Stress Management for Boomers, Gen Xers, and Millennials

Stress Management for Boomers,
Gen Xers, and Millennials
Engr. Dr. Sajid Iqbal
CICOPS Fellow, Fellow IEP, Fellow IEEEP, Senior Member IEEE, Member STC
TRIZ (Level 2 Practitioner, Level 1 Instructor)
msi932@yahoo.com

Understand Stress
• The first step in managing your stress?
• Becoming familiar with what causes it.

Understand Stress: Stress—we all feel it
• “I’m so stressed!” Do you say—or think—this often?
• If so, you’re not alone. It can feel like stress is all around us
today.

• Pinging devices, overbooked calendars, and nonstop
deadlines can make you feel distracted and overburdened.
• Big-picture concerns about your organization, your
community, or global crises can leave you feeling anxious or
powerless.

• Stress is a natural part of life. You can’t avoid it entirely—nor
should you. It’s all about striking a balance.
• Properly managed, stress can be an energizing force that
nudges you to
• try new things,
• tackle problems, and
• grow your capabilities.

• How often does stress interfere with your personal or
professional life?
 Often
 Sometimes
 Rarely
 Never
Use polly

Understand Stress: Take a moment
• What’s yours default view of our stress? What would you
like it to be?
Due to privacy considerations, please record your answers separately.

Understand Stress: What stress is—and isn’t
• We know that we naturally feel stress, and its cousins pressure
and anxiety, throughout our lives. But what exactly are they?
 Pressure: Concern or urgency that can make you more alert, motivated,
and driven to seek solutions. When pressure increases to an
unmanageable level, it becomes stress.
 Stress: Mental or emotional strain in response to particularly
demanding circumstances, usually due to external causes.
 Anxiety: A specific reaction to stress that originates internally and is
typically characterized by feelings of apprehension or dread.

• When you realize you’re being motivated by a degree of
pressure, you gain confidence in your ability to handle the
situation–even when your capacity is being stretched.
• And having the ability to identify when stress or anxiety are
taking hold of you is key to gaining control over them.

• When stress becomes unmanageable.
• Sometimes stress and anxiety can feel overwhelming and
impossible to manage on your own. You’ll need help.
• Know that you’re not alone.

• Anxiety disorders affect 260 million people worldwide and
are increasingly common in young people.
• Depression, which is often linked with anxiety, affects more
than 300 million people worldwide.
• Early treatment has been shown to be particularly effective
in alleviating and eliminating symptoms of both conditions.

Understand Stress: The tools you need to manage stress
• Our bodies and minds are built to respond to stressors with
bursts of focus and exertion.
• But feeling chronically stretched beyond your capacity will
undermine your performance, health, and happiness.
• Left unchecked, such stress can reduce productivity, impair
judgement, and even damage relationships in and out of the
office.

• Big question: so how can you manage stress?
Understand what stresses you out—and why: Get in touch with
how and why stress is affecting you and those around you.
Be prepared to manage stress in the moment: When stress
strikes, practice strategies to calm down and reframe the situation.

Develop resilience to stress: Learn how to bounce back from
adversity.
Practice well-being: Use mindfulness techniques and practice
healthy habits to foster well-being.
• As you make smart choices about how to handle stress—and
where to invest your energy and attention—you’ll become
happier and healthier.
• You’ll begin to thrive, even amid life’s inevitable challenges and
setbacks.

Understand Stress: Make stress work for you
• It’s rewarding to stretch yourself at work—in fact, it’s necessary
for personal and professional growth.
• With your stress under control, you can navigate, and even invite,
challenges into your routine.
• With the right amount of pressure, you can:
 Take creative risks
 Learn new skills
 Solve difficult problems
 Deal with a crisis
 Take on a new role

Understand Stress: Make stress work for you
• Navigating challenges like these builds confidence and resilience.
• Once you’ve handled a difficult situation, you’ll feel more
prepared for the next one.
• You can even share your knowledge by coaching team members
through similar challenges.
• Keep in mind that for workplace pressure to remain positive and
not become an unhealthy stressor, it should feel like a sprint
toward a goal, not a marathon you can’t escape.

Understand Stress: Take a moment
• Think about how you manage stress in your life. How could
you benefit from improving on your current practices?
Due to privacy considerations, please record your answers separately

2-What Stresses You Out—
and Why?

