy where you actually have control; changing yourself vs. thinking the other person should change.
Since locus of control is learned, you can develop more of an internal one:
§ Develop awareness of the impact your behavior has on your outcomes. For example, if you study hard for an exam and do well, give yourself credit. If you don’t study and do poorly then acknowledge your contribution.
§ Quickly move from fussing and stewing over life’s problems to identifying your options to solve them. Teach yourself and your kids to think in problem solving ways when stressed by asking, “What are my options?” If you’re not good at this, get help from others until you improve.
ü To identify possible options answer my ubiquitous magic questions, “What in this situation do I want/need more of and less of?”
§ Select the best options to accomplish your goal in the situation. With a difficult co-worker, for example, if your goal is for him to change, restate it in a way that’s within your control, “to ignore him more.”
§ Replace self-talk like, “I can’t” with “What can I do?”; “”If only” with “What if?”
If you have an external locus of control, when you’re stressed replace your fussing and stewing with, “What are my options?” repeated over and over until you steer your thinking toward problem-solving. Over time it becomes a habit that does wonders in empowering you and lowering your stress.
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com with your questions or for information about her workshops on this and other topics and to invite her to speak to your organization.
Problem-solving best cure for stress
Stress for Success
April 10, 2007
Perception of control isn’t everything in stress, but it’s almost everything.
For example, early researchers assumed top executives had the most organizational stress because they had the most responsibility. However, they found that the lowly secretary had the most because she had lots of responsibilities but little control. Top executives had the least because they had the most control.
Having an internal locus of control means you know that you have options. You see that your own efforts and skills determine your outcomes so you’re more empowered and less stressed and depressed.
If you think you have no control, no options, then you don’t because you won’t look for any. This is an external locus of control. You feel at the mercy of outside forces such as luck or fate, leaving you feeling powerless therefore more anxious and depressed.
Developing an internal locus of control, understanding that you can influence life circumstances, goes a long way in helping you look for therefore find stress reducing options. That’s why wilderness experiences like Outward Bound can profoundly impact people with external locus of control beliefs because they learn that through skill development they can develop competence and power in their experiences.
In addition to having a sense of control you also need to understand that you only have control over yourself; your choices, actions and emotions. You have no control over other people, the weather, etc. So you can change your behavior with a difficult person in hopes of bringing about a better outcome but you can’t make that person change.
Wisely using an internal locus of control means putting your energy where you actually have control; changing yourself vs. thinking the other person should change.
Since locus of control is learned, you can develop more of an internal one:
§ Develop awareness of the impact your behavior has on your outcomes. For example, if you study hard for an exam and do well, give yourself credit. If you don’t study and do poorly then acknowledge your contribution.
§ Quickly move from fussing and stewing over life’s problems to identifying your options to solve them. Teach yourself and your kids to think in problem solving ways when stressed by asking, “What are my options?” If you’re not good at this, get help from others until you improve.
ü To identify possible options answer my ubiquitous magic questions, “What in this situation do I want/need more of and less of?”
§ Select the best options to accomplish your goal in the situation. With a difficult co-worker, for example, if your goal is for him to change, restate it in a way that’s within your control, “to ignore him more.”
§ Replace self-talk like, “I can’t” with “What can I do?”; “”If only” with “What if?”
If you have an external locus of control, when you’re stressed replace your fussing and stewing with, “What are my options?” repeated over and over until you steer your thinking toward problem-solving. Over time it becomes a habit that does wonders in empowering you and lowering your stress.
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com with your questions or for information about her workshops on this and other topics and to invite her to speak to your organization.
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Locus of control determines your stress
Stress for Success
April 3, 2007
If you were passed over for a promotion at work would it be because you blew the job interview or because your boss has it in for you and would never give it to you? Your answer to this type of question indicates whether you have an internal “locus of control” or an external one.
If you believe what happens to you in life is largely determined by fate, luck or other external conditions (the boss is the reason you didn’t get the job) you’re an external. If you think you’re in charge of your own destiny (had I prepared better I might have gotten the promotion) you’re an internal.
Externals think the outcomes in life are largely beyond their control. They stay in undesirable situations longer because they don’t think they have any options, leaving them feeling powerless to change their situation. They see outside forces as the reason that good and bad things happen to them. They haven’t made the connection between their own behavior and their outcomes in life so they feel more at the mercy of outside forces.
