You can quickly reduce stress without waiting for a weekend, vacation, or massage. You’ll feel empowered when you take action to meet your needs, and that automatically elevates your happiness at work. A few of the easy strategies described below require planning ahead so you have materials on hand. However, each tip will only take you a few minutes to implement once you’re set up. Less stress results in greater creativity, higher productivity, and fewer conflicts with “difficult people.” If you are a manager, tell your employees about these stress reduction techniques because they accelerate employee engagement.

GET IN THE GROOVE

A finger labyrinth can center your mind, calm anger and anxiety, stimulate creativity, and shift your perspective regarding a tough challenge. The power of a labyrinth is simple. It integrates physical movement with a challenge to your left brain. You stop perseverating about a stressful situation and allow creative solutions to emerge.

I discovered the power of a full-scale labyrinth at a progressive hospital that encouraged patients and their loved ones to explore a beautifully landscaped “puzzle” area (the labyrinth). Day after day, I watched distraught clients and their families enjoy their lives more even if their situations had not visibly improved.

On the job, use your nondominant hand to “walk” through a finger labyrinth because you stimulate different neural networks when you do this. This will provide easier access to your intuition. If you don’t already have a finger labyrinth in your desk, pocket, or purse, you can discover how to buy or create one by searching “labyrinth” on the World Wide Web.

ORCHESTRATE YOUR MIND

Certain types of music have been associated with relaxation because music can stimulate specific brain states. Companies such as Sound Health, The Relaxation Company, Inner Peace, New Earth, and Phillips, and composers such as Morry Zelcovitch offer outstanding collections of brain-entrainment music that induce specific levels of consciousness.

The strategy of using music to entrain your brain state is so successful that employees in many offices I work with cooperatively select the recordings they play as background music. We usually test the results, just as I have tested the effects of all of the “More Joy on the Job Strategies” I recommend to my clients.

Since the results are positive and measurable, I’m suggesting this strategy to you. You can also create your own private brainwave symphony by using an iPod or a portable CD player and headphones.

FOLLOW YOUR NOSE

Unique aromas produce distinct physiological effects and mood states. Essential oils and flower essences can dramatically affect your feelings because your olfactory sense is directly connected to the limbic area of your brain (the seat of your emotions).

Employees frequently use essential oils to elevate concentration and arouse feelings such as peace and joy. Some Japanese companies diffuse lemon and peppermint essential oils to increase productivity.

I’ve introduced sandalwood and nutmeg to organizations I’ve consulted with because they can decrease stress. A blend of rosemary and lemon improves focus. Other oils, such as ylang ylang and bergamot, stimulate the production of the feel-good neurotransmitter serotonin. Lavender triggers alpha and theta brain waves. Chamomile, rose, and orange blossom are calming. Jasmine is said to imbue confidence in dealing with difficult problems, which can elevate your self-esteem.

Once you experience the benefits of aromatherapy, you’ll probably keep vials in your car and home as well as at work. When purchasing essential oils or flower essences, keep in mind that the quality of the product will determine its effectiveness.

BONUS: FAST STRESS REDUCTION TIP

Rub a drop of peppermint or lavender essential oil into your wrists when you feel anxious. Breathe deep belly breaths while you enjoy the delicious smell. The lovely fragrance can refresh many parts of your body at once because the arteries in your wrists are close to the surface. Therefore, the benefits of the cooling, calming oils are quickly distributed throughout your body. This tip also works great behind your ear lobes because your ear lobes are saturated with reflexology points related to the physiology of stress.

A side benefit of using essential oils is that you smell good. This can trigger a subtle boost in charisma, customer satisfaction, and the subliminal perception that you’re a natural leader (a.k.a. “promotion material”).

Don’t have essential oils on hand? Substitute cold water for the oils, but make a note to buy essential oils because the side benefits are at least as much fun as the stress reduction.

THE REST IS YET TO COME

I also teach employees, managers, and entrepreneurs how to quickly induce a healthy state of laughter because deep belly laughter has been proven over and over again to reduce stress in the body and mind. We’ll cover this in another article, so sign up for the blog RSS feed if you haven’t already done so.

© 2008. This article was excerpted with permission from “Joy on the Job” by Doris Helge, Ph.D. Permission to reprint is granted by the author as long as the article is left in tact and proper attribution is given.