What Stresses You Out—and Why?
• Unhealthy stress can hijack your brain and spread
throughout an entire team.
• Learn how to identify when this is happening and take back
control.

What Stresses You Out-and Why?: Recognize the warning signs
• You’re running late for a meeting. Your muscles are tense,
and your heart is pounding. You know this feeling all too
well….
• Stress is building!

• Unhealthy stress can hit like a fast-moving storm.
• Suddenly, the skies are threatening, but you haven’t yet
grasped why you’re so upset and—you may not even know
how upset you are.
• Seemingly without warning, you’re acting in ways you’ll later
come to regret.

• The key is to become aware, as quickly as possible, that
stress is influencing your behavior.
• Physical changes, like an increased heart rate, are often your
earliest warning signs.

• Think about a recent time when you felt stress. Do you
remember any of these signals?
 Racing heart
 Shallow breathing
 Flushed face
 Muscle tension
 Sweaty palms
 Stomach discomfort

• While episodes of concentrated stress are often short-lived,
they can cause a lot of collateral damage.
• Think of the ripple effects created by emails you’ve drafted in
a panicked state or stress-fueled outbursts to coworkers,
friends, or family.
THE GOOD NEWS: these reactions to stress are not only
natural, but manageable.

• Have you ever felt hijacked by stress? If stress hadn’t
influenced that moment, how might it have played out
differently?
What Stresses You Out-and Why?: Take a moment

• The next time you find yourself in a tense situation, practice
monitoring how your body responds.
• Try it
 when you’re stuck in traffic,
 in an important meeting, or
 working on a difficult assignment.
• For example you may notice:
 My heart is beating faster
 My hands are sweaty
 My shoulders feel tight

• As you reflect on these sensations, you may notice that
simply observing them provides a bit of relief.
• Soon, you’ll begin to calm down, and your heart will settle
into smoother rhythms.
• You may even find yourself feeling happier and more secure.
The more you practice this technique, the easier it will be to
catch yourself before stress knocks you off course.

• Stress also affects your mood and behavior, but the impact
isn’t always obvious.
• Symptoms—such as anger, distraction, forgetfulness, or
loneliness—can creep up slowly over time.
• And stress affects us all in different ways.
What Stresses You Out-and Why?: Tune into your mood

• To tune into your mood and determine how stress may be affecting
your emotions, think about these common indicators:
Loss of focus:
 Are you having trouble concentrating?
 Are you worrying too much about things you can’t control?
Mood swings:
 Has your mood changed recently?
 Are you irritable or anxious?
 Are you struggling to be optimistic?

Shift in energy:
 Do you feel tired or run down? Jittery?
 Have your energy levels been fluctuating?
Physical symptoms:
 Do you suddenly have heartburn? A headache?
 Does your body hurt?
Coping strategies:
 Are you dependent on any coping strategies?
 Do you reach for junk food?
 Constantly distract yourself with social media or games?

• It can be easy to get caught off guard by surges of frustration
or anxiety if you aren’t aware you’re feeling stressed.
• When you know how you typically respond to stress, you can
look out for those signals—and work toward changing the
way you respond to challenging circumstances.

• What situations tend to trigger stress for you? How does
stress affect your mood or behavior?
Due to privacy considerations, please record your answers separately .
What Stresses You Out-and Why?: Make a connection

• People assume there’s a direct relationship between
workload and workplace stress, that is, as your workload
increases, so does your stress.
• But that’s not necessarily the case. While having too much to
do can contribute to stress, other factors also play a role.
• Workplace stress tends to stem from three primary causes:
 task, role, and cultural factors.
What Stresses You Out-and Why?: Where does your
stress come from?

• When you understand where your primary stressors come from, you
can work to address the root causes.
1. Task stressors:
• There is a lack of clarity around how to, or why you should, accomplish a
task.
• Limited resources or skills prevent you from succeeding.
2. Role Stressors:
• You feel there’s a poor fit between your role and your interests.
• You lack control over your schedule.
• You require additional support from your manager.
stress come from?

3. Cultural Stressors:
• You feel underappreciated.
• You’re not listened to.
• You suffer harassment.
• You feel discriminated against.
stress come from?