This powerlessness leads to more stressful reactions to life’s situations causing greater susceptibility to depression and other health problems. Research is definitive that stress releases more cortisol into your body, causing everything from sleep problems to diabetes to cardio-vascular disease.
Internals believe that they largely control what happens to them; that their skills and efforts determine whether or not they get the promotion. They feel like they have choices in life therefore are more likely to have high self-esteem. They feel happier, freer, more satisfied with life in general and are less stressed. They have better health due to less chronic stress.
So it’s obvious that an internal locus of control is much better for managing stress.
The perception of not having the control you want in a situation is mostly what stress is all about. The less control you think you have the more stressed you’ll be. Powerlessness also leads to a lack of persistence and lower expectations of life.
The key to stress management is problem-solving, which requires you to look for options. If you believe outside forces control your options then you’re likely to wait for something external to solve your problem for you.
Internals see themselves as responsible for solving their own stressors and quickly do so. They take charge and don’t wait for someone else to do it for them.
Both internals and externals learned their beliefs from their families, culture and past experiences. Most internals come from families that focused on effort, education and responsibility. Most externals come from families of a lower socioeconomic status where there was a lack of control over their lives or their family experienced significant hardship like serious illness.
If you’d like to determine if you’re an external or internal, go to the Internet and type in “Locus of Control test” and choose which to take. Next week we’ll look at how to develop more of an internal locus of control to lower your stress.
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com with your questions or for information about her workshops on this and other topics and to invite her to speak to your organization.
Stress for Success
April 3, 2007
If you were passed over for a promotion at work would it be because you blew the job interview or because your boss has it in for you and would never give it to you? Your answer to this type of question indicates whether you have an internal “locus of control” or an external one.
If you believe what happens to you in life is largely determined by fate, luck or other external conditions (the boss is the reason you didn’t get the job) you’re an external. If you think you’re in charge of your own destiny (had I prepared better I might have gotten the promotion) you’re an internal.
Externals think the outcomes in life are largely beyond their control. They stay in undesirable situations longer because they don’t think they have any options, leaving them feeling powerless to change their situation. They see outside forces as the reason that good and bad things happen to them. They haven’t made the connection between their own behavior and their outcomes in life so they feel more at the mercy of outside forces.
This powerlessness leads to more stressful reactions to life’s situations causing greater susceptibility to depression and other health problems. Research is definitive that stress releases more cortisol into your body, causing everything from sleep problems to diabetes to cardio-vascular disease.
Internals believe that they largely control what happens to them; that their skills and efforts determine whether or not they get the promotion. They feel like they have choices in life therefore are more likely to have high self-esteem. They feel happier, freer, more satisfied with life in general and are less stressed. They have better health due to less chronic stress.
So it’s obvious that an internal locus of control is much better for managing stress.
The perception of not having the control you want in a situation is mostly what stress is all about. The less control you think you have the more stressed you’ll be. Powerlessness also leads to a lack of persistence and lower expectations of life.
The key to stress management is problem-solving, which requires you to look for options. If you believe outside forces control your options then you’re likely to wait for something external to solve your problem for you.
Internals see themselves as responsible for solving their own stressors and quickly do so. They take charge and don’t wait for someone else to do it for them.
Both internals and externals learned their beliefs from their families, culture and past experiences. Most internals come from families that focused on effort, education and responsibility. Most externals come from families of a lower socioeconomic status where there was a lack of control over their lives or their family experienced significant hardship like serious illness.
If you’d like to determine if you’re an external or internal, go to the Internet and type in “Locus of Control test” and choose which to take. Next week we’ll look at how to develop more of an internal locus of control to lower your stress.
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com with your questions or for information about her workshops on this and other topics and to invite her to speak to your organization.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Learn to follow Mind Management Truisms to reduce your stress
Stress for Success
March 27, 2007
Tom and Mary are stuck in traffic that’s creeping along painfully slowly making them both late for their respective meetings. Are they equally stressed? If you think the traffic is “causing” their stress then your answer should be “yes, they’re equally stressed.”
Tom thinks to himself, “Oh, great! I should have left 30 minutes earlier like I’d planned. I’d better call and let them know I’ll be late.”
Mary is pounding on her steering wheel screaming to everyone, “Get out of my way, you ignorant moron! You’re making me late!”
Whether or not you’re stressed by something is determined by your perception of it. Your perception is communicated to you through your thoughts. Wherever your thoughts are going that’s where you are going, my Mind Management Truism #1. Given what Mary said to herself she’s obviously going toward more stress than Tom.