Visit http://MoreJoyOnTheJob.com now and get more free tips, podcasts, & special reports. Sign up for the free “Joy On the Job Ezine.” Doris Helge, Ph.D., is a coach, corporate trainer, and speaker. She is author of “Joy on the Job,” “Transforming Pain Into Power,” and other books. Dr. Helge hosts the “More Joy on the Job” radio show. Download sample chapters from Doris’ books at http://www.MoreJoyOnTheJob.com

Share it

Hide Sites

Managers, employees, and team leaders should all take steps to ensure employee well-being during winter months. Curing seasonal affective syndrome (S.A.D.) or other depression and lethargy tied to a lack of natural light and winter conditions has many benefits. Studies show that employee motivation and productivity escalate and healthcare costs decrease. Employee retention also increases.

This is clearly a very win-win approach. Organizations and employees benefit.

Employees, if you are in a position at work where you have to solve SAD without support or awareness of management, you have at least four options. One alternative is home treatment. This means using a light box that delivers 10,000 lux at eye level (with your eyes open and unshielded but not directly staring at the light) for 30-60 minutes. An alternative is to purchase a device like Sphere One Daylight 10,000 to take to work. Light visors are also available for employees who cannot sit for 30 minutes straight and still do their jobs. People who use a Dawn Simulator and program the device to come on before they arise in the morning enjoy a gentle awakening somewhat like sleeping outside and viewing a sunrise.

If you have a stationary work area, you can get permission to have full-spectrum bulbs placed above your space. A third option is to plug in a lamp with a full-spectrum bulb. Full-spectrum bulbs are easy to find on the Internet. (I purchased my own lighting the first time I worked in an inadequately-lit work place and noticed negative effects on my productivity and mood.) I was a little uneasy at first, but soon other employees did the same thing and management realized the benefits were worth the minimal expense.

This brings up option four. Arm yourself with data about the productivity and profit advantages of directly addressing SAD. Present facts to management or the occupational health department where you work because you deserve to be happy at work. The references at the bottom of this article will help you prepare your proposal.

Studies show you can also blast winter blahs by using essential oils.

Quality essential oils can produce profound positive effects. Researchers at Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling, West Virginia discovered that specific fragrances can ward off fatigue and reduce anxiety while increasing alertness. Some Japanese companies routinely waft certain scents, such as lemon, through air vents to increase motivation and productivity.

Peppermint and cinnamon enhance mental ability and performance. Peppermint can even mend a bad mood, especially if the emotional state is related to fatigue. Bergamot and rose also lift gloomy spirits.

Cautions:
• Nurturing fragrances are no substitute for deep sleep.
• The results you gain from using essential oils will be related to the quality of the product you use.

Take charge of your own well-being. The side benefits of happiness at work are enormous. Studies show that your productivity, income, and health will be improved. Reports also show that your relationships, both on the joy and at home, will also improve.

In addition to this article, the following will help you get started.

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonal_affective_disorder
* Rosenthal, Norman (1993). Winter Blues, New York: Guilford Press.
* Rosenthal, N. & Blehar, Mary (1989). Seasonal Affective Disorders and Phototherapy. New York: Guilford Press.
* “Seasonal affective disorder,” National Alliance on Mental Illness, reviewed by Michael Terman, Ph.D., Director, Winter Depression Program, New York State Psychiatric Institute at Columbia University Medical Center, New York City, February, 2004.
* Arnot, Robert, M.D., (2000). The Biology of Success. New York: Little, Brown & Co., pp 134-135.
* Barker S. & Raudenbush B., et al., “Improved performance on clerical tasks associated with administration of peppermint odor,” Perceptual Motor Skills, (2003) Dec; 97(3 Pt 1):1007-10.
* Helge, Doris, (2007). Joy on the Job. Bellingham: Shimoda Publishing.

© 2008

Doris Helge, Ph.D. is an executive coach, award-winning speaker, and corporate trainer. She is author of “Joy on the Job,” “Transforming Pain Into Power,” and other books published in many foreign languages. Go to www.MoreJoyOnTheJob.com to download free articles so you boost employee retention and motivation. Download sample chapters from Dr. Helge’s books and hear “Joy on the Job” podcasts that will help you elevate your happiness at work at www.JoyOnTheJob.info

You can reprint the above article as long as it remains intact and proper attribution is given to Doris Helge, Ph.D. (c) 2008.

Share it

Hide Sites