• Personal difficulties can also cause stress that carries over
into the workplace.
• These might include:
 Physical or mental illness
 Relationship strife
 Financial pressures
 Caretaking responsibilities
 Divorce
What Stresses You Out-and Why?: Trouble at home?

• By understanding the root causes of your stress, you can
manage it in the future.
What Stresses You Out-and Why?: Trouble at home?

• Stress isn’t a good feeling to have, or to be around.
“Like a contagion, stress spreads. We
literally catch the stress of others.”
— Kristi Hedges, Senior Leadership Coach
What Stresses You Out-and Why?: Don’t let stress spread

• It’s easy to think about the effects stress has on your own
well-being.
• Yet, we often fail to consider the impact our stress has on
others.
• Feelings of frustration and anxiety can spread quickly
through your team, making it harder for the group to
function well.

• To prevent your stress from having an impact on those around you:
 Share your approach: Just talking about how stressed you are can spread
negative emotions. Instead of blurting out, “I’m so stressed,” share with your
team the steps you’re taking to manage stressors.
 Create distance: During exceptionally busy times, create opportunities to rest
on your own:
Take a walk at lunch.
Read a magazine during coffee break, or
schedule time to explore on a business trip.
 Plan around stress: Stress is a common part of our lives, so plan for it. Think
about what you can do and help those around to be better prepared for
stressful times.

• You should also develop habits to keep other people’s stress
from bringing you down.
• Three tips you can practice to make yourself immune to
secondhand stress.
• Three ways to make yourself immune to stress.
• Adi Ignatius — Editor-in-Chief, Harvard Business Review

• Spot your body’s warning signs before stress gets out of control.
• Tune in to your mood and behavior to become aware of your
stress.
• Take time to name and reflect on your stressors to truly
understand where your stress might be coming from.
• To prevent your stress from affecting to those around you, share
your approach, create distance, and plan around stress.
What Stresses You Out-and Why?: 30-second takeaway

• What actions will you take to become more aware of the
stress you and others feel?
What Stresses You Out-and Why?: Take action

• Have your stress levels suddenly spiked?
• Learn how to calm down and regain control, even in the
most challenging situations.
3-Manage Stress in the Moment

• Some times anger, worry, or frustration are justified. But it’s
difficult to respond effectively when you’re in the grip of these
emotions.
• That’s because stress hormones diminish your ability to think
rationally.
• When you’ve been hijacked by stress, you may say or do things
you regret later.
• So, what can you do about it?
3-Manage Stress in the Moment: Calm your mind

• Regain calm with this 3-step process:
 Pause and breathe
 Reflect and label
 Analyze and decide
Remember—it’s never too late to move into the calm-
down process, even after an outburst.
• The Calm Down Effect
3-Manage Stress in the Moment: Calm your mind

• Think back to the last time you felt overwhelmed by stress.
Did you say or do something you later regretted? What was
it?
3-Manage Stress in the Moment: Make a connection

• When your stress levels spike in the middle of a
conversation, you might not have the luxury of using a
breathing exercise to calm your mind.
• In these situations, consider using certain phrases to give
yourself time clear your head:
 “Hmmm. I need a moment to consider that.”
 “I don’t want to react too hastily. I’ll get back to you.”
 “This is challenging. I’d like to gather other opinions first.”
 “Can we revisit this conversation? I need some time to think.”

• If you’re unable to interrupt, remain silent and use body
language to show you’re taking a “thinking pause.”
• Pausing for even a few seconds can prevent you from acting
in a way you might regret later.

• To deal with uncomfortable feelings, watch your thoughts
and emotions arrive and depart without attachment—like a
train coming in and out of a station.
• Imagine saying, “Hello, anxiety. See you later, fear.”
3-Manage Stress in the Moment: Tip

• After you begin to calm down, it’s time to think objectively
about the situation and how to proceed.
• Here are some additional questions you can ask yourself to
move forward:
 Analyze:
 What do I want to say or do?
 How serious is this situation?
 Decide:
 How can I persuasively convey my concerns and point-of-view to others?

