Build your Stress Tolerance in 6 Minutes

Constant high levels of stress without downtime drains us of our energy and leads to exhaustion and burnout. You are probably nodding your head and thinking just how true that is right now.

Some common ways that stress might manifest itself are in your sleep (or lack thereof), your eating (over/under and/or unhealthy), or in your ability to stay focused. And it can show up in strange ways, as a colleague of mine found out when she realized she had just poured creamer into her coffee pot instead of water. Stress is showing up in a variety of ways for each of us. It’s important to be aware of how stress is affecting you. How is stress manifesting in your life?
 

Bounce Back Factors

The key is to make sure we don't let stress become chronic. We may not have control over the major causes of the stress right now, but we can focus on building resilience and hardiness in the five Bounce Back Factors. These factors deal with creating, maintaining and sustaining an energy charge in the physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual elements. That gets us to a point of skill building which is in our control. The Faurote Group has developed a model called “Powered For Life™” to assess an individual's current “charge” level and identify actionable steps to develop a full charge.  We combine it with understanding emotional intelligence to build the skills needed to be successful. 

The Faurote Group uses the EQ-i 2.0^® model (assessment) to help individuals and teams grow and succeed. As you can see, the model has a whole composite dedicated to Stress Management. 

Understanding and effectively using emotional intelligence plays a critical role in success (personally and professionally).   I want to highlight the skill of Stress Tolerance. Stress Tolerance is your ability of being able to withstand adverse events in difficult times and believing that one can manage or influence situations in a positive manner. Specifically, by actively and positively coping. My goal is to push you a little and stretch you in building your coping strategies.
 

Stress tolerance is about choices

When stress is high and emotions are coming in from all sides, it's like a lightning strike for most of us. If we don't have a “surge protector” which allows us to pause, process, reflect and respond (rather than react), we are short-circuited and fry. Slowing things down a bit (pausing) allows us to make better decisions, and that is our personal surge protector. That's one way we build stress tolerance; slow things down and make better choices.  Below are actions you can take and choices you can make to build your stress tolerance, strengthen your resilience and hardiness, and enhance your five  Bounce Back Factors.
 

Actions to Build Stress Tolerance 

 

 PHYSICAL: Get Up and Get Moving

 

• Create and stick to a workout routine. 6-MINUTES of movement is better than nothing. Working out is one of the most effective stress relievers. 
   
• Progressive muscle relaxation: Start at your toes and work your way up to your scalp, noticing how your body feels.

We need to get up and get moving.  For me, that means going for a run. I like to exercise, so I make sure I make that part of my week. I try to stick to a routine on that because for me, that's the key. Get up and get moving for you might mean taking the dog for a walk, getting some gardening in, or walking around the block.   I even know of someone who gets in two minutes of exercise while she’s brushing her teeth (proceed with caution). That two minutes of movement definitely works and helps her get into a better mental space.

 

 MENTAL: Be Present Moment to Moment

 

• Intentionally slow down and notice your surroundings and focus on something in your immediate environment. Tune into your Body.
   
• Practice meditation. Mentally scan your body to get a sense of how stress affects it each day. 
   
• Work on prioritization and consider starting your day with the most difficult thing on your list.

We are keen on making sure people up their game and focus and being present. We are huge fans of Brian Tracy’s theme, Eat That Frog. “Eat That Frog” is picking your biggest, toughest task and doing it first because the rest of the day will seem so much easier and it lightens the stressful load. It's true, it works. Try it.

Another thing you can do to be present moment to moment is establish no cell phone zones. I've talked with many people who have done that at home. They've also done it when they're talking to friends, etc. 

 

 EMOTIONAL: Crank up the Music 

 

• Create a playlist of soothing music or nature sounds to create a sense of calmness.
   
• Pick your favorite “pick me up” tunes (sing out loud) to blow off steam. 
   
• Use square breathing to get back to neutral during a stressful moment.

I had to put in “crank up the music” because when I need to decompress a bit, I put on some type of relaxing music. And if I need to blow off some steam, I'll put on some AC/DC and let it go!

Sarah Turner, one of my colleagues at the Faurote Group, always says when you have a lot of push on the right side of your brain where you’ve got stress going on, engage the left side of your brain. We call that being whole-brain. That can be as simple as being analytical or being highly structured, aka, organizing your desk for a few minutes, or even cleaning, which is one of those things people are doing a lot these days. 

 

 SOCIAL: Reach Out - Help Others

 

• Staying socially connected is critical. Be purposeful in nurturing your relationships and offer support to others (listen, share kind words, acknowledgement). 
   
• Connect with your team before covering the content of a meeting.

This concept of socialization is a really big part too. We don't want people to forget that you can use socialization to reduce stress. Now more than ever, during this isolation period, you want to make sure you prioritize connecting. We suggest setting up an agenda when you're talking to co-workers that the first few minutes are just connecting before you dive into the content of the agenda. 

 

 SPIRITUAL:  Be Grateful

 

• Keep a gratitude journal nearby so you can easily access it. Add to it daily and review to remind yourself what really matters. 
   
• Block your calendar to spend time on your favorite hobby. 
   
• Get outside. We know the sun increases the release of serotonin in the brain, which reduces stress.

Put a journal next to your bed, even just a piece of paper and pen will do. Before your feet hit the floor every morning, jot down five things you're thankful for. I guarantee you can come up with five even if you're struggling. Just the fact that you were able to sit up in bed is one.
 

Resilience & Hardiness

All of these steps will help build resilience and hardiness. If you want to take it a step further, you can take the Hardiness Resilience Gauge (HRG) Assessment.  The HRG measures the following:

Challenge: seeing change and novelty as exciting and as an opportunity for you to learn and grow.

Control: having a sense of self-efficacy and the belief that you can influence outcomes in your life.

Commitment: being engaged and seeing most parts of your life as interesting and meaningful.

If you're interested in learning more about the Hardiness Resilience Gauge (HRG) Assessment, email Sarah Turner.

 

The CHALLENGE 

Sarah and I started the 6-Minute Stretch Challenge and we are challenging you to take 6 minutes to grow your resiliency and your Bounce Back Factors. Grow as an individual and grow as a team.

Check out our video and the resource sheet for Challenge #1 - Building Stress Tolerance below.  Sign up and get the 6-Minute Stretch^TM Challenges in your inbox every other Friday. Share these with your friends, your family, and your team help everyone build their stress tolerance. Because it's not just helping ourselves, but helping others do the same. It's about bringing your best self to every situation. Life’s calling! Live with passion and make it a great day!

Resource Sheet: Challenge #1 — Building your Stress Tolerance