Stress, how it can affect you and ways to reduce it

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Stress is one of those awful things that we need to learn to manage. Because if we don’t manage it, it will consume us and we could end up becoming ill. What will happen to your business then?

Managing stress in the workplace can be a real headache. Forgive the pun. I’m sure we all know that when staff are allowed the time to have a break and relax, they return to work refreshed and more able to tackle challenging things. Your HR department (if your organisation is large enough to have one) may provide Wellbeing benefits such as regular visits from physiotherapists for a neck and shoulder massage; work-desk assessments to ensure your working area is physiologically correct for the individual; access to counsellors via anonymous telephone support, etc. Use them! I used to love having neck and shoulder massages at my desk, even though it felt a little weird sitting there in front of my colleagues enjoying the experience.

But for the smaller businesses, budgets may not allow for these Wellbeing benefits. So how can we help our valued employees feel good? Let’s start by helping ourselves and setting a good example. Because if you’re managing your stress levels effectively, you’re better able to manage your staff, too, and productivity continues to flourish.

Here are a few suggestions based on things I’ve learned over the years. Please bear in mind that I’m a professional copywriter – not a health coach or practitioner! These tips are based on my own experience over the years:

• Start the day with a good breakfast, even if it’s just a bowl of porridge. Breakfast – in fact, all meals – should include some protein. People who skip breakfast tend to have more weight problems and struggle with headaches.
• Take regular breaks at work. Hourly is best, especially if you’re just sitting at your desk in front of your computer. Simply stand up, stretch, touch your toes, roll your shoulders, walk around for five minutes. Have a quick talk to colleagues – it’s amazing how a smile and a chat can uplift your mood.
• If you’re having one of those ‘back-to-back-meetings’ days, try to schedule time into your diary for a break. It’s important. You won’t be at your best by the last meeting of the day if you don’t, which could be a crucial meeting in which you need to be on top form.
• Try to keep caffeine to a minimum. Drink more water, herbal teas and juices and avoid the sugary fizzy drinks. Being hydrated keeps the headaches at bay!
• Every lunchtime make sure you eat something vaguely healthy at least, and include all the essentials such as protein, carbs and fruit or veg. Sandwiches and juice drinks are ideal. But eating fast food on occasions is better than not eating at all, which is counter-productive and more likely to cause your body sugars to crash, bring on headaches and generally make you feel terrible. Even burger and chips, a sausage roll or a pork pie is better than nothing!
• Try to have a walk every lunchtime. Fresh air and exercise is important.
• Exercising 2-3 times a week minimum is good, too, helping to bring on those happy endorphins.
• Try to leave work on time … difficult these days I know, but it’s important to have a good work/life balance. Leaving on time helps make time for the gym, or for a run. As well as spending time with your family, of course!
• It can be tempting to hit the beer or wine when you get home, but try to have a ‘no alcohol on a school night’ policy. You’ll be amazed at how much better you sleep – I was!
• Try to get at least 7 hours sleep every night – I know I need 7.5 to 8 hours for me to function well!
• Try to have fun! Allow time in your working week for seeing friends, going to a show, having a laugh. They say that laughter is the best medicine – I tend to agree.
• Remember that stress can lead to other medical issues. Keeping stress under control helps to counteract any detrimental effects that could lead to heart or other medical problems.

I read somewhere recently that women need more sleep than men. I have no idea whether that’s true or not, but I’m telling my other half that so that he can get me my morning cuppa and I feel validated in staying in bed a little longer! 🙂

Fight or flight

This morning I was editing some articles for a new business magazine that’s due out next month (more on that nearer the time). One of the articles explained that the cumulative effects of prolonged exposure to stress puts an unhealthy strain on our bodies. We all know that, but the author went on to explain that neurobiological research proves that when your body is under constant stress, it cannot heal properly. During ancient times when our forefathers were hunted by animals, the “fight or flight” response kicked in – the brain released adrenalin and cortisol to help them get out of that situation alive. Nowadays we respond to stress in the same way. Which means that when we are continually stressed, our body’s natural self-healing mechanisms aren’t activated. Contradictorily, when we are calm and peaceful, our bodies produce oxytocin which promotes feelings of love, peace and wellbeing. Our brains get the message that we are free from danger, that it is safe to work on cell repair and begin to heal where needed.