• When you resume the conversation, make sure to:
 Manage your stress response
 Focus on facts
 Listen to the other person’s perspective
 Try to find common ground

• Focusing on your breathing is a great way to calm your
immediate response to stress.
• But sometimes anxiety-inducing thoughts don’t go away.
3-Manage Stress in the Moment: Shift your perception

• When you’re overcome with stress, it’s easy to become
trapped in a faulty perception of reality. Your internal voice
may turn negative, self-critical, fearful, or angry, conveying
messages like:
• I’m not good enough
• They’re going to say no.
• This isn't going to work.
• These irrational thought patterns are known as mind traps.
Left unchallenged, they prevent you from seeing the truth
and contribute to even higher levels of stress and anxiety.

• “Here are some common mind traps to look out for:”
• “Should” statements: “I should have worked harder on that project.”
You feel paralyzed by never living up to your own expectations or
those you believe others have for you.
• All-or-nothing thinking: “If I don’t get this promotion, I’ll never go
anywhere in this role.” You base your decisions on emotional extremes
rather than reality.
• Overgeneralizing: “I’m always behind.” You overlook nuances in the
situation or fail to consider new ideas.

• Catastrophizing: “Our company just went through a merger. I know I’ll
be fired.” You imagine the worst possibility, which only serves to cause
more stress and anxiety in the face of change and uncertainty.
• Personalizing: “They didn’t ask me to join the committee because
leadership doesn’t like me.” You regard a stressful scenario as a
personal, targeted attack. This leads to anxiety and defensive behavior.

• Which traps have you fallen into, now or in the past?
• All-or-nothing thinking
• Catastrophizing
• Overgeneralizing
• Personalizing
• “Should” statements

• Use these three steps to unhook yourself from mind traps:
1. Fact check:
 What evidence do I have for this?
2. Develop alternative hypotheses:
 Are there any other possibilities here?
3. Gain perspective:
 What would a neutral party say about this?

Zeba is getting ready to leave for work. She has an important
meeting with her boss first thing to present the status of her
current project. As she enters the highway, she realizes there’s
a huge traffic jam. Zeba bangs her hands on the steering
wheel, saying, “Look at this traffic. I’m not going to make it in
time for the meeting. Now I’ll probably get fired.”
3-Manage Stress in the Moment: Example

• Which mind trap has Zeba fallen into?
• Catastrophizing
• Personalizing

• Which mind trap has Zeba fallen into?
• Catastrophizing
• You’ve got it! Zeba is catastrophizing by imagining the worst-case
scenario without any evidence for it.
• Personalizing

Zeba challenges her thinking.
• After taking a deep breath and challenging her negative
thoughts, Zeba concludes:
 “This traffic is out of my control.”
 “I’ll call my boss and let her know I’m running late ”
 “Surely she’ll understand and be open to rescheduling our
meeting.”

• As you practice this technique, you’ll develop an inner voice
that sounds like a coach offering sound advice and
encouragement:
• “Give it a try”
• “Okay, what have you learned?”
• “Keep going–you’re making progress.”
• These positive thoughts will help you learn to circumvent
mind traps the next time you’re feeling stressed.

• Another common source of workplace stress is feeling like a
situation is out of your control.
• At work, you’re responsible for a lot: goals, people, customer
relationships, and more.
• You can influence many of these things, but you can’t control
them. The same is also true in your personal life.
3-Manage Stress in the Moment: Let go of what you can’t
control

• The next time you feel overwhelmed, ask yourself:
 How close am I to the root causes in this situation?
 Do I have the skills, information, resources, or relationships I need
to change or influence this situation?
 What factors have blocked change in this area in the past?
• Then, use this information to list what’s within your
influence and what’s outside it.
control

“When something is outside your influence
(or barely within it), simply let it go.”
• Accept that there are some problems you can't solve. Or perhaps
you’ve done all you can and need to let others finish the job.
• You may feel that by worrying or feeling guilty about the
situation, you’re taking some action, but actually the opposite is
true. You’re only stealing energy that’s needed elsewhere.
• You’ll be better off in every way—physically, emotionally, and
mentally—if you can refocus on areas of your work and life
where you can make an impact.
control

• Calm your mind during a stress hijack by taking a pause to
breathe, reflect and label, analyze and decide.
• Take a moment to think things through before reacting to a
stressful situation.
• Recognize, avoid, and address mind traps that lock you into
negative, unhealthy thought patterns.
• Learn to let go of circumstances beyond your control and hand
over responsibility when you can.
3-Manage Stress in the Moment: 30-second takeaway

• Which of these strategies will you try to manage your
response to stress in the moment?
3-Manage Stress in the Moment: Take action

• Build a solid foundation of purpose, connection, and
adaptability, and
• You’ll have reserves of resilience to draw on in stressful
times.
4-Build Resilience to Stress

• No matter how well you prepare, things won’t always go
your way.
 You lose your job.
 Your company merges with a competitor.
 A project doesn’t achieve the outcome you’d hoped for.
• To successfully combat these stressful changes, you need to
develop resilience.
4-Build Resilience to Stress: What is resilience?

