We know how most businesses still are not so accustomed to admitting “stress” in the workplace, as if it’s a no-no word in their business.
“We are a very fun, friendly, and happy environment.” – but then the numbers of resignations due to stress say otherwise.
WHY STRESS IS SUCH A NO-NO WORD?
Because for some reason… People find it scary.
But as a professional Stress Strategist and Doctor, let me tell you otherwise.
Stress is not scary… It’s just our basic biology – and we all live with this normally.
STRESS IS NOT A MENTAL ILLNESS
Stress is also not a mental illness. It is a normal part of life. But when it is ignored… That’s when it could turn into a mental illness. And I tell you, it’s too costly to ignore.
UNMANAGED STRESS LEADS TO… BURNOUT.
I have personally never been “fully” burnt out. As a human, I can say that yes, I’ve been very close to it one time – and that was when I didn’t know any better.
But instead of taking that step right into the stress wall…
I TOOK A STEP BACK. Yes, a step backward.
HOW STEPPING BACK CAN HELP
When you take a step back, you’ll have a better chance of seeing the bigger picture. Sometimes, when we’re in too deep… We fail to see the bigger picture.
Hence, taking a step backward – to really figure it out. Remove all biased opinions clouded by mostly emotions… Take a step back and just ask yourself these questions:
“What am I looking at? What is going on here? What’s going on in my life and what led me here? Is this a good path?”
When you evaluate and approach things rationally instead of being eaten by emotions… You begin to see some light until you achieve clarity.
THAT’S WHAT I DID. I knew I wasn’t going crazy or anything of that stuff – but that I was just overloaded and had to figure out a way to do things differently.
SO I TOOK A COURSE IN STRESS MANAGEMENT.
Taking that course in stress management is the best thing I’ve ever done. Because really, that was what made me close to burnout, so I had to address that. And that way, I prevented burning myself out.
You know how they say you tackle the root instead of the fruit? That’s how it should be – always. Almost the same way as “Prevention is always better than cure”.
THE MAJORITY OF MY PATIENTS WERE STRESSED.
When I was still working at healthcare full-time, the majority of the patients I’ve seen were having stress-related illnesses.
They were all stressed, close to burnout, or some already burnt out… and they were mostly ambitious leaders.
AND THEY WERE ALL DOING THEIR BEST… TO HIDE THE FACT THAT THEY ARE STRESSED.
Could you imagine that? I am a Doctor, and they’d do their best to hide that they’re too stressed, until we really came down to it and they had no choice but to open that up.
And when you ask them why they didn’t begin with that in the first place?
Because it sounds weak, or crazy, and they are scared that they are mentally ill… To I would immediately clarify to them, how stress is a normal thing – not a mental illness, and not scary, and not weak – so there’s nothing to fear about it.
Studies also conclude that 40% can say that they likely will quit within the next 12 months, due to work-related stress – but they never say it out loud in the community. They say it in these tests.
ISN’T IT ANNOYING?
It’s annoying how the majority of workplaces paint stress as “not normal” – making people repress their emotions and eventually leading to unmanaged stress that then leads to burnout – and poof – they’re just gone – sudden resignations.
HOW CAN LEADERS DEAL WITH THIS WORKPLACE STRESS?
To really establish a healthy workplace… Openness and transparency must be present, and be one of the core values they stand for.
But how?
BY BEING THE LIVING MODELS.
Leaders are leaders for a reason. They’re looked up to, and the saying “monkey see monkey do” applies to leaders and people in the workplace too.
So as leaders, we must be the ones to start SHOWING IT.
We can be stressed too, but it’s not scary and normal, and it can be handled properly if we wanted to.
Lead by example. Show your people that you are just human and can be stressed too. When you start showing that, your people will follow – they won’t be scared to let people know when they’re stressed too.
And when people know and you know, you’ll be able to plan for actions that would help them feel better. You help them destress, they give you better work output and they don’t end up resigning. Win-win, right?
“BUT AS A LEADER, I MUST NOT SHOW MY VULNERABLE SIDE”
That is not a fear of people following what you show, but more a fear of people stabbing you in the back – and using your vulnerability against you.
That shows a lack of trust – to your people. Do you not trust them?
When you show them you can open your stress up, but can manage it and even function properly because you could get it off your chest – they’d follow.
