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 BEWARE…!

The stress at work and the boss might be killing you

While you daydream about strangling your boss, beware: it’s more
likely that your employer is killing you. Evidence can be found
in numerous studies, including one undertaken with British civil
servants, which suggest that the feeling of little or no control at
work explains why employees have a 50 per cent higher risk of
heart disease than the people in the executive suite.

The study published in The Lancet was directed by Professor

Michael Marmot of the International Centre for Health and
Society at University College, London. It used data from a study
of 7,372 men and women employed in the British civil service
who were tracked from 1985 to 1993.

Introduction to stress management

However, not all stress is bad for us. In fact, stress is something
that is essential in certain situations. Although if we ‘overload’
ourselves or do not have adequate ways of recognising, reducing
and recovering from it, stress can impair our performance in the
short and long-term.

For our purposes here, there are basically two kinds of stress:
䡲 Situation specific stress; anxiety or stress that is associated
with a particular event or task.
䡲 General or long-term stress build-up, often without a single,
identifiable, source.

The stress, or anxiety associated with it, usually disappears when

the task or event is over, but our ability and performance might
suffer as a result. Secondly, more marginal affects are noticed in
our behaviours or performance, which if left untreated or unrecog-
nised, may lead to ‘burn-out’, depression or apathy.

250 WORKING SMARTER: GETTING MORE DONE WITH LESS EFFORT, TIME AND STRESS
Reducing situation specific stress
Removing event anxiety by achieving focus and flow
Achieving focus and flow is what ‘peak performance’ psychology
is all about. It can be described as a state of complete concen-
tration on performance – this is used and practised by almost all
top sports professionals and athletes.

The qualities of ‘flow’ are as follows:

䡲 aware of activities, but not aware of awareness
䡲 high level of attention, focused completely on activity
䡲 loss of self-consciousness, ego, evaluation, concern with
results, judges, audience, other people’s expectations
䡲 in control of actions and reactions
䡲 no voice or conscious decision making
䡲 trust body to follow training
䡲 altered state of consciousness: exhilarating
䡲 feeling of omnipotence
䡲 regulation of stream of consciousness to only relevant
stimuli
䡲 no attention paid to negative thinking, irrelevant sensory
input, etc.

When do we need flow?

We can use flow whenever we have to perform at our best; when
the stakes are high. Job interviews, presentations, exams, diffi-
cult tasks, technical work and so on.

Flow is fun and intrinsically rewarding

Achieving flow: flow can be achieved when your perceived ability
to perform, matches perceived difficulty of performance.

Therefore seek to attain performance goals, not outcome goals

– avoiding distractions eg criticism from others and completely
focus on performance. This means no analysis and staying relaxed
and alert. Top athletes and performers often develop routines and

CHAPTER ELEVEN: MANAGING STRESS AND ANXIETY 251

 rituals, particularly using imagery to re-experience flow. You can
only let flow happen – you cannot force it to happen.

Eliminating negative thoughts with positive thinking: the mind

is programmed to detect and respond to (defensive, evolved
reactions) – intense stimuli – noise, flashing light – movement –
unusual stimuli – absence of usual stimuli – movement. In perfor-
mance you may want to close out irrelevant stimuli.

Improving concentration / attention: analyse the attention

demands of the task or job that you are doing – what skills require
attention internally or externally – what situations require broad
focus or narrow focus – learn how to switch between each – think
positively – pay attention to what is happening now, not to past
events.

Flow can be lost as we get better at something: our reactions

become automatic and the task holds our attention less, especially
where a specific outcome can be attained relatively easily – there-
fore allowing us to concentrate on performance goals and hold
our concentration even when not challenging competition.

Improving focus: execute skill in practice then do it. Be aware

of all around you then focus on you, do it by instinct – do not
evaluate during an event. Create mental conditions of best
performance and use reminders to enter the best state of mind.
Start with a short period of focus, then expand to encompass
the whole event.

Zen approach: oneness with self and task or activity. You should
be totally present in activity, totally absorbed, no reflection,
questioning, or attention to distraction, no desire for victory, desire
to show off, wish to overawe enemy, desire to play passive role.

Things damaging to achievement of flow: stress, distraction,

bad mood, bad mental energy management, evaluation of perfor-
mance when you should just perform, concern with outcome.

252 WORKING SMARTER: GETTING MORE DONE WITH LESS EFFORT, TIME AND STRESS
Mood control
Bad mood: a bad mood affects our performance, damages focus
and reduces motivation. Mood control can be achieved through
positive thinking. Treat each element of an event or situation as
separate from previous ones – so failure does not affect subse-
quent results. Feeling sluggish is just a mood. Counter your bad
moods with positive suggestions.

Management of distraction: distraction is harmful as it damages

flow and our ability to focus. Examples of distractions: thoughts,
noise, relationships. When distracted, don’t lose skills – just lose
focus. Coping with distraction for a long time can lead to exhaus-
tion and additional stress. Proper sleep and positive imagery can
help.