“Resilience is the ability to bounce back from stress,
adversity, failure, challenges, or even trauma.”
—Katie Hurley, Psychotherapist
• Although you might think you only need resilience during a
crisis, building and drawing on resilience can help you better
manage inevitable day-to-day challenges as well.

• With resilience, you can:
 Recover from disappointments
 Persevere through uncertainty and difficulty
 Try again, even after failure
 Adapt and learn during times of change
 Manage your thought patterns when stress takes hold

• Recall a challenge you faced at work. How did you handle it?
Do you think you showed resilience?
4-Build Resilience to Stress: Make a connection

• Everyone has it within them to become more resilient.
Resilience is built on the following foundation:
 Have a sense of purpose
 Live your values
 Connect with others
 Adapt to change
• By building and strengthening each of these pillars of
resilience, you’ll be equipped to handle any stressful
setbacks that might come your way.

• Purpose: the why behind everything you do.
• When you feel connected to a greater purpose, your work
has meaning beyond a paycheck.
• Believing in the contribution you’re making helps grow
resilience and put stress in perspective.
4-Build Resilience to Stress: Find a sense of purpose

• Do you operate with a sense of purpose in your current role?
Ask yourself:
 What do I enjoy most about my work? Why do I enjoy it?
 How does my work connect to what I value in life?
 What difference does my work make to others?
4-Build Resilience to Stress: Find a sense of purpose

• In just a sentence or two, try summarizing the sense of
purpose your current role provides.
4-Build Resilience to Stress: Take a moment

• When you don’t feel connected to your purpose, your daily
efforts can feel like pointless drudgery.
• And in that situation, it’s much easier for unhealthy feelings,
like stress, to take hold.

• Here are strategies you can use to reinforce your sense of purpose at work:
 Get creative: Seek opportunities to innovate and build on creative ideas in your projects.
 Solve problems: Learn more about your organization’s goals in an effort to find ways to
solve challenges and support future initiatives.
 Develop others: Ask your manager about opportunities to mentor a co-worker or support
new team members.
 Learn new skills: Look for opportunities to learn anew skill that can provide value to your
team and also sparks your interest.
 Contribute to a cause: Support a workplace volunteer initiative a contribute skills to a
cause you believe in.

• If you’re a manager, use these tips to help your team see the
purpose of their work:
 Build meaning: Explain how your team's work matters to the larger
organization.
 Make a connection: Introduce them to customers and end users,
either in person or virtually.
 Share information: Discuss industry trends, new developments,
and your own perspectives.
4-Build Resilience to Stress: Boost your team’s sense of
purpose too

• Your purpose is often driven by what’s important to you in
life—that is, your values.
• Your values hold true no matter what your role or where you
work.
4-Build Resilience to Stress: Live your values

• Take time to get in touch with your values. Which of the
following would you consider most important to you?
• Respect
• Honesty
• Responsibility
• Service
• Loyalty
• Authenticity

• When you use your values to guide the decisions you make
on the job, you’ll experience fewer dilemmas about day-to-
day choices and build greater resilience.
• When your workplace behavior conflicts with your values,
you’re more likely to get
 burned out,
 depressed, or
 frustrated with your current position.

• Think about your values. What overlap do you see between
what you value and what your company or team values?

• Feel like there’s a mismatch between what you value and
your day-to-day responsibilities?
• Consider meeting with your manager and working together
to ensure what you value is represented in your assignments.

• An overlooked factor that contributes to resilience is social
support.
• Connection with others may even be one of your core values.
• Having positive relationships in the office helps you feel less
stress when you’re in the middle of challenging
circumstances.
4-Build Resilience to Stress: Connect with others

• Strong working relationships are also fundamental to
building successful teams and organizations.
• When you care for those you work with, you’re more likely to
support one another in stressful situations.