My personal experience

I’m lucky on the whole – I seem to have a natural aptitude to be able to unwind and relax, forgetting the day’s pressures. I’m lucky in that I can put things into perspective and figure out what’s worth expending huge amounts of energy on and what can wait until time and energy levels allow. Just as well really. Trying to help my daughter with her life threatening eating disorder, Anorexia Nervosa, for the past eight years is one of the hardest, most stressful things I’ve ever had to deal with.

But there was a particular time when I experienced the “fight or flight” scenario with an extremely noticeable effect on my body. Back in November 2012 I was working in an employed full-time role here in Oxfordshire. My daughter had just moved back to Sussex, where we originally lived and she preferred to live. I knew she was going downhill fast but couldn’t stop her from moving (she was 20 at the time – damn our ridiculous laws about being an adult when you’re 18! That don’t take into consideration mental health illnesses! Damn them to hell). By then the illness was so strong then that it “made” her not answer calls from the medical team there. She was giving up, hardly eating and dying. The team were far too slow at responding for my liking, despite my harassment. In the end, to cut a long and distressing story short, I managed to get my daughter into hospital where she ended up in Intensive Care. She almost slipped into a coma twice – twice they managed to pull her out, thank god, because if they hadn’t she would have died. She was in ITU for three weeks, with me by her side constantly, before she was stable enough to be transferred to a specialist hospital in London. That was one of the scariest times of my life.

Prior to this time, the menopause was kicking in with me. I was getting a few little symptoms but the worst was the infernal “hot flushes”. They come on with no warning! I learned to wear easily removable layers (no jumpers!) and carry something flappable and fannable around to help alleviate the sudden heat that comes from within. This had been going on for a good six months. Then, when my daughter was rushed into hospital, they stopped. Suddenly. Just like that! All the symptoms went. It was only by the end of December, early January when I was beginning to feel that my daughter would make it after all, when I finally started to relax a little, that I realised I’d had no menopausal symptoms! Very odd. They did start again sadly, but it took a couple more months before they did so. Proof, if any further were needed, that our body’s self-healing mechanisms stop functioning when we’re under immense stress.

Nowadays my daughter is improving (though far from recovered yet), and I’m fine. Back to normal. In fact, as I write this I have a lovely red-with-black-polka-dots Spanish-style fan sitting on my desk. It has been used a few times today already… *sigh*

 

 

How good are you at communicating?

Image courtesy of imagerymajestic / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Ever had one of those moments where you think you’ve said too much? Embarrassing, eh? Or maybe you’re more reticent at sharing your thoughts and feelings. When it comes to communicating, it’s fair to say that some of us are better at it than others.

Worse still, some organisations are not so hot with their communications. This can be disastrous, leading to a lowering of staff moral and productivity. Which in turn can affect profits.

Clear Communications are Crucial!

Many companies these days seem to be so busy doing what they know best (their own business!) that they forget to talk to their most precious commodity – their employees. The ramifications of not keeping staff informed on how business is doing, or important changes to products or procedures, can be very damaging.

It doesn’t take much to keep staff informed. The simplest way is by regular newsletters that can be printed and distributed or, better still, emailed – I like the thought of saving our trees! But it does depend to a certain extent on the size and type of organisation and whether staff have regular access to emails. If not, then a printed newsletter is essential and gives the employee a sense of having something tangible to help him or her feel more connected to the organisation as a whole.

Monthly newsletters are ideal, but on those occasions when an urgent announcement needs to be made then a ‘Stop Press’ style email announcement flagged as ‘high importance’ would work nicely. Staff who don’t have access to emails could have this information sent to them in the form of a letter. Again, this gives people the sense of being valued. You’re sharing that important change with them in a timely manner.

Make newsletters interesting – make people feel valued!

Whatever the size of your organisation, newsletters need a good balance of the following:

• How the company is performing and feedback on important Board decisions.
• Staff changes – saying farewell to leavers and welcoming newcomers.
• Spotlight on a particular employee and what he/she does for the organisation.
• New product or service information.
• Changes in policies and procedures.
• Staff activities or outings.
• Ask employees to provide information on their personal activities to include in the newsletter, such as charity fundraising challenges or cake sales!
• Include puzzles, prize draws and quizzes.
• What about a regular cartoon strip? Use the skills of an artistic employee!
• Don’t make it too content heavy – break up copy with relevant pictures.

Don’t just rely on Social Media!