If you repress it to pretend like a “lion” where you show no vulnerability, you encourage them to repress too.
But will that be healthy in the long run?
BEING TRANSPARENT MAKES YOU MORE CONNECTED.
You are also human. When you are transparent, and when they see that you too – are imperfect but always striving to do your best – your people will feel more connected to you.
And when you have that in your workplace – you will have a healthy environment of connected people, and not busy working robots.
TIPS FOR LEADING BY EXAMPLE
Open up, show that you’re only human and you have weaknesses (you can be as vague as you want with your problems, but you gotta show them and make them see that you are just human too), but then show them you always come back strong and do better at work after opening up.
Take breaks and encourage taking breaks, whether those are 5 to 15-minute quick breaks or longer ones.
Talk, laugh, be silly – but know how to separate fun from work.
Always show that stress is normal – not a mental illness, nothing to be scared of, and when handled and managed properly, isn’t really scary at all.
On top of being a speaker, mentor, and stress strategist, I am a Medical Doctor who works in healthcare every now and then. And that includes having a very extraordinary day at work which reminded me that stress indeed, is a lifelong story.
HOW IS STRESS A LIFELONG STORY?
BECAUSE HEY, LIFE HAPPENS…
So I was in primary care in a small station that is almost in the middle of nowhere – with 2 doctors in an ordinary day – and one of them was on vacation so I got called in.
I’m familiar with the place as I’ve been there already many times before.
So I thought, yeah, no problem.
BUT THEN UNEXPECTED THINGS HAPPEN.
Yes, oh how we hate them – when a few unexpected things come out of the ordinary – it just triggers our stressors to rise. Right?
For me, it was that day that I needed to be the replacement doctor for the one on vacation. Because out of all days, systems could mess up the work, it chose that day.
“We cannot get into the computers”.
I WAS WORRIED.
I felt some stress coming. How could I not? We were totally dependent on computers! Patient records, prescriptions, ordering of tests…
That’s basically how we operate.
STRESS CAME IN, HIGH.
Stress came in very quickly because patients also started coming in. Patients who booked but you don’t have their names, records, or anything.
Imagine the stress, delay, and everything. What do we do?
THANKFULLY, ONE WORKED.
We saw one who got into her computer. It was lagging, and couldn’t do prints at all – nothing extra, but at least we could read?!
So we took photos. Copies for us to use as a list of who was booked at what time, but that’s it – no records, only the booked names.
STILL ANOTHER PROBLEM, BUT ONE STEP AT A TIME
Still stressful because we only have the names, but still don’t have anything other than that.
The patients had no clue. They came in and needed help, but we don’t have their history at hand.
WE JUST CAME UP FRONT AND WERE HONEST ABOUT IT.
“So our main system’s not working at the moment so we do not have access to your history. Do you remember what you’ve done before or the medications you’ve been given, or are still taking at the moment?”
WE WROTE EVERYTHING DOWN.
We just had to scribble down everything because we couldn’t record them where we usually do – and it was all integrated in the system we use for main records but then we gotta do what we do and work on what we only had.
IT’S A BIG ISSUE
Apparently, we weren’t the only healthcare who experienced it. It was everywhere in that area, and entirely out of the tiny healthcare’s control.
All we could do was wait for the bigger ones to fix the systems we all use.
THERE WERE EMERGENCIES
I had a full schedule of patients and 2 that came as emergencies. I had to handwrite the
preferred referral paper, which was supposed to be just sent in the integrated system we all had.
ONE OF THE MOST STRESSFUL HEALTHCARE EXPERIENCE
Admittedly, this was one of the more stressful days I had in health care in many years.
No kidding, we get a handful of patients every day, and the system makes everything easier, faster, and smoother – basically a more efficient workflow for the Doctors and the patients.
But with that unexpected system-wide breakdown, we all had to keep up with the many things we needed to do and patients just kept on coming in like usual, but because of the unexpected hiccup, we all were much slower than usual.
So the patients were piling up and all.
It was really really stressful, as there were some prescriptions we really needed to give but couldn’t because some patients couldn’t remember their history, and we don’t have access to the record.
So they have to come back, but who knows when the issue’s gonna get fixed? The patients needed help.
WE WERE ON THE EDGE.
We were all on the edge all the time, and it was barely lunch break but I felt as if my brain almost stopped working – and I still had the whole day to survive.