• How connected do you feel to your co-workers?
 We’re a well-connected group; I always feel supported
 Some what connected; I sometimes feel isolated
 Mostly disconnected; I don’t have much contact with my co-workers
• If your workplace connections aren’t as strong as you like, take
time to reach out to others.
• Simply stopping by a colleague’s desk to say “good morning” or
texting a quick greeting can open the door for a new connection.

• In times of stress, you might think: “I have a full schedule—
there’s no time to be social.”
• So you skip lunch, bury yourself behind a screen, and forgo
exchanging pleasantries with colleagues.

• But studies suggest you should do the opposite.
When you’re stressed, moments of
human contact can cheer you up and
boost your productivity.

• Everyone can build resilience by nurturing stronger connections. Here
are a few strategies to try:
 Work together in new ways: Find creative ways to collaborate to solve problems
or meet organizational goals.
 Debrief challenges: Have a team debrief session after challenges or stressful
events to share praise and explore potential areas of improvement.
 Share openly: Work with others to report early warning signs of potential
problems or bad news that might affect the group.
 Offer support: Be there for one another and offer compassionate support
during stressful times.

• What could you do to build stronger connections at work?

• With the growing popularity of working remotely you may need
to make more of an effort to build relationships and stay
connected to your team.
• Follow these tips:
 Have cameras on. Join meetings by video whenever possible.
 Engage in small talk. Exchange pleasantries at the beginning of a call.
 Stay focused. Avoid multitasking.
 Notice the details. Jot down any personal details people share and use
them to follow up in an authentic and appropriate way.
 Express appreciation. Thank people warmly and specifically for their
contributions.
4-Build Resilience to Stress: Connecting to others
remotely

• Work and life move quickly.
Change is the only constant.
• People who are most resilient during change and uncertainty
are willing to
 explore complex situations,
 act on critical information, and
 take on new challenges.
4-Build Resilience to Stress: Adapt to change

• Often the last reaction to change is to accept it and adapt.
But the most successful teams see the need to adapt before
a change happens.
• When a team practices problem solving and open
communication, its level of stress decreases and new ideas
are born.

• To be flexible and adaptive, practice new habits:
 Be curious: Investigate new ideas and get to know experts in your field.
 See the positive: When change happens, focus on the potential it brings.
 Use inquiry: To build your understanding, ask thoughtful questions.
 Embrace the new: Embrace new processes and procedures and let go of
outdated ones.
 Take smart risks: Use your research and information to take calculated risks
and experiment with new ideas to solve challenges.

• The next time you’re faced with a stressful change, which of
these new habits will you try to flex yourself and build
resilience?
 Be curious
 See the positive
 Use inquiry
 Embrace the new
 Take smart risks

• Build a strong foundation of resilience and use it to face everyday challenges.
• Strengthen your motivation by identifying the purpose underlying your work.
• Use your values as a guide to make decisions.
• Nurture connections with others to boost your mood and productivity.
• Practice curiosity and take smart risks to ensure you’re always ready to adapt.
4-Build Resilience to Stress: 30-second takeaway

• What actions will you take to build resilience at work?
4-Build Resilience to Stress: Take action

• The key to managing your stress over the long term?
• Making your mental and physical health a priority.
5-Cultivate Well-Being

• Each day, no matter what else is on your to-do list, you owe it to
yourself to invest in your well-being.
Self-care isn’t self-indulgent. It’s a performance
enhancer—and companies increasingly value it.
5-Cultivate Well-Being: A healthier you

• When you prioritize health, you:
 Have better energy and focus
 Miss fewer days of work
 Feel happier, less stressed, and more confident
 Set a good example for coworkers and loved ones
 Lower your risk of illness and injury

• But what does self-care actually look like?
• Each person’s self-care regimen is unique.
• But they all consist of habits that strengthen both mental and
physical wellness, like;
 eating well,
 getting a goodnight’s sleep, or
 making time for an activity you enjoy.

• What self-care routines do you already practice? What
strategies have you heard of but haven’t yet tried?
5-Cultivate Well-Being: Take a moment

• As you begin to focus more on your well-being, notice which
habits make you feel good, and which don’t.
• Ask yourself if you’re relying on any unhealthy coping strategies
to deal with stress.