Facebook, Twitter and other SM platforms are all wonderful for sending out quick messages to customers and staff alike, and even better for engaging people into having a conversation, or for providing feedback on products or services. But when you have something really important to tell them, good old fashioned email or post works best. Refer to them in your SM communications though – a status telling customers and staff to check their inbox or mail for some exciting information that could benefit them will never go amiss!

Communication is particularly crucial when you’re about to launch a new product or service. Of course, product launches would be a part of your overall marketing strategy. But then, communication should be part of your ongoing marketing strategy anyway. Isn’t it?

Include ‘Communication’ in your Ongoing Marketing Strategy

If it isn’t there, it should be. There are many ways to communicate with staff and customers, but time needs to be dedicated to it. If you don’t have time, you may need to outsource to someone like me.

Let’s communicate! Let’s see how I can help improve your organisation’s communications. And by doing that, you’ll have a workforce with a higher moral. Which in turn means your productivity and profits should improve, too!

It’s a Win-Win situation!

 

Which do you prefer – working in an office or working from home?

Courtesy of Ambro of http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

I love being my own boss. I really do. But there are times when I have a little pang for those days of gainful employment. Not often, but just occasionally.

This morning my other half and I were chatting about work when he asked me what I missed about working with other people. My instant reply was: “The camaraderie and companionship of having colleagues around; and office gossip, especially when it gets a bit juicy! But that’s it. Nothing else really…”

Then I realised that actually, there are quite a lot of things I miss. Not enough to go back to an employed position, you understand! I love my copywriting too much and enjoy meeting new clients as well as catching up with old. So I decided to make a list of exactly what it is I miss about being employed and working in an office with others. And then compare it to my list of what I love about being self employed and working from home. Here goes…

The benefits of being employed

1. A regular income!
2. Having colleagues to banter with.
3. Enjoying office gossip – the juicier, the better!
4. In the rare instances of things going wrong, having a team of people to help put things right. And fast.
5. Taking it in turns to make the tea and coffee. Although there’s always that person who does it more often than others, and you suspect (unfairly?) that they’re shirking their duties. Then there are those who never offer! I’ll bet you can name those culprits in your office, can’t you?!
6. Not having to wash up because the cleaners do it.
7. Having access to a fully stocked stationery cupboard. And yes, I mean for the stationery. Not the confined, dark space! Honestly, your minds! 😉
8. The company pension plan that your employers also pay into for you.
9. Those Book People and other similar organisations who come round selling things. Both helps with the Christmas pressie list and offers the chance of a work break!
10. The occasional appearance of a guy who’d offer to clean your car. And I mean to wash my car, of course, not for his appearance. Although, now that you mention it…

The benefits of being self-employed

1. No daily commute, thus both saving money and the planet (I’m thoughtful like that 😉 ).
2. No dress code and being able to work in your pj’s if you so desire. Although I rarely do! Just doesn’t feel right.
3. Very flexible working hours, to suit oneself. And one’s clients, of course!
4. The use of whatever software products and stationery items you want – no restrictions!
5. Being able to use social media sites BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO!! They’re an important part of your marketing plan! Yay. (Previous employed positions had them all blocked. Boo.)
6. One’s own choice of tea, coffee etc. I’m a bit particular when it comes to hot beverages 🙂
7. For lunch I can cook myself scrambled egg on toast if I want to, or make a bacon sarnie. Or even home-made soup, as today! No more rushing around making a packed lunch in the early hours, or making sure I’ve got cash for the uninspiring choice from the sandwich van.
8. Not having to wash up because the dishwasher does it 🙂 Can you tell I don’t like washing up?
9. One doesn’t have to answer to anybody (except one’s clients and oneself, of course!).
10. If one’s clients are a fair distance away, you can enjoy Skype meetings! Although to be fair, most organisations do this now. Just not the ones I used to work for!
11. R’s contribution to this list: You can play computer games when you’re a bit bored (I don’t … much!)
12. When you’re still working in the evenings, you can enjoy a glass of wine or something to help the creative juices flow (not allowed in the organisations I worked for!).
13. If you have children or other dependents, you can still work even when they’re ill (unless the illness makes it impossible. In which case just focus on them – family should always come first).
14. I can listen to whatever I want on the radio or other music medium with no-one to complain! Even Radio 4!! Just love Desert Island Discs on a Friday morning. Unless R is home. He calls my jazz ‘lift music’ *sigh*

I’m sure if I tried to think of more good reasons for being self-employed, I could! But I think that’s a damn good start.

Tell me what you like about either working from home, or working in an office? I’d love to hear!