Doing relaxation sessions for different companies causes me to encounter all kinds of situations in the work environment, but the main thing I always seem to take away after one of my detox relaxation sessions is the sense that workers are more stressed than ever despite all the technology that was suppose to make life easier, and more productive. Yes, we all are able to do more, but the constant drumbeat from these various devices has created more stress not less. The fact that we are always on, always in contact, and always alerted has led to a constant stress state that many of us fail to recognize.
Work stress has always been with us, probably from the time when the cave man realized he had a period of time to kill something or the people back in the cave would starve. Work stress is nothing new. But, I think the difference for this generation is that technology now tells the cave man how many minutes he has to kill that dinosaur and delivers never ending updates on the status of the people in the cave and how many dinosaurs are required to keep cave members alive. Sometimes it all becomes just too much.
Don’t misunderstand, because I love technology, but there comes a time when we have to give our bodies a chance to not only breathe but exhale. After all, the demands of the job are not going away but there are things we can change in terms of how we deal with them:
Avoid contagion from the person always in a state of crisis
When someone runs in throwing fire, you have to stop, take a moment, and do a mental calculation of what is the most pressing thing based on your knowledge of the situation before you act.
Provide your own sense of control
One of the greatest stressors is the feeling of things being out of your control. Find something to do on a small scale that works on your schedule and gives you a sense of control.
Make “active rest” work for you.
Small stretches of repetitive activity away from the current task helps your brain relax and better focus to process information about the task you were working on. This aids your ability to make connections and be more creative.
Understand the different types of stress created by different devices
Understanding the stress response from your various devices allows you to develop maneuvers to cope with the different types of stress responses that result. The stress you experience from your smart phone is very different from the trigger of working on your computer. Learn the difference.
and finally,
Backlit devices disturb your ability to quickly fall asleep.
Set up a schedule that allows time for you to unwind from all electronics before bed. This insures that when you are ready for bed your mind is less distracted and capable of restful sleep.
To get a full description of the points listed above, listen to the podcast of Imagine Radio and get step-by-step instructions. Nothing to download and able to listen anytime. That is the beauty of radio.