Anything can happen at work: rush jobs, conflicts and misunderstandings happen, colleagues distract with conversations, the boss comes out of a good mood. The situation is heating up, tension is growing, there is nothing good in this. Stress spreads like an infection, but it can be resisted.
Many have to work in an office where stress is felt on the skin. We feel it as soon as we enter the door. Movements become uncertain, everything shrinks inside, as if we were in a movie about zombies and we try not to breathe so as not to get infected and not turn into the same monsters. Poisoned air is still absorbed into the pores, depriving you of strength for the whole day.
Stress is like an infection, we pick up someone else’s tension due to the innate habit of mirroring emotions. When we enter an office where everyone is on edge, the natural inclination and primal desire to belong to a group triggers a series of psychological reactions. But you can develop resistance to the virus.
Take back control of the situation
“Of course, there is an energy in the workspace,” says Alexandra Liis, co-founder of the Wu Wei Wisdom Center for Complementary Medicine. “But whether or not to mirror the general mood is up to you. Sometimes we lose sight of this because we forget that we create emotions ourselves. Control over the inner world is in our hands, even if there is chaos around.
By resisting the stress infection, you can become an antidote to others. Positive psychology expert Andy Cope cites a study that showed that when at least one person in a group of five remains in a good mood, the overall dynamics change for the better. Simple actions are enough: keep your head up, exchange glances with colleagues, smile and say hello.
When emotions run high, turn on humor and imagination
“It has become prestigious to look busy, so whoever dares to feel good can be considered a hero,” says the expert. For himself, he has chosen special coping strategies: he stays mindful and at the beginning of each day he reminds himself of something that is often taken for granted, but very valuable: family, tap water.
Sarah Rudder, a learning and development consultant at Thales, suggests focusing on what you can change and letting go of what you can’t. Unusual solution: when emotions are running high, turn on humor and imagination, use good metaphors and images.
Defense strategies
Jessica Newman, a lawyer at a private firm, shared a spacesuit defense strategy: she imagines herself as an astronaut wearing an airtight suit that protects from external influences. The negative bounces off her without causing harm. She admits that pretending to be an astronaut during an important meeting is fun, it becomes lighter in her soul.
Tam Johnston, Project Manager at Fresh Insight Coaching, offers a technique rescuers use to stay calm in critical situations. Imagine employees behind durable glass. You see them, hear them and respond to remarks, but gossip and slander do not hurt you.
Sarah Rudder came up with the “be like a dog” approach. When stress looms, she is inspired by the example of a dog: to be here and now, without worrying about the past or the future: “When I walk with her, I constantly think about what I didn’t do, what I should do, what I could do, and the dog just enjoys the walk. She reminds that constantly replaying failures in your head is bad for your nerves, you have to let go of everything. In addition, in order not to overcome stress, it is important to set boundaries. Do not check work email from home. If someone likes to send letters in the evening, this does not mean that they should be answered.
Prevent bursts of stress throughout the work day. Go for a walk or chat with a colleague on an abstract topic to give your brain a break.
Find your “Zen space”
Lizzy Benton, who is in charge of corporate culture at marketing company Datify, puts up physical barriers to stress. She realized how quickly the stress virus spreads in a noisy open-plan office: when someone has a bad day, it easily infects others. In particular, she noted that unpleasant conversations upset the whole team: “We perceive negativity differently: some react neutrally, others start up and get into a skirmish with colleagues, raising the degree of tension.”
She suggested a rule: all disputes and disagreements are transferred to the meeting room, and those who are not in a good mood can take a walk or work elsewhere. Everyone uses laptops, which means they are free to move. At her initiative, there were more opportunities for remote work, the company created a “Zen room” – a special working area for relaxation. Individual conversations with colleagues take place in the pub, not in the office, in an informal atmosphere it is easier to discuss problems.
Simple measures have proved effective in combating the stress epidemic. According to Benton: “This freedom seemed very unusual, because we came from an office environment where no one dreamed of flexible conditions. But everything worked out, we became happier in the working environment.”
Source: psychology.co.uk