Become more consciously aware of what you think and say about any given stressor to understand better the degree to which and why you’re stressed. Thinking thoughts that lead you away from problem-solving, not just at first but on and on is causing more stress than the event itself. It’s one thing to initially blow a gasket over traffic, it’s quite another to continue thinking gasket-blowing thoughts.
Eldridge Cleaver said in the 1960s, “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.” The same goes for your thinking. If your thoughts aren’t problem-solving in nature, they’re problem-perpetuating. If you continue to think stressful thoughts how can you reduce your stress?
Also ask yourself what your goal is in the situation. Are your thoughts leading you toward or away from it? If the goal of both drivers is to remain calm for their meetings, they must think thoughts that lead toward this goal. Tom’s thoughts meet this stress reducing criteria. Mary’s are moving her toward being frazzled.
Mind Management Truism #2 states that your perception of stress is largely about your perception of control – or lack of. Having a sense of personal control in any situation lowers your stress. In this situation both drivers have no control over the traffic. Tom reminded himself that he should have left early as he’d planned. He sees this predicament as largely of his own making. He has an “internal locus of control”, meaning that he believes he has control to influence events; if not this time then the next.
Mary blames other drivers for her stress, exhibiting an “external locus of control”, she thinks she lacks control over what happens to her. Feeling powerless keeps her from seeing how she could avoid such situations in the future. Until she takes responsibility (internal locus of control) to avoid traffic jams like leaving early, she’ll continue to feel like she has no options (external locus of control).
These are two of my Mind Management Truisms that can help lower your stress. Next week we’ll look more of the hugely important issue of locus of control followed in future weeks with more Mind Management Truisms.
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com with your questions or for information about her workshops on this and other topics and to invite her to speak to your organization.
Stress for Success
March 27, 2007
Tom and Mary are stuck in traffic that’s creeping along painfully slowly making them both late for their respective meetings. Are they equally stressed? If you think the traffic is “causing” their stress then your answer should be “yes, they’re equally stressed.”
Tom thinks to himself, “Oh, great! I should have left 30 minutes earlier like I’d planned. I’d better call and let them know I’ll be late.”
Mary is pounding on her steering wheel screaming to everyone, “Get out of my way, you ignorant moron! You’re making me late!”
Whether or not you’re stressed by something is determined by your perception of it. Your perception is communicated to you through your thoughts. Wherever your thoughts are going that’s where you are going, my Mind Management Truism #1. Given what Mary said to herself she’s obviously going toward more stress than Tom.
Become more consciously aware of what you think and say about any given stressor to understand better the degree to which and why you’re stressed. Thinking thoughts that lead you away from problem-solving, not just at first but on and on is causing more stress than the event itself. It’s one thing to initially blow a gasket over traffic, it’s quite another to continue thinking gasket-blowing thoughts.
Eldridge Cleaver said in the 1960s, “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.” The same goes for your thinking. If your thoughts aren’t problem-solving in nature, they’re problem-perpetuating. If you continue to think stressful thoughts how can you reduce your stress?
Also ask yourself what your goal is in the situation. Are your thoughts leading you toward or away from it? If the goal of both drivers is to remain calm for their meetings, they must think thoughts that lead toward this goal. Tom’s thoughts meet this stress reducing criteria. Mary’s are moving her toward being frazzled.
Mind Management Truism #2 states that your perception of stress is largely about your perception of control – or lack of. Having a sense of personal control in any situation lowers your stress. In this situation both drivers have no control over the traffic. Tom reminded himself that he should have left early as he’d planned. He sees this predicament as largely of his own making. He has an “internal locus of control”, meaning that he believes he has control to influence events; if not this time then the next.
Mary blames other drivers for her stress, exhibiting an “external locus of control”, she thinks she lacks control over what happens to her. Feeling powerless keeps her from seeing how she could avoid such situations in the future. Until she takes responsibility (internal locus of control) to avoid traffic jams like leaving early, she’ll continue to feel like she has no options (external locus of control).
These are two of my Mind Management Truisms that can help lower your stress. Next week we’ll look more of the hugely important issue of locus of control followed in future weeks with more Mind Management Truisms.
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com with your questions or for information about her workshops on this and other topics and to invite her to speak to your organization.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Exercise for a better mental state
It helps curb depression, obsessive thinking
Stress for Success
March 20, 2007
The hot head’s face turns red; that vein in his temple throbs; he's about to blow. If he’s older he might blow himself right into a heart attack! For his heart and overall physical health and the health of his relationships, he’d be wise to exercise out his angry energy.
