Stress Management Insight
@ My Stress & Your Stress:
Two Important Building Blocks

Applying my own stress management insight to MY recent stress helped me, and I hope it is helpful to you too.

See what what was stressing me out, get two simple tips to create calm in the moment, and discover the two key reasons the same work project can cause stress in one person, and be energizing to another.

When we first started our home renovation project I was excited!

"Woo-hoo, look what we’re creating! Oh-boy is this going to be fun!"

But very soon after the project started, I allowed myself to get stressed out.

“Will they get done on time? This is taking forever!! Are we making the right choices? Where’s the _____(insert: missing parts, appliances or workers here)___ ?”

My husband, Jeff, stayed consistently excited, eager and optimistic during this four month project. I'm pretty sure he’s NOT lost even one minute of sleep!

Our different levels of stress became blaring-ly obvious to me as I watched him and our Builder discuss how the tile should be installed, and where the plumbing and electrical fixtures should go.

They were bright-eyed, energetic and as giddy as two 'engineer-executive-types' can be.

I, on the other hand, looked dull, and felt tense and worried.

As I watched their obvious joy, and felt my strong resistance, I wanted to take action, so I contemplated my options:

• I could I sit in the corner and cry,
• I could run through the house screaming,
• OR I could go for a walk.

I took the walk.

When I feel irrationally stressed I find that:

1. Stepping away always brings relief. Walking helped. I immediately began feeling better.
2. While walking, I began to mentally calm myself with statements like:

   "I am where I am. And, where I am is really, really, really good. I’m not going to judge myself negatively for being so out of sorts. Just take it easy. No big deal. It will all come together. Relax, Breathe. Things ALWAYS work out. No big deal. And I AM really glad they ARE into this getting this project done right."

Feelings of stress, worry and dread are no fun, but they are real.

70% of Wake Up Eager Quiz Takers report high degrees of stress, worry and dread on a daily basis.

This home project is a good representation of why many of us are stressed at work. There are two key reasons the same work project can cause stress in one person, and be energizing to another:

When your DISC Communication Style and Workplace Motivators Results are not a match to the project or the work you are doing, you’ll often feel stress.

Jeff and the Builder’s DISC Styles and Workplace Motivators closely match what happens in a building project, so this type of work/career feels natural, energizing and even fun to them.

It is empowering, and stress-reducing, to realize what’s a fit and what’s not, without judgment and without trying to make yourself (or another) fit into something that is simply not a fit.

Motivator and strength differences are not the only key stress management insight and advice that will help you as a leader.

What else can cause stress and tension? The other difference, and I think it has an even bigger impact on our stress is:

When you are trying to make decisions without the self-confidence that comes with having mastered the basics, you’re going to feel more stress.

Jeff, and our Builder, have both mastered construction basics.

Every decision they make, and every discussion they have, is based on a solid foundation of construction project knowledge. They are at ease and confident, even when the pressure builds.

I’ve never studied construction basics, and even though I’m pretty bright and can explain complex things like an axiological assessment, even the easy construction decisions stress me out.

Mastering these basics, in leadership, is as much (maybe even more) about how you communicate and interact with others, as it is about the knowledge you hold in your field or industry.

Your knowledge is important, it got you into your leadership role, but mastering the other basics will make you a true success, someone people are willing to trust and follow.

People remember and respond (positively or negatively) to how you make them feel, how you ‘be’ with them.

If you want to enjoy your leadership role more, reduce stress and be more effective, be sure to master the basics.

What stresses you out as a leader? Have you found ways to master stress that would help others? Do you have questions about job fit and mastering the basics? Share your feedback here.

While there have been many aspects of our home project that I have enjoyed, thank goodness it is coming to close!

Here's a picture of the view from our new digs...

Woo-hoo, we move our furniture in next week!

Please, if I ever mention a new construction project again remind me to take a class on the basics, first.

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