Coping with distraction: know you can perform well despite

distraction. Think positively. You can control your reaction to
things beyond your control. Expect more distraction at bigger
events. Practice refocusing when distracted. Learn how to change
bad moods to good moods. At the end of a good or a bad event,
draw out good points and be proud of them.

If feeling negative: find own space, regroup thoughts, refocus

on goals, focus on something you enjoy. Positive self-image helps
deal with distracting negative criticism.

CHAPTER ELEVEN: MANAGING STRESS AND ANXIETY 253

 Stress and anxiety management
Stress and anxiety management: this is the imbalance between
Do perceived abilities and perceived requirements – where someone
not be afraid sees a task as too difficult – competition becomes a threat, not
to frequently give a challenge.
yourself time to
relax, to meditate or Roots of anxiety
even to ‘muck about’. 1. A belief that you must always have the approval
But do so as a result of all significant people. This is not true – some
of a conscious people are just disagreeable!
decision so that 2. A belief that you must always be thoroughly
Get at least
you can relax competent. Everyone has bad days and ten minutes of
completely. Do makes mistakes. Enjoy them! programmed
not drift into 3. A belief that misery comes from external exercise every day,
periods of factors. Not true – this can often come and throughout the
dawdling when from inside. Often ‘bad’ situations can day use every
you are half be looked on positively. Bad people opportunity to walk,
don’t affect the intrinsic quality of your stand, climb
working and own performance.
half resting. stairs etc. This
4. A belief that people and events should promotes
always turn out the way that you health and
want. People do what they want
also increases
to do. People just are, the world
just is.
‘prime time’ by
reducing
5. A belief that the past always
fatigue.
conditions you; ‘I can change
things if I work hard’.

254 WORKING SMARTER: GETTING MORE DONE WITH LESS EFFORT, TIME AND STRESS
Recognising stress/arousal
Different people have different stress responses, but here are some
general traits that you might notice:
Physical symptoms
䡲 Heart rate up
䡲 Blood pressure up
䡲 Sweating up
䡲 Brain waves up
䡲 Urination up
䡲 Adrenaline up
䡲 Blood flow to skin down
䡲 Cotton mouth

Mental symptoms
䡲 Worry feeling
䡲 Overwhelmed
䡲 Inability to make decisions
Behavioural symptoms
䡲 Rapid talking
䡲 Nail biting
䡲 Increased blinking
䡲 Yawning
䡲 Trembling broken voice

CHAPTER ELEVEN: MANAGING STRESS AND ANXIETY 255

 How to relieve stress at work
1. Take your ‘emotional temperature’.
Ask yourself regularly, on a scale of 1-10 (1 being very calm and
10 being ready to jump off a building) ‘How stressed am I?’

Giving yourself a number is a quick method of identifying, in

your own terms, where you are emotionally. It is an early
warning system. In my practice as a therapist, it constantly amazes
me how many people go on from one day to the next without
knowing that they are stressed until the discomfort becomes
unbearable.

Taking your emotional temperature can give you a running start

at catching your stress before it gets out of hand.

2. Take a break
Make sure you take a break that will re-energise you between
3pm and 4pm in the afternoon. That is the time that the body
usually runs out of energy. If you just try and push past that period
you will be more prone to make mistakes, get more frustrated,
and even put unhealthy stress on your body.

3. Re-charge yourself
Take ‘Re-energising Breaks’ (R.B.), such as relaxing. (The best
length of time to relax is 20 minutes, but if you can’t do that,
take what you can.) Even five minutes is better than not taking
any time at all. Another example of an R.B. is a brisk walk.
Research on productivity has shown that the time lost in taking
an R.B. is more than made up for in effectiveness on the job.
Remember how much time it takes to undo a mistake.

4. Pace yourself
If you have been doing a difficult task for a while, stop and take
a break, unless you are on a roll. If possible, alternate tasks.
Schedule a break for yourself before you run out of steam. Also,
if you have been working on a challenging task for awhile think
of doing a more routine one. The brain needs time to change gears.

256 WORKING SMARTER: GETTING MORE DONE WITH LESS EFFORT, TIME AND STRESS
You can push, but you will pay a price that might eventually be
a high one.

5. Share a worry
Share that frustration with someone else, but be careful who you
select. It may be best to talk to someone who you don’t work
with. Keeping things bottled up will also cause an explosion. If
you need to immediately discharge the frustration, write down
what and why you are frustrated. In the short-term, that may
also relieve some pressure. If you are frustrated because you are
angry with someone, write them a letter or a memo. Ultimately,
you may not want to send them that communication, but in the
short run it does get some of the frustration off your chest.

