Stress! Overcome Stress with these Top Pointers
Hiding stress from others may feel intuitive; after all, we don’t want to bother other people with our problems. But by not realizing that employees and customers can still see and intuit the signs of stress in others, Leaders risk showing up as abrupt, disengaged, angry or defensive.
On a scale of 1-10, how stressed are you right now? If you rated yourself more than 4, take note:
By hiding stress from others, leaders risk damaging the very relationships they are trying to cultivate.
Hiding stress from others may feel intuitive; after all, we don’t want to bother other people with our problems. But by not realizing that employees and customers can still see and intuit the signs of stress in others, Leaders risk showing up as abrupt, disengaged, angry or defensive.
Next time you find yourself overcome by stress, try one of these tips:
Start with a check in.
At the beginning of a meeting or call, take a moment to check in with your client or the other members of your team. Mention that you’re stressed. Though you don’t have to go into detail, letting others know where you’re coming from will prevent them from making their own assumptions.
Name it to Tame It.
Let a colleague or someone on your team know what’s going on with you. Ask them to just listen to your situation and then to reflect back to you what they heard. Often the process of articulating the thoughts that are circling around in your mind will help relieve the stress.
In addition, trusting someone with your situation can actually help build a better relationship with them. Trust is not a static thing. It is always either growing or diminishing. You can turn your stressful situation into one that helps grow an important relationship. And possibly solicit some good ideas to deal with the situation as well.
What are your thoughts? Have you built (or hurt) a relationship based on how you managed stress?
Could your stress actually be burnout? Read our blog about the differences and how to extinguish burnout.