• Are you using unhealthy coping strategies?
• Unhealthy coping strategies are behaviors or activities that help
you relieve stress in the moment but are regrettable or
counterproductive later.
• They might include:
 Exercising too much
 Sleeping excessively
 Overeating or undereating
 Withdrawing from friends and family

• If you find yourself depending on any of these activities to
reduce stress, consider replacing them with healthier
alternatives
• And don’t be afraid to ask for help in doing so.

• Worried you won’t be able to maintain good habits over the long
term?
• Start with small, sustainable changes rather than aiming for a
dramatic, instantaneous makeover.
• Small wins can create positive momentum that, in time, can lead to
a healthier lifestyle.
• And know that health isn’t all-or-nothing. Aim to make the best
choices you can most of the time.

• It’s natural to get caught up in the non-stop pace of a busy day.
• You move from task to task, trying to keep your mind sharp and
your stress at bay.
• For most of us, this approach is neither healthy nor sustainable.
• To ensure you’re operating at your best, regularly carve out
time, even if it’s just a few seconds, to pause and reflect on the
moment.
5-Cultivate Well-Being: Make time for mindfulness

• By doing so, you’ll be tapping into the power of mindfulness.
“When practiced and applied, mindfulness fundamentally
alters the operating system of the mind.”
— Rasmus Hougaard, Founder of Potential Project

• Mindfulness is a state of intentional, nonjudgmental focus on
the present moment.
• It’s been proven to:
 help individuals stay on task,
 approach problems with an open mind, and
 even avoid taking disagreements personally.

• Its four main principles:
 Awareness: Tuning into your moment by moment sensations, including sight, sounds,
smell, and touch.
 Focus: Shifting your attention to the present and not dwelling on what’s happened in the
past or could happen in the future.
 Observation: Taking stock of thoughts as they arise and then letting them go. Recognizing
that, whether positive or negative, they are natural and temporary.
 Acceptance: Accepting your feelings and thoughts without judgment. Reflecting curiously
rather than critically.

• Mindfulness doesn’t just involve formal moments of reflection.
• It’s also an awareness of the present moment that you can bring
to all your tasks and interactions.

• How will you practice mindfulness this week?
• Take 5 minutes to reflect before an upcoming meeting
• Walk outside to clear your head and focus on the world around you
• Have a device-free lunch and concentrate on how much you enjoy the
meal
• Reflect on how a workplace conversation makes you feel in the
moment

• Once you begin to practice mindfulness as a habit, you’ll be
better able to identify what causes you unhealthy stress and
then take steps to avoid those triggers in the future.

• What is the difference between “mindfulness” and
“meditation”?
• Meditation is a broad term that describes the act of setting
aside time to focus your thoughts.
• Mindfulness is the practice of specifically raising your awareness
to the present moment, possibly even through meditation.
5-Cultivate Well-Being: but what about meditation?

• Here is a simple meditation technique, you can try to calm down
and clear your head:
1. Sit silently in a comfortable position and focus on your breathing.
(You can keep your eyes open or closed.)
2. Notice when your thoughts wander. (They will and ‘that s okay—
everyone’s do.)
3. Return your attention back to your breathing.
4. Repeat as a sense of calm begins to take hold.
5-Cultivate Well-Being: but what about meditation?

• Your mind and body are interconnected.
• When you feel physically healthy, it’s easier to be creative,
focused, and effective at work and home.
5-Cultivate Well-Being: Put your health first

• When you feel stressed, how do you compensate?
 Working late
 Skipping exercise
 Snacking more often

• If you find yourself making these types of tradeoffs.
•Remember: You’ll have many jobs in your
lifetime—but only one body.

• Exercise is fundamental for good health.
• It keeps your heart, lungs, and muscles in good shape, and it’s a
natural stress reliever that:
 Increases focus
 Boosts mood and well-being
 Eases aggression and frustration

• If you enjoy a particular activity: running, bicycling, hiking, Yoga.
• But have difficulty finding time for it, schedule it in your
calendar just like a meeting or other commitment.
• Join a group or find a friend who also likes that activity and keep
each other accountable.

• You can be active and healthier without a formal exercise program.
• By sitting less and moving more, you’ll gain tremendous benefits.
• Even 30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity each day is beneficial.
• Set a timer to get up and stretch every hour or make it a habit to
take the stairs instead of the elevator.
5-Cultivate Well-Being: No time to exercise?