The same goes for those who suffer from depression or anxiety. There’s not much that’s healthier for you than exercise. But if getting out of bed feels overwhelming, exercising can seem impossible. The degree of mood improvement with regular exercise, though, is so significant that many believe it’s more effective than counseling and anti-depressants.
Small amounts of exercise are better than none and can prevent a relapse after treatment for these conditions. Kristin Vickers-Douglas, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic psychologist, says, “Small bouts of exercise may be a great way to a get started if it’s initially too difficult to do more.” If ten minutes is all you’ll do, then do ten minutes.
It’s not completely understood why exercise decreases mood disorder symptoms. It’s probably due to cortisol reduction and increased endorphins and body temperature, which may have calming effects.
Plus, exercise is a great substitute for the obsessive thinking that drives all of these difficult emotions. Where ever your thoughts are going that’s where you are going; anxious thoughts create anxiety. By exercising you burning up your fight/flight energy in a positive way, distracting you from obsessive thinking about how miserable you are.
To get motivated to start exercising:
§ First, talk with your physician and/or mental health professional for advice and support.
§ Next, figure out what you enjoy doing. If you hate “exercise” participate in a sport that you enjoy. You’ll be more likely to continue with it.
§ Set realistic goals. Create a long-term goal with shorter-term intermediate steps. If your ultimate goal is to walk daily for 30 minutes, start with 5 -10 minutes every day for the first month, the next month walk for 15 to 20 minutes, and so on. Avoid unreasonable goals that you fail to achieve. This makes you feel worse about yourself, aggravating your symptoms.
§ Accept that if you “fall off the wagon”, most of us do, you just have to start again.
§ Stop thinking that you “should” exercise; that’s a weight you don’t need. Instead, convince yourself of the benefits.
§ Isolation is common among those who are depressed and anxious, worsening symptoms, so exercise with others. Social contact decreases your symptoms and helps you meet your exercise goal.
Take the advice of Dr. Mary Ann Chapman, “The key to breaking a bad habit (doing nothing) and adopting a good one (exercising) is making changes in your daily life that minimize the influence of the now and remind you of the later.” In other words:
§ Minimize the immediate reward of doing nothing (relief from not having to exercise)
§ Make the long-term negative consequences of not exercising (continued depression/anxiety/anger) seem more immediate
So instead of excuse after excuse to avoid exercise, remind yourself how tired you are of being emotionally stuck and exhausted.
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com with your questions or for information about her workshops on this and other topics and to invite her to speak to your organization.
It helps curb depression, obsessive thinking
Stress for Success
March 20, 2007
The hot head’s face turns red; that vein in his temple throbs; he's about to blow. If he’s older he might blow himself right into a heart attack! For his heart and overall physical health and the health of his relationships, he’d be wise to exercise out his angry energy.
The same goes for those who suffer from depression or anxiety. There’s not much that’s healthier for you than exercise. But if getting out of bed feels overwhelming, exercising can seem impossible. The degree of mood improvement with regular exercise, though, is so significant that many believe it’s more effective than counseling and anti-depressants.
Small amounts of exercise are better than none and can prevent a relapse after treatment for these conditions. Kristin Vickers-Douglas, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic psychologist, says, “Small bouts of exercise may be a great way to a get started if it’s initially too difficult to do more.” If ten minutes is all you’ll do, then do ten minutes.
It’s not completely understood why exercise decreases mood disorder symptoms. It’s probably due to cortisol reduction and increased endorphins and body temperature, which may have calming effects.
Plus, exercise is a great substitute for the obsessive thinking that drives all of these difficult emotions. Where ever your thoughts are going that’s where you are going; anxious thoughts create anxiety. By exercising you burning up your fight/flight energy in a positive way, distracting you from obsessive thinking about how miserable you are.
To get motivated to start exercising:
§ First, talk with your physician and/or mental health professional for advice and support.
§ Next, figure out what you enjoy doing. If you hate “exercise” participate in a sport that you enjoy. You’ll be more likely to continue with it.
§ Set realistic goals. Create a long-term goal with shorter-term intermediate steps. If your ultimate goal is to walk daily for 30 minutes, start with 5 -10 minutes every day for the first month, the next month walk for 15 to 20 minutes, and so on. Avoid unreasonable goals that you fail to achieve. This makes you feel worse about yourself, aggravating your symptoms.
§ Accept that if you “fall off the wagon”, most of us do, you just have to start again.
