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.
The burning question is…
ARE YOU READY TO OPEN YOUR HEART AS A LEADER?
Rooting for you
