Business stress and what you can do about it – apart from pulling out your hair!
by Nan Berrett - Word Solutions
You feel like grabbing a handful of your hair and pulling
really hard, but you know it’s not going to help.
It’s not just common to older women (and men) in business,
but as we get older and wiser we still don’t always manage stress in the best
possible ways. When we embark into business we are infused with excitement
about the challenges and possibilities, but as time passes we often struggle
with overwhelm.
I’ve been pondering, again, on stress and how it affects us
and, more importantly, how we can manage it. Last week I went to my doctor for
what I thought was a regular visit following a blood test and discovered I was
low in Vitamin D (winter does that!), everything else was fine, except my blood
sugars were through the roof. The root cause right now has been, for me, stress
and skipped meals because of something happening over which I have no control. I’ve
had to cancel a few meetings, play catchup and drive a lot.
The doctor’s answer to my poor sleep and general stress was
a very (and, honestly, it was a very) low dose of a popular anti-anxiety
medication. She was hoping I would sleep better and feel less anxious, what
she didn’t predict, after only one half of a very low dose tablet taken
at night, was my superb reaction….
I took the tablet, went to bed, had a restless night, got up
and drove to Adelaide for an appointment with my husband. By 11.30am I was a
mess. The morning started fine and I drove without a problem, then, suddenly, I
felt as if I was walking through water. Every movement was an effort and my
speech slowed to the point of slurring. I could barely form a coherent
sentence. My husband drove home and I slept. I did not take another tablet, but
it took almost 36 more hours before I was the ‘normal me’ again. The tablets
are going back to the pharmacy for disposal.
There are other ways to deal with stress – and this episode
made me think of them and do those things which work for me, including drawing Mandalas.
There are plenty of tricks we can use to help our minds de-stress – it’s just a matter of finding something which works for us and gives the results we need.
“There is no trouble so great or grave that cannot be much diminished by a nice cup of tea.”
Our minds are constantly filled with clutter. Some of our
thoughts are useful, but many are just distracting ‘noise’ which are tiring in
their own right. When we are stressed there is an additional persistent humming
in our heads which focusses on our fears and anxieties – and this is the most
difficult noise to silence.
We are fearful of an outcome, worried about our
relationships with our lovers, families or friends, concerned about looming
deadlines, unfinished tasks or general overload because we take on too much, and
it then becomes important to try some calming techniques for the mind.
Mandala is a Sanskrit word which means “circle”, and
although it is a spiritual and ritualistic symbol associated with Hinduism and
Buddhism, it can be used as a tool to allow our minds to problem solve and find
calm.
In spiritual practice Mandalas are often created using
coloured sand to form intricate and exquisitely beautiful patterns, but for our
purposes we will create a de-stress Mandala using paper or card and a handful
of coloured textas, pencils or crayons.
Start by drawing a circle on your paper – use the boundary
of a saucer rather than a dinner plate. Somewhere inside the circle, not
necessarily the centre, draw a representation of your anxiety. This can be as
simple as a symbol, a letter of the alphabet, a stick figure, or even a word.
Take a black texta, pen, or pencil and, starting from just
outside the boundary of the circle draw parallel lines, like a little road, and
wind this path within the confines of the circle, until it reaches your anxiety
drawing. This bit can be tricky and you’ll have to concentrate, drawing one
side of the track and then the other side, so you keep the path even.
When you finally get to your goal you can start the fun
part. Choose your first colour and begin to fill the track – you can use the
same colour all along, or you can change colours. While you are colouring in
start thinking about your anxiety and consider some of the strategies you could
use to eliminate it from your life or fix it.
When you’ve finished the path, it’s time to colour in the
remaining white space – this is your Mandala, so you choose how you want it to
look. Draw patterns, dots, block colour, whatever you feel drawn to do.
You’re almost finished – take the black texta and go over
the lines of your path again and make them stand out. Add some shading if you
want to. Pop some edging onto the boundary of the circle and you’re done.
Sit back and admire your work – it looks pretty good! You
may have had some emotional reactions when creating your Mandala. It’s not
unusual to cry, or even start talking to yourself while you’re working. There’s
nothing wrong with showing emotion.
Look at your Mandala and trace the path from the outer edge
to its windy end. Every turn represents a new thought about the problem, a
memory, a decision.
The Mandala in the illustration was one I drew years ago
when I was having some serious issues with someone I considered my best friend.
At the time I felt betrayed and abandoned, but by the time I had finished the
exercise I had remembered all the great things about our friendship and that I
was as much as fault as she had been. It gave me the clarity to approach her
and mend some bridges – best thing I ever did.
As well as my day to day business to business work I also
workshop strategies to support positive emotional wellbeing outcomes – these include
crating and walking labyrinths, journaling, creative writing and poetry.
PS – if you are anxious and/or depressed do seek some medical advice to help you. Anything I suggest is supplementary to professional support.
Have a virtual coffee with me!
Want to chat about how I can help you or your workplace create some peace
and calm, then let's connect over a virtual
coffee.
__________________________________________________________________
Nan Berrett creates visibility for small business
as well as mentoring small business owners and startups to help them navigate
the mountain of knowledge which seems to be part of our everyday life in a
digital world. She is based in regional South Australia in the beautiful Clare
Valley and is happy to travel to meet clients or chat over Zoom. Find out more
or book some time to chat: www.wordsolutions.com.au
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