§ Stop thinking that you “should” exercise; that’s a weight you don’t need. Instead, convince yourself of the benefits.
§ Isolation is common among those who are depressed and anxious, worsening symptoms, so exercise with others. Social contact decreases your symptoms and helps you meet your exercise goal.
Take the advice of Dr. Mary Ann Chapman, “The key to breaking a bad habit (doing nothing) and adopting a good one (exercising) is making changes in your daily life that minimize the influence of the now and remind you of the later.” In other words:
§ Minimize the immediate reward of doing nothing (relief from not having to exercise)
§ Make the long-term negative consequences of not exercising (continued depression/anxiety/anger) seem more immediate
So instead of excuse after excuse to avoid exercise, remind yourself how tired you are of being emotionally stuck and exhausted.
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com with your questions or for information about her workshops on this and other topics and to invite her to speak to your organization.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
“Inactivity should be considered a disease state”
Stress for Success
March 13, 2007
Anyone who’s unaware of the benefits of regular physical exercise on mental and physical health has been living under a rock for decades. If you know the importance of it and still don’t exercise, then you’re probably living in denial. As someone once said, "Inactivity should be considered a disease state."
Research has shown over and again that exercise diminishes the ravages of stress on your body, decreasing a variety of diseases and increasing longevity. Exercise that prevents disease and builds muscles also helps you manage your stress better. It’s one of the two most powerful health enhancing practices; the other is deep relaxation.
It drives me nuts when people complain about being overweight, having aches and pains, not to mention illness and disease yet don't find the wherewithal to do what they need to do to protect their health! Remaining sedentary is another way of saying you choose to put your health at risk.
There are countless reasons why exercise is essential:
§ It channels the fight/flight energy you generate daily, thereby keeping cortisol and other stress hormones from wearing you down physically. THIS IS A MAJOR REASON TO EXERCISE!
§ Activities like hiking, biking, swimming, etc. increase your brain’s production of those feel-good endorphins you've heard about. Endorphins are thought to provide some pain relief and to promote a sense of euphoria. (Don’t get addicted to it, though.)
§ Stretching and yoga diminish muscle tension giving you more energy, calming you and helping you think more clearly. Muscles contract during your fight/flight response. Exercising releases your muscles’ stored energy allowing them to return to a balanced – and less stressed – state so you’ll have fewer tension headaches, arthritis and back pain.
§ Physical fitness increases your self-control, which increases your self-confidence in other areas of your life and minimizes symptoms of mild depression and anxiety. Anything that increases healthy self-control will diminish stress.
§ You’ll sleep better, too, (presuming you don’t exercise to exhaustion) so you’ll perform at higher levels.
§ Exercise also strengthens your body’s physical systems so you’re in better shape to fight any future illness and disease you may contract.
You don't have to start running marathons to benefit from exercise. According to the Mayo Clinic virtually any form can decrease the production of stress hormones and channel your fight/flight energy in healthy ways.
You can start small. If you know that you don’t get enough exercise, get more. If you now get winded from walking two blocks, walk two blocks until you don't get winded then increase to three, then four, etc.
Which exercise most appeals to you? Walking? Sports? (Please don’t say channel-surfing.) It makes no difference as long as it's regular and safe for you, your abilities and age.
Lastly, make your goal of getting more fit through exercise a step in achieving a larger life goal, such as living to see your grandchildren born! When you see how exercise can help you reach a bigger goal it gives it more meaning and therefore you’re more likely to follow through. Make it happen!
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com or call 239-693-8111 for information about her workshops on this and other topics or to invite her to speak to your organization.
Stress for Success
March 13, 2007
Anyone who’s unaware of the benefits of regular physical exercise on mental and physical health has been living under a rock for decades. If you know the importance of it and still don’t exercise, then you’re probably living in denial. As someone once said, "Inactivity should be considered a disease state."
Research has shown over and again that exercise diminishes the ravages of stress on your body, decreasing a variety of diseases and increasing longevity. Exercise that prevents disease and builds muscles also helps you manage your stress better. It’s one of the two most powerful health enhancing practices; the other is deep relaxation.
It drives me nuts when people complain about being overweight, having aches and pains, not to mention illness and disease yet don't find the wherewithal to do what they need to do to protect their health! Remaining sedentary is another way of saying you choose to put your health at risk.
There are countless reasons why exercise is essential:
§ It channels the fight/flight energy you generate daily, thereby keeping cortisol and other stress hormones from wearing you down physically. THIS IS A MAJOR REASON TO EXERCISE!
