Friday, April 24, 2009
Guest Article: Coping and Stress
As readers of this blog, you already know April is Stress Awareness Month. With so much going on in our world today, it is helpful to have tools, resources and sources of inspiration to assist and guide us along our way. Regarding this, I immediately thought of my friend and colleague, Susan Otto, founder and owner of Training-Modules.com, LLC. I’ve asked Susan to share some insights with our Enthusiasm! 4U readers.
Q: Susan, what are you hearing from and seeing with your clients related to stress and stress management?
A. Stress is being felt by employees who have lost their work colleagues due to the organization’s financial constraints. It is further exacerbated by the employees’ concern about whether they will have a job in the future themselves. For those who have no fear of losing their job, they still may feel stress because of “survivors’ guilt” or because they have picked up some, if not all, of their colleagues’ workload. Supervisors and managers are not free of stress, especially if they are the ones choosing who stays and who goes. Additionally, they have to deal with how to continue to provide excellent customer service with fewer employees.
Q: I know you created products to assist your clients in their personal lives and professional development. Briefly talk more about these and why you developed them.
A. The Coping and Stress eWorkbook provides a comprehensive understanding of stress – what is it – and ways to eliminate stressors or change your response to them. The eWorkbook not only talks about the causes of stress…not like we need a reminder… but it also gives ways to identify, use, and develop current and new coping resources and stress management skills.
For those who facilitate training, I also provide the Stress Management module that uses interactive games and activities to cover this important material. It’s fun to both participate and/or facilitate. Any organization that makes the effort to provide Stress Management training during this stressful time sends a clear message that they care about their employees and want them to be at their best. Kudos to those organizations!
Q: How might Enthusiasm! 4U readers benefit particularly from your research used for creating the Coping and Stress eWorkbook?
A. Enthusiasm! 4U readers will benefit from the eWorkbook by identifying, using, and developing current and new coping resources and stress management skills that will spark their enthusiasm muscle. Though lots of ideas are given, just doing one or two tips will start you on the road to feeling better about what is transpiring in your life.
Q. Can you give some specific examples of what we’ll find in the eWorkbook?
A. In the Coping and Stress eWorkbook some of what you will find includes:
* Learning the distinctions between reactions or symptoms of stress and actual causes of stress; and, distinctions between major life events and common daily hassles, along with their resulting effects of stress.
* Discovering common mental, physical and spiritual energy drains.
* Understanding the effects and costs of personal stress and organizational stress.
* Identifying mistaken notions about what makes a person tick.
* Discovering three methods for coping with stress and five different Personal Coping Resources that are especially helpful when you can’t actually change the events causing you stress.
* Creating an Action Plan using the simple, effective five part CHANGE Model.
Q. I know our readers are curious. Susan, what do you do to reduce stress in your life?
A. I make sure that I maintain a good work/life balance. I make time for me. I walk in nature and exercise regularly. I interact with friends and colleagues on a regular basis and spend quality time with family. I also read a variety of material to boost my spirit and I get about 8 hours of restful sleep a day. But I must admit that I eat what I like – so do as the eWorkbook and module “says” and not as I “do” as far as the nutrition area.
Q. Any final thoughts?
A. Everyone has a zone of comfort and excitement that depends upon a healthy and manageable level of stress. Up to a point, stress helps us think, cope, and work better. Beyond that point, it starts to tear us apart. It is important to know when to quit struggling.
Q. Susan, thanks for your time, experience and insights. How can Enthusiasm! 4U readers get in contact with you for more information about your other products and services.
A. That’s easy, simply go to http://tinyurl.com/cmpqk4 to find out more about and/or purchase the Coping and Stress eWorkbook and find out about our other eWorkbooks, Audiocasts, etc.
© 2009 All Rights Reserved.
Q: Susan, what are you hearing from and seeing with your clients related to stress and stress management?
A. Stress is being felt by employees who have lost their work colleagues due to the organization’s financial constraints. It is further exacerbated by the employees’ concern about whether they will have a job in the future themselves. For those who have no fear of losing their job, they still may feel stress because of “survivors’ guilt” or because they have picked up some, if not all, of their colleagues’ workload. Supervisors and managers are not free of stress, especially if they are the ones choosing who stays and who goes. Additionally, they have to deal with how to continue to provide excellent customer service with fewer employees.