BUT THE COMMUNITY HELPED.
We all came to lunch, sat down, and looked at each other, knowing it was all absolutely crazy, but we all ended up just sitting there – LAUGHING.
And it was such a relief.
LAUGHTER, INDEED IS THE BEST MEDICINE.
Sounds cliche, but always works especially on days that you really couldn’t do anything about, and would just waste energy for something out of your hands.
It helps when a community is with you – easier to get reminded.
WE JUST HAVE TO WORK ON WHAT WE HAVE.
In the end, since it was totally out of our control, we went on with our days waiting for the system to get fixed, and while at it just worked on what we had.
RELAX, RESET, RECHARGE
After a long stressful, tiring day…
I would still like to remind you not to forget to squeeze in even a little time for relaxation – so you could reset and be recharged to face another day.
Whether that’s listening to your favorite music, singing, pampering, or just doing nothing – find the time to relax.
Or if reading helps you calm down, might as well read an e-book that teaches you strategies for calm as well
As one of my favorite things to say… “Stress is NOT all your to-do list.”
And I’ve been asked a couple of times what I meant by that, so let me share it with you.
TOO MANY THINGS TO DO
I often hear my leadership clients complain about having too many things to do, or how they have too much on their to-do list, and I understand.
Oftentimes, when they show me their lists, they scream “OVERWHELMING” – because indeed they are!
Not only do I hear my clients complain about the number of tasks they have to accomplish, but also how DIFFICULT they are to be done. Sometimes, they just don’t know how to solve them. But MOST OF THE TIME, they just FORGET to plan.
ACTING WITHOUT A PLAN IS CONFUSING
You see, they just try to start on solving things without thinking of a plan, a backup plan, or a backup plan to a backup plan first!
And when you act without following a structured plan, most of the time – YOU DO NOT KNOW WHERE YOU’RE HEADING. Then without clear direction, everything seems a blur.
You’d just keep on running in circles accomplishing nothing EXCEPT OVERWHELM.
Yup, you get it….
When your to-do list is OVERWHELMING, you GET STRESSED. So my saying goes…
“Stress is not all the things on your to-do list.”
Because it definitely isn’t, and your to-do list MUST not do that to you. If it does, it’s either…
It isn’t as organized as it can be, YET… OR You’re trying to fit too much in that single list when they can be divided.
And these are all situations WHEN OUR stress SYSTEM KICKS in.
Our stress system starts NOT when we have too much to do BUT when WE TRY to fit them all and do them all at once – because that’s just TOO MUCH for us and our system to handle.
We start pumping around adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol – making us ready for fight or flight.
So I suggest…
DIVIDE THE TASKS.
You can either divide the tasks by categories, by priority level, from easiest to hardest… or from boring to fun ones.
It’s all up to you – find out what works because to each his own! What’s important is that THEY ARE JUST ENOUGH, NEVER TOO MUCH.
DON’T DO MORE THAN WHAT YOU CAN RECOVER FROM
Don’t stress yourself thin. Make sure you only do today what you can recover from tomorrow, or else you’d end up drained the next day – and end up unproductive.
I got to think about this as a subject for my show today because last week I worked 2 days in a healthcare center new to me.
Whereas, I wasn’t able to familiarize myself with the location, systems, and the organization itself prior to the work day – so imagine the stress that brought, right? Hence, the importance of having plans, backups, and back up to backups ready all the time.
The next day, I was booked back-to-back. You know what happened next, drained and tired the day after – I even almost got sick as my body’s way of telling me to rest. A great way to get reminded of doing ONLY ENOUGH, right?
OUR RESPONSE, NOT THE TO-DO-LIST
So, clearly… the reason why the to-do list does not define stress, is because they are just to-do lists, and ONLY when they become TOO MUCH to handle our bodies react and as a RESPONSE, stress arises.
Remember our basic instincts as humans?
FLIGHT, FIGHT, FREEZE
When faced with a threat, our bodies’ responses are either of these 3: Fight, flight, or freeze. And it was more clear and more visible when it was ACTUALLY or literally what it meant.
But since the world is evolving, these basic instincts are almost forgotten as the BASIC PRINCIPLES, but now just applied to the corporate world – wherein if we’re given too much or if we have too many things on our plate…
WE CANNOT JUST FIGHT OUR BOSS, RUN FROM WORK, OR NOT DO THE WORK.