Ongoing stress has a measurable negative affect on individuals

at work. It can cause or significantly contribute to physical,
psychological and behavioural problems. Stress, whether related
to job, home or other situations, can become 24-hour-a-day
baggage with each ‘stressor’ compounding the others. For many
workers, the effects of stress are amplified by smoking, alcohol
and the use of drugs.

CHAPTER ELEVEN: MANAGING STRESS AND ANXIETY 257

 Here are some simple personal strategies for relieving, reducing and
helping manage stress:

1. Relax and take time each day to do something ‘fun’. This may include
specifically dedicating a little personal time for ‘doing nothing’.

2. Exercise – not only for fitness, but as a way of coping with ‘stressors’.

3. Make humour part of your coping strategy. Laughter is a documented,

demonstrated stress-relieving pressure valve.

4. Talk over the things that stress you. Don’t hold them in. Let someone
know how you feel. Sharing your feelings may very well yield a new
slant on what’s troubling you.

5. Get the sleep and rest that you need to function at your best level.
Sometimes sleep and rest may seem like luxuries. Instead, they may
provide the strength and clear-mindedness that you need to
manage the stressful situation effectively.

Also, remember that the first step in reducing stress is taking the
time to identify the specific things that are stressing you. You’re
much less likely to eliminate or reduce ‘stressors’ until you’ve
figured out what they are, and why they affect you.

258 WORKING SMARTER: GETTING MORE DONE WITH LESS EFFORT, TIME AND STRESS
Avoiding burn-out

What is burn-out?
Burn-out occurs where people who have previously been highly
committed to a task or activity lose interest and motivation.
Typically it will occur in hard working, hard training, hard driven
people who become emotionally, psychologically or physically
exhausted. This can occur where:
䡲 you find it difficult to say ‘no’ to additional commitments
or responsibilities
䡲 someone has been under intense and sustained pressure for
some time
䡲 someone is trying to achieve too much
䡲 someone has been giving too much emotional support for
too long.

Symptoms
Burn-out will normally occur slowly, over a long period of time.
It may express itself physically or mentally. Symptoms of burn-
out include:
䡲 physical burn-out
䡲 feelings of intense fatigue
䡲 vulnerability to viral infection
䡲 mental burn-out
䡲 an incorrect belief that you are accomplishing less
䡲 a growing tendency to think negatively
䡲 loss of a sense of purpose and energy
䡲 increasing detachment from relationships that cause conflict
and stress, adding to burn-out.

CHAPTER ELEVEN: MANAGING STRESS AND ANXIETY 259

 Avoidance
If you are working hard, then you should take great care not to
burn-out. You can avoid physical or mental burn-out by keeping
the task or activity fun. You should, however, respect feelings
of intense physical fatigue and rest appropriately. Likewise, there
is a limit to your mental energy that you should respect. As you
get better at a task or activity people will want more of your time
and will rely on you more and more. You must learn to say ‘No’
to commitments that you do not want to take on – otherwise
you will be in severe danger of burning-out as you become
unhappy with your situation. Involvement in tasks must be fun,
otherwise there is no point in doing them.

Are you in danger of burning-out?

If you feel that you are in danger of burning-out, or you are
not enjoying life, the following points can help you correct the
situation:
䡲 Re-evaluate your goals and prioritise them
䡲 Evaluate the demands placed on you and see how they fit
in with your goals
䡲 Identify your ability to comfortably meet these demands
䡲 If you are over-involved, reduce the excessive commitments
䡲 If people demand too much emotional energy, become
more unapproachable and less sympathetic. Involve other
people in a supportive role
䡲 Learn and use stress management skills
䡲 Examine other areas in your life which are generating stress,
such as work or family, and try to solve problems and reduce
the stress
䡲 Get the support of your friends and family in reducing stress
䡲 Ensure that you are following a healthy lifestyle
䡲 Get adequate sleep and rest to maintain your energy levels
䡲 Ensure that you are eating a healthy, balanced diet – a bad
diet can make you ill
䡲 Get adequate regular aerobic exercise

260 WORKING SMARTER: GETTING MORE DONE WITH LESS EFFORT, TIME AND STRESS
 䡲 Limit your caffeine and alcohol intake
䡲 Perhaps develop alternative activities such as a relaxing hobby
to take your mind off problems
䡲 Acknowledge your own humanity: remember that you have
a right to pleasure and a right to relaxation

Late stages of burn-out

If you are in the late stages of burn-out, feeling deeply demoti-
vated and disenchanted with your task or activity, get help from
a good friend. If you have burned-out do not worry. If you are
so demotivated in your task or activity that for a time you do
not want to continue, ease off for a while or even take an extended
break. If you come back later, you may find that you start to enjoy
it again, and can take on only those commitments you want to.

You may, however, find that you have absolutely no interest in

continuing with the task or activity. In this case it is best to drop
it altogether. If you are the sort of person who has burned-out,
Plan ‘If
then a complete change of direction may be appropriate – it is
only…’ days. very likely that you will find another area in which you will excel.
‘If only I had time You will find that you are only demotivated and listless in the
to…’ area in which you burned-out.