Q: I know you created products to assist your clients in their personal lives and professional development. Briefly talk more about these and why you developed them.
A. The Coping and Stress eWorkbook provides a comprehensive understanding of stress – what is it – and ways to eliminate stressors or change your response to them. The eWorkbook not only talks about the causes of stress…not like we need a reminder… but it also gives ways to identify, use, and develop current and new coping resources and stress management skills.
For those who facilitate training, I also provide the Stress Management module that uses interactive games and activities to cover this important material. It’s fun to both participate and/or facilitate. Any organization that makes the effort to provide Stress Management training during this stressful time sends a clear message that they care about their employees and want them to be at their best. Kudos to those organizations!
Q: How might Enthusiasm! 4U readers benefit particularly from your research used for creating the Coping and Stress eWorkbook?
A. Enthusiasm! 4U readers will benefit from the eWorkbook by identifying, using, and developing current and new coping resources and stress management skills that will spark their enthusiasm muscle. Though lots of ideas are given, just doing one or two tips will start you on the road to feeling better about what is transpiring in your life.
Q. Can you give some specific examples of what we’ll find in the eWorkbook?
A. In the Coping and Stress eWorkbook some of what you will find includes:
* Learning the distinctions between reactions or symptoms of stress and actual causes of stress; and, distinctions between major life events and common daily hassles, along with their resulting effects of stress.
* Discovering common mental, physical and spiritual energy drains.
* Understanding the effects and costs of personal stress and organizational stress.
* Identifying mistaken notions about what makes a person tick.
* Discovering three methods for coping with stress and five different Personal Coping Resources that are especially helpful when you can’t actually change the events causing you stress.
* Creating an Action Plan using the simple, effective five part CHANGE Model.
Q. I know our readers are curious. Susan, what do you do to reduce stress in your life?
A. I make sure that I maintain a good work/life balance. I make time for me. I walk in nature and exercise regularly. I interact with friends and colleagues on a regular basis and spend quality time with family. I also read a variety of material to boost my spirit and I get about 8 hours of restful sleep a day. But I must admit that I eat what I like – so do as the eWorkbook and module “says” and not as I “do” as far as the nutrition area.
Q. Any final thoughts?
A. Everyone has a zone of comfort and excitement that depends upon a healthy and manageable level of stress. Up to a point, stress helps us think, cope, and work better. Beyond that point, it starts to tear us apart. It is important to know when to quit struggling.
Q. Susan, thanks for your time, experience and insights. How can Enthusiasm! 4U readers get in contact with you for more information about your other products and services.
A. That’s easy, simply go to http://tinyurl.com/cmpqk4 to find out more about and/or purchase the Coping and Stress eWorkbook and find out about our other eWorkbooks, Audiocasts, etc.
© 2009 All Rights Reserved.
Labels: Enthusiasm, reduction, stress, stress management, survivors’ guilt, Training Modules, training resources, training tools
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
April is Stress Awareness Month
Greetings!
Among many other things, April is Stress Awareness Month.
If you are wondering what Stress Awareness has to do with enthusiasm...well I am glad you asked.
Contrary to popular myth, enthusiasm is not just rah rah cheerleading and sushine everyday. The key to engaging enthusiasm is to also understand what may interfer with one's expression and experience of it. Stress happens to be one of the barriers to enthusiasm.
So this month you'll receive information, tools, tips, processes, etc., that can assist in understanding stress along with reducing the negative stressors in you life and work. To get you started, visit http://www.asystemthatworks.com/ to see some of the features for April.
With Clarity & Ease,
Antoinette
Among many other things, April is Stress Awareness Month.
If you are wondering what Stress Awareness has to do with enthusiasm...well I am glad you asked.
Contrary to popular myth, enthusiasm is not just rah rah cheerleading and sushine everyday. The key to engaging enthusiasm is to also understand what may interfer with one's expression and experience of it. Stress happens to be one of the barriers to enthusiasm.
So this month you'll receive information, tools, tips, processes, etc., that can assist in understanding stress along with reducing the negative stressors in you life and work. To get you started, visit http://www.asystemthatworks.com/ to see some of the features for April.
With Clarity & Ease,
Antoinette
© 2009. All rights reserved.
Labels: Emotional Intelligence, Enthusiasm, stress, stress reduction