§ Activities like hiking, biking, swimming, etc. increase your brain’s production of those feel-good endorphins you've heard about. Endorphins are thought to provide some pain relief and to promote a sense of euphoria. (Don’t get addicted to it, though.)
§ Stretching and yoga diminish muscle tension giving you more energy, calming you and helping you think more clearly. Muscles contract during your fight/flight response. Exercising releases your muscles’ stored energy allowing them to return to a balanced – and less stressed – state so you’ll have fewer tension headaches, arthritis and back pain.
§ Physical fitness increases your self-control, which increases your self-confidence in other areas of your life and minimizes symptoms of mild depression and anxiety. Anything that increases healthy self-control will diminish stress.
§ You’ll sleep better, too, (presuming you don’t exercise to exhaustion) so you’ll perform at higher levels.
§ Exercise also strengthens your body’s physical systems so you’re in better shape to fight any future illness and disease you may contract.
You don't have to start running marathons to benefit from exercise. According to the Mayo Clinic virtually any form can decrease the production of stress hormones and channel your fight/flight energy in healthy ways.
You can start small. If you know that you don’t get enough exercise, get more. If you now get winded from walking two blocks, walk two blocks until you don't get winded then increase to three, then four, etc.
Which exercise most appeals to you? Walking? Sports? (Please don’t say channel-surfing.) It makes no difference as long as it's regular and safe for you, your abilities and age.
Lastly, make your goal of getting more fit through exercise a step in achieving a larger life goal, such as living to see your grandchildren born! When you see how exercise can help you reach a bigger goal it gives it more meaning and therefore you’re more likely to follow through. Make it happen!
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com or call 239-693-8111 for information about her workshops on this and other topics or to invite her to speak to your organization.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Laugh your way to a healthy life
Stress for Success
March 6, 2007
There are certain skills that are the best at reducing stress, such as problem solving, deep relaxation, exercise, etc. Included in this list is looking at life with a sense of humor. It’s one of the best coping skills.
When both of my parents were ill at the end of their lives we relied on humor to soften the blow of the incredible stress of having both of them failing at the same time.
One of many examples I still fondly remember was my father in ICU for the first time. He couldn’t talk because he was on a ventilator but was trying so hard to communicate something to my mother and me. With no teeth in his mouth and a tube down his throat we had absolutely no idea what he was trying to say. The communication aides the nurses gave us didn’t work. For 30 minutes we guessed at what he was trying to say. After each guess he’d shake his head in frustration. Finally, my mother said to my father, “Are you asking why you can’t talk?” With great relief he nodded elatedly. We all burst out laughing uncontrollably. We climbed this mountain together and our reward, as it was all our lives, was a good laugh.
Life can be such a challenge and humor can help you deal better with almost any situation. It helps reduce stress because:
• Physically and mentally laughter’s the opposite of stress. It lowers blood pressure, increases blood circulation, reduces muscle tension and pain, and boosts your immune system.
• Humor facilitates mental flexibility and increases creativity by blocking negative emotions allowing you to think through problems instead of emotionally muddling through them.
• Laughing at yourself increases your objectivity about yourself, decreasing your defensiveness.
• Team building is facilitated by shared humor. (Not the divisive type like sarcasm or humor aimed at belittling anyone or any group will, of course.)
• “The shortest distance between two people is humor”, said the famed comedic pianist, Victor Borge. Humor improves most communication, especially when it’s potentially confrontational.
• It’s just fun.
Researchers are studying whether or not humor is good for your health. Michael Miller, University of Maryland School of Medicine, is one. Knowing that blood vessels constrict when you’re stressed making you more vulnerable to circulation problems, he wondered if laughter could loosen them. His study showed that blood flow decreased about 35% after experiencing stress but increased 22% after laughter, an improvement equal to about a 15-minute workout. Wouldn’t you love your physician to prescribe 15 minutes of laughter every day?
Other research has shown that stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline cause circulation changes. It stands to reason that laughter may cause the release of pleasure producing endorphins that may counteract stress hormones and increase blood flow.
Lee Berk, associate professor of health promotion and education who studies laugher at Loma Linda University in CA said, “Laughter is not dissimilar to exercise. It’s not going to cure stage three cancer but in terms of prevention it does make sense.”
Whether or not laughter and humor prove to reduce stress to the point of having a positive health effect, it just makes sense to put more humor into your life because it makes life more enjoyable. There’s so much stuff out there that’s funny … if you’d just look for it.