Hence, the feeling that we lack coping mechanisms.
But they’re still the same principles, APPLIED DIFFERENTLY.
WHEN TACKLING WORKPLACE STRESS…
My best bets or tips are: Breathe, take a break, move your body, and think of something positive.
After all…
Stress-related brain dysfunction iS a PART of NORMAL BIOLOGY.
Find out more about stress and stress management in my free guide.
Imagine being at the peak of your career… and then you got pregnant, or you realize it’s the time you want to get pregnant and have a baby.
How would you feel?
PREGNANCY STIGMA IN THE WORKPLACE
Although not admitted, we all know the quiet stigma of pregnancy in the workplace. Pregnancy will cause work delays, there are expected “unexpected” (you get it) leaves, and then the maternity leave causes more delay…
Hence, the avoidance of hiring pregnant women, unless really necessary.
But what about those at the peak of their career?
SOMETIMES, IT FEELS LIKE THEIR WORLD SUDDENLY STOPS.
A little backstory here by the way. The reason this came to my mind right now is that I got my second grandchild recently – a healthy little boy — and the pregnancy journey of my daughter has evoked a lot of memories, or flashbacks, from my own birth-giving time and the stress plus anxiety during those years.
We have different stories, BUT THE BASICS ARE ALMOST THE SAME.
We at some point ask ourselves the same question… or the first question when planning motherhood – is it ever a specific RIGHT TIME?
No!
You will never know how long it will take to become pregnant.
Sometimes, you just need one intimate moment and sometimes people try for years. So it is very hard to plan A SPECIFIC TIME.
Then come to our careers.
IS THERE EVEN A PERFECT TIME?
No!
And since you can’t plan the time to become pregnant it is impossible to plan a time in your career too. Which leaves it to…
“Just start trying to get pregnant when you start thinking of it – and when it happens – adjust your life to what’s possible then.”
I GAVE BIRTH TO 4 GIRLS — WITHIN 6 YEARS.
I myself have given birth to 4 girls – all within 6 years.
As you might know, if you have looked at my website or heard any of my TEDx talks, our first daughter died at only 10 weeks old, as she had a severe genetic illness…
During my pregnancy with her, I was at the far end of my medical school time and it was tough to study but I was not really stressed.
Next pregnancy, yes all 3 next ones were very stressed – we had a 25 % risk of the baby having the same disorder as the first one – and that was a very stressful experience. But somehow, I kept saying – it is a 75% chance it is okay – and that kept me going, working my first years as a doctor.
These are my experiences – and I guess you have stories to share too.
WORKING PREGNANT CAN BE A BIT OF A STRETCH… IN ANY JOB.
In Sweden, it is probably okay in most jobs, even though some probably still think women shall stay home.
We have rules too. For example, working on call in health care, you don’t have to take nights in the last 3 months.
I have met patients as well who have had a hard time also working in a store – it is heavier when you are pregnant and if your surroundings don’t support you – it can be tough.
Not to mention what I’ve just talked about – the office stigma, like being pregnant while working in the office is too sloppy.
WE MAY NOT HAVE THE SOLUTION TO THIS, BUT…
I can cheer you on! Without new children to the world, we shrink as a species…
It is, as in so many other cases, affecting half the population.
MEDICALLY SPEAKING…
You can work during the pregnancy – not lift heavy, or do something out of the ordinary things your body’s used to. And of course, still all with extra care.
And given that there are all these pregnancy stigmas, worries and fears, and the feeling of getting “limited”…
Always remember:
YES, CAREER AND PREGNANCY CAN GO TOGETHER PERFECTLY.
As long as you take proper care of yourself by NOT STRESSING too much, keeping the balance in between – eating right, sleeping right, and resting right…
You can still thrive in the workplace. And as to the stigmas… best to shrug them off and do your thing.
I’m sure you’ve already heard somewhere about the UNDP, or the United Nations Development Program and their global goals for a better world.
Amazing drive, passion, and purpose. Right?