The difference is that you will have already burned-out once:

next time you will know the signs to look for and the things to
watch. You will be able to pace yourself, and control your energy
much more effectively, ensuring that you operate at stress levels
where you can give your optimum performance.

CHAPTER ELEVEN: MANAGING STRESS AND ANXIETY 261

 Handling depression
Depression may often be initiated by high levels of long-term
stress, by failure associated with stress-related under-performance,
or by life crises. Deep depression is a clinical illness and should
be treated medically. It is important that if you are depressed
that you take this seriously. Severe depressions can cause years
of unhappiness and low performance can be neutralised quickly
with drugs, by the appropriate form of psychotherapy or by other
forms of personal action. It is important to know when there is
a problem, and when to ask for help.

Depression may start when:

䡲 projects fail
䡲 you are passed over for promotion
䡲 you feel out of control
䡲 you are very tired
䡲 you are feeling inadequate while getting to grips with a new,
difficult job
䡲 you are bored for a long period of time.

The following points may help in handling depression before

it gets serious:

An important way of guarding against depression is getting your

attitude right, positive thinking really can help. As long as you
can draw useful lessons from failure, then failure can be positive.

Similarly, talking about problems to a partner or to a respected

colleague can often help a lot. They may have been through a similar
situation, have seen the problem before or may be able to gently
point out that you have the wrong perspective on a situation.

Effective time management can improve things when you are

under stress as a result of excessive demands. Similarly taking
an enjoyable break may reduce stress.

Where you are not under enough pressure, you can set personal
challenges to increase stimulus. If you are already suffering from

262 WORKING SMARTER: GETTING MORE DONE WITH LESS EFFORT, TIME AND STRESS
a mild form of depression, then the following suggestions may
help you to deal with it.

Self-confidence
Where lack of self-confidence is a factor, there are a number of
things you can do:
Start to set personal goals. This will give you direction in life,
and will help you to acknowledge that you can achieve useful
and important things.

Write down a list of your negative points. Challenge each item

on the list objectively, asking yourself ‘Is this fair?’, or ‘Is this
really serious?’. You should find that many of your negative beliefs
are wrong or insignificant. Where you identify serious failings,
set measurable personal goals to eliminate or neutralise them.

Similarly, bring your anxiety and negative self-talk up to the

surface and consider them logically. Ask yourself whether it is realistic
to worry about the things you worry about: if you have no control
over them, then worry does no good. When you look at them, you
may find that your worries are irrational or out of proportion.

Write down a list of the things that you can do well and the
positive parts of your personality. Ignore ‘virtues’ like humility
and modesty – these are not good for your self-confidence or
well-being. Be proud of your good points – they can help you
to contribute positively to the world.

Positive thinking. Almost all apparently negative experiences have

positive elements to them. Learn to identify these positives: this
will help you to draw the best from every situation. Even failing
at something can be an intense and valuable learning experience.

Relationships
You may find that the root of problems lies with:
Assertiveness. If you are failing to assert yourself, you may find
that other people are not paying attention to your wants and needs.
This can be upsetting and humiliating. Learn to express your wishes
firmly, but only be confrontational if absolutely necessary.
Assertiveness training can be beneficial in learning to do this.

CHAPTER ELEVEN: MANAGING STRESS AND ANXIETY 263

 Social skills. If your relationships are difficult, then you may
identify that difficulties lie in the way in which you deal with other
people. Alternatively, if you can identify where things are going
wrong, you may be able to set goals to overcome the problem.

Other people. It is easy to assume (especially when you are

depressed) that the fault in relationship problems lies with you.
This may or may not be the case. Examine your relationships
rationally, you may find that people around you are causing
problems. If people are making your life worse, then you may
be better off without them.

Standards. You may find that you have set your standards unreal-
istically high. This will typically occur when you believe that a
certain standard of achievement is necessary, and also when you
do not have either the financial or time resources available to
achieve those standards. In this case it may be realistic to assess
the standards that you can reasonably achieve within the set
constraints, and aim at these.

Fatigue and exhaustion. If you are very tired, or have been under
stress for a long period, you may find that a good break helps
you to put problems into perspective.

Optimum stress levels

Understanding the importance of optimum stress levels

This section explains the linkage between stress and performance,
and shows how you can ensure that you perform at your best
by optimising stress levels.

The level of stress under which you operate is important. If you

are not under enough stress, then you may find that your perfor-
mance suffers because you are bored and unmotivated. If you
are under too much stress, then you will find that your results
suffer as stress related problems interfere with your performance.

