It’s that season. It’s the holidays and all the wonderfulness and anxiety that implies (and creates). It’s the end-of-the year, with not enough time or energy to get everything done that needs to be done – or at least that you think needs to be done – at work and at home. And we have the world in crisis around us, in many ways, and the presidential race and all that entails. (Don’t worry, we won’t get political here.)
It’s that season of stress.
And as Deepak Chopra shares “being told to reduce the stress in our lives is largely falling on deaf ears.” We think we can’t do anything about it. No, we know we can’t do anything about it.
But we can.
And we must, because not only is our stress slowly killing us (or at least harming us, or at least putting us in a really, really bad mood), our stress is trickling down – and in some cases crashing down – on those around us. Our partners at home and at work. Our teammates. Our direct reports. Our kids.
To keep it short and simple – especially in this time of too much to do and not enough time to do it – I will list below a few of the fifteen positive behaviors that Deepak shares in his post. These truly can lessen our stress, and I strongly, so strongly, recommend that you take a few minutes to click on this link and see the others, because these behaviors are vital and can make a difference. Think of how different our lives would be if we routinely, consistently, practiced at least some of them. How different our work might be. And our world. And, (here is the only political part) how different it might be if our candidates practiced and modeled them.
- Asking others how they feel and listening to the answer (I especially like the second part of this behavior )
- Always showing respect for everyone. Never belittling or scapegoating.
- Being open to new ideas, no matter where they come from.
- Accepting from as many people as possible.
Make the commitment to your leadership, your self, your team, and your loved ones to try on some of these behaviors.
And have a great holiday season!
What do you do to lessen the stress you feel – and cause?
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If you enjoyed this post, you can read more like it in our book, The Power of Thoughtful Leadership: 101 Minutes To Being the Leader You Want To Be, available on Amazon.
For support in causing less stress, contact Lisa at lkohn@chatsworthconsulting.com.
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