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Professional Coach in Lee County. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com or call 239-693-8111 for information about her workshops on this and other topics or to invite her to speak to your organization.
Stress for Success
March 6, 2007
There are certain skills that are the best at reducing stress, such as problem solving, deep relaxation, exercise, etc. Included in this list is looking at life with a sense of humor. It’s one of the best coping skills.
When both of my parents were ill at the end of their lives we relied on humor to soften the blow of the incredible stress of having both of them failing at the same time.
One of many examples I still fondly remember was my father in ICU for the first time. He couldn’t talk because he was on a ventilator but was trying so hard to communicate something to my mother and me. With no teeth in his mouth and a tube down his throat we had absolutely no idea what he was trying to say. The communication aides the nurses gave us didn’t work. For 30 minutes we guessed at what he was trying to say. After each guess he’d shake his head in frustration. Finally, my mother said to my father, “Are you asking why you can’t talk?” With great relief he nodded elatedly. We all burst out laughing uncontrollably. We climbed this mountain together and our reward, as it was all our lives, was a good laugh.
Life can be such a challenge and humor can help you deal better with almost any situation. It helps reduce stress because:
• Physically and mentally laughter’s the opposite of stress. It lowers blood pressure, increases blood circulation, reduces muscle tension and pain, and boosts your immune system.
• Humor facilitates mental flexibility and increases creativity by blocking negative emotions allowing you to think through problems instead of emotionally muddling through them.
• Laughing at yourself increases your objectivity about yourself, decreasing your defensiveness.
• Team building is facilitated by shared humor. (Not the divisive type like sarcasm or humor aimed at belittling anyone or any group will, of course.)
• “The shortest distance between two people is humor”, said the famed comedic pianist, Victor Borge. Humor improves most communication, especially when it’s potentially confrontational.
• It’s just fun.
Researchers are studying whether or not humor is good for your health. Michael Miller, University of Maryland School of Medicine, is one. Knowing that blood vessels constrict when you’re stressed making you more vulnerable to circulation problems, he wondered if laughter could loosen them. His study showed that blood flow decreased about 35% after experiencing stress but increased 22% after laughter, an improvement equal to about a 15-minute workout. Wouldn’t you love your physician to prescribe 15 minutes of laughter every day?
Other research has shown that stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline cause circulation changes. It stands to reason that laughter may cause the release of pleasure producing endorphins that may counteract stress hormones and increase blood flow.
Lee Berk, associate professor of health promotion and education who studies laugher at Loma Linda University in CA said, “Laughter is not dissimilar to exercise. It’s not going to cure stage three cancer but in terms of prevention it does make sense.”
Whether or not laughter and humor prove to reduce stress to the point of having a positive health effect, it just makes sense to put more humor into your life because it makes life more enjoyable. There’s so much stuff out there that’s funny … if you’d just look for it.
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Professional Coach in Lee County. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com or call 239-693-8111 for information about her workshops on this and other topics or to invite her to speak to your organization.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Diseases affect blacks more
Emotional problems seem less common
Stress for Success
February 27, 2007
African-American have the highest incidence of diabetes, cardio-vascular heart disease, hypertension and stroke when compared to all other racial/ethnic groups in America.
From 1992 to 2000, 29% more blacks under the age of 60 died from heart disease and stroke than whites, according to the National Medical Association and Pfizer, Inc. (joint study, Pfizer Facts: Racial Differences in Cardiovascular Health.)
National Institute of Health (NIH) research “… links this excess prevalence and severity of hypertension among African-Americans to chronic and disproportionately intense societal stress, especially among low income inner-city residents."
Heart disease is largely a preventable condition. Research has long shown that stress reduction approaches including lifestyle changes not only prevent heart disease and hypertension, they may even reverse some damage.
For instance, NIH funded randomized clinical trials found stress reducing meditation was 2 1/2 times more effective in reducing systolic and diastolic blood pressure than typical relaxation. This is a significantly healthier way to reduce blood pressure since it has no adverse reactions and costs nothing compared to standard pharmacological treatment, (R. H. Schneider et al, Hypertension 26,1995 and 28,1996).
Given the fact that over 50% of Medicare recipients suffer from heart disease or hypertension, with a price tag of over $100 billion annually, deep relaxation is a hugely cost-effective option for everyone, black people included.
Interestingly, from the research I’ve done it seems that African-Americans’ discrimination stress manifests itself more through physical illness then emotional problems.