264 WORKING SMARTER: GETTING MORE DONE WITH LESS EFFORT, TIME AND STRESS
It is important to recognise that you are responsible for your own
stress – very often it is a product of the way that you think. Learn
to monitor your stress levels, and adjust them up if you need to
be more alert, or down if you are feeling too tense. By managing
your stress effectively you can significantly improve the quality
of your life.

The approach to optimising stress depends on the sort of stress

being experienced:
䡲 Short-term stress such as presentations, meetings, interviews,
or confrontational situations require the short-term manage-
ment of adrenaline to maximise performance.
䡲 Long-term stress, where fatigue and high adrenaline levels
over a long period can lead to degraded performances, require
concentration on the management of fatigue, health, energy
and morale.

Naturally there is some element of overlap between short and

long-term stress.

CHAPTER ELEVEN: MANAGING STRESS AND ANXIETY 265

 Short-term stress
The diagram below shows the relationship between stress and
the quality of performance, when you are in situations that impose
short-term stress.

High

Anxiety Flow
zone
A3 A4
Challenges

Flow
zone
A1 A2 Boredom
Low
Low High
Skills and ability
Figure 5: ‘Flow’ and optimum stress

Where stress is low, you may find that your performance is low
because you become bored and lack concentration and motivation.

Where stress is too high, your performance can suffer from all
the symptoms of short-term stress.

In the middle, at a moderate level of stress, there is a zone of

best performance. If you can keep yourself within this zone, then
you will be sufficiently aroused to perform well while not being
over-stressed and unhappy.

This graph, and this zone of optimum performance are different

shapes for different people. Some people may operate most effec-

266 WORKING SMARTER: GETTING MORE DONE WITH LESS EFFORT, TIME AND STRESS
tively at a level of stress that would leave other people either
bored or in pieces. It is possible that someone who functions
superbly at a low level might experience difficulties at a high level.
Alternatively, someone who performs only moderately at low
level might perform exceptionally under extreme pressure.

Long-term stress
The problems of long-term, sustained stress, are more associated
with fatigue, morale and health than with short-term adrenaline
management.

There are four major stages that you may go through in response
to sustained levels of excessive stress:
䡲 During the first phase you will face challenges with plenty of
energy. Your response will probably be positive and effective.
䡲 After a period of time you may begin to feel seriously tired.
You may start to feel anxious, frustrated and upset. The quality
of your work may begin to suffer.
䡲 As high stress continues you may begin to feel a sense of failure
and may be ill more frequently. You may also begin to feel
exploited by your organisation. At this stage you may begin
to distance yourself from your employer, perhaps starting to
look for a new job.
䡲 If high levels of stress continue without relief you may
ultimately experience depression, burnout, nervous break-
down, or some other form of serious stress related illness.

Different people may move between these stages with varying

speed according to the stress conditions.

At a simple level it may appear that a measure of ‘toughness’ is

how well you keep on going under extreme stress. This is
simplistic. It is certainly possible to be self-indulgent and use stress
as an excuse for not pushing yourself hard enough. It is, however,
also far too easy to let yourself be pushed to a level where your
work, as well as your physical and mental health, start to suffer.
The strongest and most flexible position is to actively manage
your levels of stress and fatigue so that you are able to produce
high quality work over a long period, reliably.

CHAPTER ELEVEN: MANAGING STRESS AND ANXIETY 267

 High performance in your job may require continued hard work
in the face of high levels of sustained stress. If this is the case, it
is essential that you learn to pay attention to your feelings. This
ensures that you know when to relax, slacken off for a short period,
get more sleep or implement stress release strategies. If you do
not take feelings of tiredness, upset or discontent seriously, then
you may face failure, burn-out or breakdown.

As well as paying attention to your own stress levels, it may be

worth paying attention to the stress under which people around
you operate. If you are a manager seeking to improve produc-
tivity, then failing to monitor stress may mean that you drive
employees into depression or burn-out. If this is a danger, then
reduce stress for long enough for them to recover, and then recon-
sider the pace you are setting.

Finding your optimum stress levels

The best way of finding your optimum level of stress is to keep
a note of whenever you feel ‘stressed’ in your diary for a number
of weeks, also noting other events or thoughts at the time.

268 WORKING SMARTER: GETTING MORE DONE WITH LESS EFFORT, TIME AND STRESS
Eliminating stress from your environment
If your living and working environments are badly organised then
they can be a major source of stress. If your environment is well
organised and pleasant, then it can help to reduce stress and
increase productivity. Remember though that, while it may be
important for people under stress to have a calm environment,
others may enjoy the raised levels of arousal associated with the
‘buzz’ of a busy office, or non-routine lifestyle.

While the points listed may each contribute in only a small way
to creating a more pleasant environment, taken together they can
have a significant effect in reducing stress. This section explains
how you can reduce stress in your environment by improving:
䡲 Air quality
䡲 Lighting
䡲 Decoration and tidiness
䡲 Noise
䡲 Furniture and ergonomics
䡲 Personal space

Air quality
Poor air quality can make life unpleasant. Smoking, over-crowding
and heating can contribute to the problem.