“We start together. We finish together. No one left behind.” – Anonymous
THE UNDP
UNDP works in about 170 countries and territories, helping to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities and exclusion, and build resilience so countries can sustain progress. They play a critical role in helping countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
UNDP’s 17 Global Goals
UNDP has 17 global goals to be exact. They are:
No Poverty
No Hunger
Global Health & Well-being
Quality Education
Gender Equality
Clean Water & Sanitation
Affordable and Clean Energy
Decent Work and Economic Growth
Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructures
Reduced Inequalities
Sustainable Cities & Communities
Responsible Consumption and Production
Climate Action
Life Below Water
Life on Land
Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
Partnerships for Goals
BIG GOALS, BIG NUMBERS, BIG ACTIONS
Based on their 17 global goals, it cannot be achieved by a single person and requires participation and cooperation from the majority. Big goals require big numbers and big actions.
In order to achieve its mandate, the UNDP relies entirely on voluntary contributions from the Member States including multilateral organizations, private sectors, and other sources as well in the form of unrestricted regular resources as the core.
REACH THE GOALS BY 2030
The UNDP plans to reach these goals by 2030, and that is their plan of action for us people, the planet, and prosperity.
And it is no secret that these goals are big and very challenging. Just eradicating poverty alone is already one of the greatest global challenges, yet an indispensable requirement for sustainable development.
REQUIRES HELP FROM EVERYBODY
Eradicating poverty is such a huge plan it needs everybody’s commitment, cooperation, and patience before we can achieve progress — and despite all those efforts, it just still wouldn’t be enough.
THE GOALS ARE OVERWHELMING, But SMALL ACTIONS CONTRIBUTE TO BIGGER GOALS
The goals are admittedly overwhelming, and might even sound unrealistic for some, or the majority of us.
Yet that doesn’t mean we cannot do anything about it — as even tiny acts lead to tiny changes, that eventually get big!
Honestly, I’ve been aware of these goals for a long already and I’ve seen the brochures and all, but didn’t really understand how these things affect me or involve me.
And the reason I never understood that before, is because I see that the goals are very big: “0 poverty, 0 hunger”, so I was like…
“How could I even help with those things? I’m just a regular person from Sweden who cannot do anything to eradicate world poverty and hunger since those goals are too big for me.”
And that made me skeptical.
BUT THEY’RE WORTH THE TRY.
I joined the course today to knowing more and find ways to implement things that help achieve these goals, because even if I thought I couldn’t do anything — the goals are worth a try.
Now that I am learning different ways to help achieve these big goals, I also figured out ways how I can use my business to help. It’s just a matter of trying and finding what works.
I CANNOT FEED THE WORLD
No, I cannot feed the world but that doesn’t mean I cannot take tiny steps contributing to bigger actions.
BUT HAVING A BUSINESS HELPS
If you are a business owner, it is great to use your business as a way to contribute to these big goals.
A SECRET?
A sustainable business lasts longer.
Let me share with you the areas in my business that I can use, and feel free to draw ideas from them on how you can use your business too!
Good Health & Well-being: I work as a Doctor, and my business is focusing on stress management, helping people be healthy BOTH physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Quality Education: Education doesn’t end in school, as education is a lifelong process and regardless of our age, we still learn in our everyday lives. In my business, what I teach people is priceless. It’s how you can take care of yourself and others — and judging from recent statistics on mental health, this sounds easier than it actually is.
Decent Work, Economic Growth: My business is stress management. My target is business leaders and anybody in a leadership position because I’ve always believed in the power of outstanding leadership. With great leaders, come great workers, and so does a great place to work in — with a healthy work environment.
Responsible Consumption & Production: I care for my resources, both in my business and private life. I also find businesses that care for our planet’s resources, so I buy trees from Kenya in the business called Better Globe — as buying a tree means having a tree planted, which also provides jobs and education to the people there.
Climate change: As I have mentioned, I buy trees in Kenya monthly, which is very important for their area as it is semi-deserted. The trees grow profit over time, but they aren’t massive since they are trees, so it was really more of being able to do something good and reap the rewards that come with it. A win-win for everybody, plus the planet we live in.
LOOK AT THE BIGGER PICTURE
I was so glad after realizing that I am also able to contribute to achieving a few of the 17 Global Goals, and though I wasn’t sold at first that I cannot do anything about it, I’ve actually been contributing for a long already — in my own little ways!
So don’t fret when you think you can’t do anything about something, and just look at the bigger picture because like me…
You might not know but maybe the answers are already in front of you.
And with all these, I came up with my personal slogan for my business…
“Dr. Annika: Making the Business World Stay Calm and Sustainable, One Boss At a Time”
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