A study from the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, the world's largest academic survey and research organization, surveyed more than 6,000 African-American, Afro-Caribbean and non-Hispanic white adults and found noticeably different patterns of prevalence of major mental and physical disorders.
The survey evaluated physical health, experiences of discrimination and racial prejudice, including police harassment. The survey, funded by NIH, was conducted between February 2001 and March 2003 and found:
§ Lower rates of major depression for African-Americans (10.6%) than Afro-Caribbeans (11.3%) or white Americans (18.3%)
§ Blacks with significantly lower rates of panic disorder (2.7%) than whites 4.2%)
§ Generalized anxiety disorder for blacks (4.5%) vs. whites (7.9%)
§ Social phobia for blacks (7.5%) vs. whites (12.6%)
It's fortunate that as African-Americans you’re less likely to suffer from emotional symptoms of stress. It’ll be even better when you increase your awareness of the physical consequences of stress, regardless of the cause.
Since stopping others from discriminating is largely beyond a person’s control, it's in your best interest to take control of your health by making lifestyle changes that everyone needs and that have proved to protect you from the physical ravages of stress; improve your daily habits of exercise and nutrition and begin a regular program of deep relaxation.
The health protections these strategies offer are only part of the pay off. The more important benefit is derived from the practicing of these healthy habits and experiencing the subsequent positive results: you gain a greater sense of control, which will always lower your over-all stress.
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com or call 239-693-8111 for information about her workshops on this and other topics or to invite her to speak to your organization.
Emotional problems seem less common
Stress for Success
February 27, 2007
African-American have the highest incidence of diabetes, cardio-vascular heart disease, hypertension and stroke when compared to all other racial/ethnic groups in America.
From 1992 to 2000, 29% more blacks under the age of 60 died from heart disease and stroke than whites, according to the National Medical Association and Pfizer, Inc. (joint study, Pfizer Facts: Racial Differences in Cardiovascular Health.)
National Institute of Health (NIH) research “… links this excess prevalence and severity of hypertension among African-Americans to chronic and disproportionately intense societal stress, especially among low income inner-city residents."
Heart disease is largely a preventable condition. Research has long shown that stress reduction approaches including lifestyle changes not only prevent heart disease and hypertension, they may even reverse some damage.
For instance, NIH funded randomized clinical trials found stress reducing meditation was 2 1/2 times more effective in reducing systolic and diastolic blood pressure than typical relaxation. This is a significantly healthier way to reduce blood pressure since it has no adverse reactions and costs nothing compared to standard pharmacological treatment, (R. H. Schneider et al, Hypertension 26,1995 and 28,1996).
Given the fact that over 50% of Medicare recipients suffer from heart disease or hypertension, with a price tag of over $100 billion annually, deep relaxation is a hugely cost-effective option for everyone, black people included.
Interestingly, from the research I’ve done it seems that African-Americans’ discrimination stress manifests itself more through physical illness then emotional problems.
A study from the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, the world's largest academic survey and research organization, surveyed more than 6,000 African-American, Afro-Caribbean and non-Hispanic white adults and found noticeably different patterns of prevalence of major mental and physical disorders.
The survey evaluated physical health, experiences of discrimination and racial prejudice, including police harassment. The survey, funded by NIH, was conducted between February 2001 and March 2003 and found:
§ Lower rates of major depression for African-Americans (10.6%) than Afro-Caribbeans (11.3%) or white Americans (18.3%)
§ Blacks with significantly lower rates of panic disorder (2.7%) than whites 4.2%)
§ Generalized anxiety disorder for blacks (4.5%) vs. whites (7.9%)
§ Social phobia for blacks (7.5%) vs. whites (12.6%)
It's fortunate that as African-Americans you’re less likely to suffer from emotional symptoms of stress. It’ll be even better when you increase your awareness of the physical consequences of stress, regardless of the cause.
Since stopping others from discriminating is largely beyond a person’s control, it's in your best interest to take control of your health by making lifestyle changes that everyone needs and that have proved to protect you from the physical ravages of stress; improve your daily habits of exercise and nutrition and begin a regular program of deep relaxation.
The health protections these strategies offer are only part of the pay off. The more important benefit is derived from the practicing of these healthy habits and experiencing the subsequent positive results: you gain a greater sense of control, which will always lower your over-all stress.
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com or call 239-693-8111 for information about her workshops on this and other topics or to invite her to speak to your organization.
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