You can do a number of things to improve air quality and reduce

the stress caused by it:
䡲 Ban smoking
䡲 Open windows
䡲 Use an ioniser to freshen the air by eliminating positive ions
created by eg electric motors powering computer fans
䡲 Use dehumidifiers where humidity is a problem
䡲 Introduce plants where the air is too dry. Evaporation of water
from the plant pots or from the plants themselves will help
to raise humidity. Plants also raise the amount of oxygen in
the air and reduce stuffiness.

CHAPTER ELEVEN: MANAGING STRESS AND ANXIETY 269

 Lighting
Bad lighting can cause eye strain and increase fatigue, as can light
that is too bright, or light that shines directly into your eyes. Fluores-
cent lighting can also be tiring. What you may not appreciate is
that the quality of light may also be important. Most people are
happiest in bright sunshine – this may cause release of chemi-
cals in the body that bring a feeling of emotional well-being.
Artificial light, which typically comprises only a few wavelengths
of light, does not seem to have the same effect on mood that
sunlight has. Try experimenting with working by a window or
using full spectrum bulbs in your desk lamp. You will probably
find that this improves the quality of your working environment.

Decoration and tidiness

If your environment at work or home is dirty, uncomfortable or
neglected, then this can cause stress. Similarly, if your living or
working area is untidy and chaotic, then this can be distracting.
It is important, however, not to be dogmatic about tidiness: while
it is very difficult to successfully co-ordinate many tasks in an
untidy work area, it is perfectly possible to work on one task
successfully. One of the most important lessons about human
beings is that people work in different ways.

Noise
Noise can cause intense stress. In a working environment, a high
level of background noise can severely impair your ability to
concentrate. In an open plan office, the sound of people talking
casually, of office machinery or of meetings going on can seriously
undermine the quality of work done. Ringing telephones disturb
not only the person to whom the call is directed, but also other
people in the same area. Large amounts of background noise during
the day can cause irritability, tension and headaches in addition
to loss of concentration. Solutions to noise at work can involve:
䡲 installation of partitions
䡲 use of meeting rooms separate from the main work area
䡲 use of quiet rooms when concentration is needed
䡲 and, if all else fails, use of earplugs or a personal stereo.

270 WORKING SMARTER: GETTING MORE DONE WITH LESS EFFORT, TIME AND STRESS
In a home environment, unwanted noise can be even more stressful
and irritating as it intrudes on private space. Where noise comes
from neighbours or someone sharing the house, it may be effec-
tive to try a pleasantly assertive approach. Ask that music is turned
down or that a different room be used as a child’s nursery. Where
noise comes from outside the home, double glazing may be effec-
tive in reducing it.

Furniture and ergonomics

Another source of stress is muscular tension and pain caused
by poorly designed furniture, or by inappropriate use of good
furniture. It is important to take the time to arrange your
working environment so that it is comfortable. For example, when
you consider that you may spend a large proportion of each day
sitting in a particular seat, it is worth ensuring that it is not causing
you pain or damaging your body. If you work at a computer, then
ensure that the monitor and keyboard are comfortably positioned,
and that you are well-positioned relative to them. If you find that
tendons in your hands get sore when you type for sustained
periods, then it may be worth experimenting with a ‘natural’
keyboard.

If you find that your eyes get sore when looking at a monitor,
or that you get headaches, then try taking breaks periodically.
If you feel that you are experiencing pain from your environ-
ment, it may be worth looking into ergonomics in more detail.

Personal space
It is important for people to feel that they have sufficient
personal space at work and at home. You may have experienced
the dissatisfaction, stress and irritation of working at a different
desk each day, or of sleeping in a different hotel room each night.
This unpleasant situation is largely caused by the lack of power
to organise and control the space in which you operate. Other
people can also cause you stress when they impose themselves
on your personal space, perhaps entering it uninvited.

CHAPTER ELEVEN: MANAGING STRESS AND ANXIETY 271

 The ideal way of establishing personal space is to have a room
or office of your own, into which you control access. If this is
not possible, you can block off areas with furniture, screens or
blinds. In the highly undesirable situation where no personal
space is available, then you can establish some feeling of owner-
ship by bringing personal objects such as small plants or
photographs of loved-ones into the workspace.

Some recent experiments in management practice have involved

eliminating personal space in the working environment, allocating
different working cubicles to members of staff each time they come
in. This can work well, but not for everybody.

Anxiety
Anxiety is different from stress. Anxiety comes from a concern
over lack of control over circumstances. In some cases being
anxious and worrying over a problem may generate a solution.
Normally, however, it will just result in negative thinking.

Mental energy
You need mental energy to be able to concentrate your atten-
tion and maintain good mental attitudes. If you are concentrating
effectively then you can conserve physical energy by maintaining
good techniques when your muscles are tired, can maintain focus
and good execution of skills, and can push and drive your body
through pain and fatigue barriers.

