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The Goldilocks Principal or 'How to treat stress'
The key for managing stress is that it has to be 'just right'. Read on and find out why.
Statistics are rife regarding the negative impact of ‘stress’ on businesses: increased number of work days lost, reduced productivity and motivation, increased staff turnover. Though these figures are significant and rightly alarming, they unfortunately give a vital resource a bad name. ‘Stress’ is seen as being something that is akin to a disease: something that needs to be ‘treated’ and got rid of. Now, if you happen to be motivated by the ‘stick’ then feel free to be encouraged to act by these figures! For those of you who prefer the ‘carrot’, what these figures actually indicate is the value of unrealised human potential, because ‘stress’ is actually a resource that needs to be ‘understood’ not ‘treated’.
To use this effectively the ‘Goldilocks Principal’ applies. Too little and too much won’t do: they result in lack of fulfilment and/or significant pain. For both the individual and organisation to want and achieve success it has to be ‘just right’:
1. Learn to recognise your reaction to pressure. What’s happening for you & around you when you perform at your best: demands, control, support, relationships, role, change?
2. Acknowledge that every individual and organisation has limits. Know what these limits are.
3. Check attitudes / culture: aim for ‘It’s OK to say ‘no’’ and ‘It’s a sign of strength to know when to stop’.
4. Learn how to identify the symptoms of exceeding limits: physical, behavioural, psychological and emotional.
5. Know what you can and can’t control. Focus on changing what you can.
6. Acknowledge that limits can be exceeded by the unforeseen and unplanned: bereavement, marital breakdown, new arrivals, traumatic incidents, chronic illness.
7. Understand that the response to exceeding limits is an effective, normal and natural alarm system i.e. something is wrong, action is required.
8. Anticipate the unforeseen, have support in place: counselling services, critical incident support, access to healthcare, legal and financial advice.
9. Empower people to make the most of themselves and their teams: access to personal coaching, encourage exercise, healthy eating, community involvement, social contact.
10. Don’t just talk about it. Do it!
© Optima Workplace Ltd 2006
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