• Exercise is only part of a healthy routine.
• It’s also essential to prioritize healthy eating habits.
• A balanced diet
 fuels you,
 helps stabilize your mood, and
 boosts your immune system.

• Here are some guidelines for a balanced diet:
 Eat the rainbow: A diet made up of colorful vegetables, fruits, and whole grains will give
you the energy, fiber, and nutrients you need. Aim to consume several servings of fruits
and vegetables each day.
 Avoid fried foods: Fried food adds unhealthy fat and cholesterol to your diet. Choose
foods that are baked or steamed instead.
 Read labels: Keep your intake of processed sugar, sodium, and caffeine within healthy
limits. Know that marketing can be misleading, even on foods that are labeled “healthy.”
 Monitor portions: Familiarize yourself with serving sizes of foods you eat often—for
instance, one “serving” of chicken is considered to be about the size of a deck of cards.

• How you eat is often as important as what you eat.
• Stress may cause you to skip meals or overeat.
• Think about how your mood relates to your desire to eat.

• “I can’t remember the last time I got a good night’s sleep.” How
many times have you said this to yourself?
• It’s a common problem.
• In fact, nearly 50% Americans report not getting enough sleep
on a regular basis due to stress
5-Cultivate Well-Being: Rest and recharge

• Sleep is one of the pillars of good health.
• While you sleep, your body repairs itself, and your mind
consolidates learning and memories.
• Often, you’ll have fresh insight about a problem after having
“slept on it” the night before.
• Although sleep is especially important when you’re under strain,
stress can interfere with sleep in a variety of ways.

• Which of these sleep interruptions have you experienced due to
stress?
 Difficulty falling asleep
 Worry in the middle of the night
 Inability to wind down
 Skipping sleep to finish tasks
 Use polly

• Over time, sleep deprivation takes a significant toll on your health, mood,
cognitive capacity, and the quality of your work.
• To get restorative sleep even when you are under stress, try these tips:
• Move more: Exercise can help you fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly.
• Avoid caffeine and nicotine: Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants that can keep
you awake and decrease the quality of your sleep.
• Create an environment conducive to sleep: Ban devices. Research has shown that
the blue light emitted from smartphones and computer screens disrupts sleep
patterns. Aim for a quiet, dark, cool environment for sound sleep.

• Purge your worries: If you tend to take your worries to bed, try writing them down
and setting them aside. Leave a journal beside your bed to jot down any to-do list
thoughts.
• Keep a sleep schedule: Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day to set
your body’s internal clock. Stick to a routine on weekends too.

• Incorporate self-care into your daily routine. Take small steps
and seek support to build momentum.
• Practice mindfulness to become more present and aware of
your stressors.
• Maintain a healthy lifestyle by making exercise and good
nutrition apriority.
• Get a full night’s sleep by increasing your physical activity and
purging your worries before bed.
5-Cultivate Well-Being: 30-second takeaway

• What actions will you take to make your physical, mental, and
emotional health a greater priority?
5-Cultivate Well-Being: Take action

1. Eamon Dolan. Mindful Work: How Meditation Is Changing Business from the Inside Out. 2016
2. Elisha Goldstein. The Now Effect: How a Mindful Moment Can Change the Rest of Your Life. 2013
3. https://www.kornferry.com/insights/this-week-in-leadership/workplace-stress-motivation
4. https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/external/2018/06/stress-vs-anxiety/
5. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2018/04/less-stress-clearer-thoughts-with-mindfulness-meditation/
6. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-symptoms-signs-and-causes.htm
7. https://hbr.org/2019/07/making-sure-your-stress-isnt-contagious
8. https://hbr.org/2020/05/leading-through-anxiety
9. https://www.psycom.net/build-resilience-children
10. https://positivepsychology.com/resilience-in-the-workplace/
11. https://www.mindful.org/the-mindfulness-skill-that-is-crucial-for-stress/
12. https://www.stress.org/stress-and-sleep-how-to-master-stress-and-enjoy-restful-sleep-instantly
13. https://www.womensrunning.co.uk/health/skipping-meals-only-makes-us-tired-and-stressed/
14. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/the-right-mindset/201912/ten-mind-traps-dampen-your-happiness-and-create-
misery
References

Stress Management for Boomers, Gen Xers, and Millennials

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