You can waste mental energy on worry, stress, fretting over distrac-
tions, and negative thinking. Over a long period these not only
damage enjoyment, but also drain energy so that performance
suffers.

It is therefore important to avoid these by good use of ‘peak perfor-

mance’ psychology, and by relaxing effectively and by ensuring
that you sleep properly, and for long enough.

272 WORKING SMARTER: GETTING MORE DONE WITH LESS EFFORT, TIME AND STRESS
Stress reduction techniques
This area demonstrates methods of reducing stress to a level where
you can perform more effectively. The techniques that you select
depend on the cause of the stress and the situation in which the
stress occurs.

In choosing methods to combat stress, it is worth asking yourself

where the stress comes from: if outside factors such as job or
relationship difficulties are causing stress, then a positive thinking
or imagery based technique may be effective. If the stress is based
on the feeling of adrenaline in the body, then it may be effective
purely to relax the body and slow the flow of adrenaline.

As with all ‘peak performance’ psychology skills, the effective-

ness of the stress reduction technique depends on practice.

Stress management
Many people don’t realise it, but stress is a very natural and impor-
tant part of life. Without stress there would be no life at all! We
need stress (eustress), but not too much stress for too long (distress).
Our body is designed to react to both types of stress. Eustress
helps keep us alert, motivates us to face challenges, and drives
us to solve problems. These low levels of stress are manageable
and can be thought of as necessary and normal stimulation.

What we all need to do is learn how to approach matters in more

realistic and reasonable ways. Strong reactions are better reserved
for serious situations. Manageable reactions are better for the
everyday issues that we all have to face.

CHAPTER ELEVEN: MANAGING STRESS AND ANXIETY 273

 Some healthful hints
Basically, we need to modify our over-reactions to situations. Rather
than seeing situations as psychologically or physically threatening
and thereby activating our sympathetic nervous system, our
parasympathetic nervous system (that part which helps lower physi-
ological arousal) needs to be called into play. The following
suggestions are designed to reduce distress. Try them. They work!

1. Learn to relax
䡲 Throughout the day, take ‘minibreaks’ Sit-down and get
comfortable, slowly take a deep breath in, hold it, and then
exhale very slowly. At the same time, let your shoulder
muscles droop, smile, and say something positive like, ‘I am
r-e-l-a-x-e-d.’
䡲 Be sure to get sufficient rest at night. Once a week be in bed
by 9pm.
䡲 In traffic or when travelling, stay calm and physically relaxed,
listen to classical music.
䡲 Go on a news-fast for a whole week. No radio, TV, and
especially no newspapers. Instead read quality books, draw,
play an instrument, paint, listen to music or just do nothing!

2. Practice acceptance
䡲 Many people get distressed over things they won’t let
themselves accept. Often these are things that can’t be
changed, like someone else’s feelings or beliefs.
䡲 If something unjust bothers you, that is different. If you act
in a responsible way, the chances are you will manage stress
effectively.
䡲 Don’t try and change others – change yourself.
䡲 Remember, we cannot control what happens to us in life,
only how we react to it.
䡲 Take responsibility for your own thoughts and actions.
䡲 Resist judging people, things or events as ‘bad’ or ‘good’ –
things just ‘are’.

274 WORKING SMARTER: GETTING MORE DONE WITH LESS EFFORT, TIME AND STRESS
䡲 When something ‘bad’ happens, immediately imagine how
much worse it might have been and ‘Well it's lucky that….’
䡲 When you find yourself doing or experiencing something
pleasant or of importance – whether it is a beautiful sunset
or meeting with friends – slow down and enjoy the moment
by immersing yourself 100 per cent in the ‘now’.

3. Talk rationally to yourself

䡲 Ask yourself what real impact the stressful situation will have
on you in a day or a week and see if you can let the negative
thoughts go.
䡲 Think whether the situation is your problem or the other
persons. If it is yours, approach it calmly and firmly; if it is
the other persons, there is not much you can do about it.
䡲 Rather than condemn yourself with hindsight thinking like,
‘I should have…,’ think about what you can learn from the
error and plan for the future.
䡲 Watch out for perfectionism – set realistic and attainable goals.
䡲 Remember, everyone makes mistakes. Be careful of procras-
tination – breaking tasks into smaller units will help and
prioritising will help get things done.

4. Get organised
䡲 Develop a realistic schedule of daily activities that includes
time for work, sleep, relationships and recreation.
䡲 Use a daily To-do list – at work and at home.
䡲 Improve your physical surroundings by cleaning your house
and straightening up your work area or office.
䡲 Use your time and energy as efficiently as possible.
䡲 Regularly turn-out cupboards and storage to clear out clutter.
䡲 Get all your finances in order – get in the black and stay there.
䡲 Simplify everything, eliminate trivia, throw more away.

CHAPTER ELEVEN: MANAGING STRESS AND ANXIETY 275

 5. Exercise
䡲 Physical activity has always provided relief from stress. In
the past, daily work was largely physical, now that physical
exertion is no longer a requirement for earning a living, we
don’t get rid of stress so easily while working. It accumulates
very quickly.
䡲 Develop a regular exercise programme to help reduce the
effects of working.
䡲 Try aerobics, walking, jogging, dancing, swimming, anything
that gets your pulse above resting.
䡲 Take a brisk 20 minute walk whenever you can.
䡲 Build activity into your day – take the stairs not lifts, park
further from your work, go for a swim or a walk in your lunch
break.

6. Reduce time urgency

䡲 If you frequently check your watch or worry about what you
do with your time, learn to take things a bit slower.
䡲 Allow plenty of time to get things done.
䡲 Plan your schedule ahead of time.
䡲 Instead of trying to ‘cram’ everything into your day – ask
others to help or do less.
䡲 Recognise that you can only do so much in a given period.
䡲 Practice the notion of ‘pace, not race.’
䡲 Go on a ‘clock-free weekend’ – take down all clocks and
don’t wear a watch. Get-up, eat, shop, etc when you want
to and for as long as you want. Experience time – don’t be
ruled by it.

276 WORKING SMARTER: GETTING MORE DONE WITH LESS EFFORT, TIME AND STRESS
7. Disarm yourself
䡲 Every situation in life does not require you to be competi-
tive. Adjust your approach to an event according to its
demands. Playing tennis with a friend doesn’t have to be an
Olympic trial.
䡲 You don't have to raise your voice in a simple discussion.
䡲 Leave behind you ‘weapons’ of shutting out, having the last
word, putting someone else down, and blaming.
䡲 You don’t have to be right.
䡲 You have nothing to prove.
䡲 There is no-one in the world better or worse than you; only
you are you – and you are perfect.
䡲 You are not your car, house or the clothes you wear.
䡲 Sometimes the best thing you can do is to literally ‘Let go’
of your goals, dreams and especially the expectations of others
and just be, do and think whatever and wherever life takes
you.
䡲 Don’t feel guilty for spending your own time your own way;
for leaving work on time or even early if you have achieved
your main objectives; for taking and making time for you –
you are worth it.

8. Quiet time
䡲 Balance your family, social and work demands with special
private times.
䡲 Hobbies are good antidotes for daily pressures.
䡲 Unwind by taking a quiet stroll, soaking in a hot bath, reading,
drawing, watching a sunset, or listening to music.
䡲 On a daily basis, sit quietly for at least 20 minutes and do
nothing. Close your eyes and just let your thoughts go where
ever they will.
䡲 Keep a diary or journal to record your day or observations in.
䡲 Before bed, take a long hot bath with just candle light – this
is a wonderful way to relax.

CHAPTER ELEVEN: MANAGING STRESS AND ANXIETY 277

 9. Watch your habits. Eat sensibly
䡲 A balanced diet will provide all the necessary energy you
will need during the day.
䡲 Avoid non-prescription drugs and minimise your alcohol use
– you need to be mentally and physically alert to deal with
stress.
䡲 Be mindful of the effects of excessive caffeine and sugar on
nervousness. Cut out the cigarettes – they restrict blood circu-
lation and affect the stress response.
䡲 Drink plenty of water – at least six glasses a day.
䡲 Eat five or more portions of fruit or vegetables a day.
䡲 Skip the occasional meal, and fast for a day, eating only fruit
and drinking juices.

10. Talk to friends

䡲 Friends can be good medicine. Daily doses of conversation,
regular social engagements, and occasional sharing of deep
feelings and thoughts can reduce stress quite nicely.
䡲 Pick up the phone, share a problem and a pleasure ‘It's good
to talk.’

278 WORKING SMARTER: GETTING MORE DONE WITH LESS EFFORT, TIME AND STRESS
And finally…
This is taken from the crypt of Westminster Abbey. It is the inscrip-
tion on the tomb of an Anglican Bishop.

‘When I was young and free and my imagination had no limits.

I dreamed of changing the world.

As I grew older and wiser I discovered the world would not

change

So I shortened my sights somewhat and decided to change only

my country.

But it too seemed immovable.

As I grew into my twilight years, in one last desperate attempt

I settled for changing only my family, those closest to me.

But alas they would have none of it.

And now as I lay on my deathbed

I suddenly realise if only I had changed myself first

then by example I would have changed my family,

from their inspiration and encouragement I

would have been able to better my country

who knows I may have even changed the world’

CHAPTER ELEVEN: MANAGING STRESS AND ANXIETY 279

 …you
Go on – take deserve it!
a break …

280 WORKING SMARTER: GETTING MORE DONE WITH LESS EFFORT, TIME AND STRESS