Archive for the 'Stress' Category

IT CAN BE DEADLY

Thursday, October 8th, 2009

Stress Help

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stress can kill. It’s as simple as that. It can kill your joy of life and your ability to function on even the most basic level. Stress also distorts your decisions and is often a root cause of dangerous behavior that results in accidents. And as you’ll see from this article that was on CNN.com yesterday http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/10/06/work.death/index.html it can cause you to kill yourself —literally. 

 

In the article, Patricia Pegg Jones, health and well-being program leader at the Work Foundation, explains that “employers can help workers in times of uncertainty by being open and communicating effectively with them, explaining what changes are in store.” It may not seem that important to consistently keep employees informed of what’s going on at their workplace but it is.

 

During the seminars I host to help leaders reduce stress in the workplace I make sure the leaders understand how vital it is to communicate as openly as they can and as often as is reasonable. In all of our relationships, how well we share our thoughts, feelings and “what’s going on” will determine their quality and the amount of stress they do or don’t cause us to experience.

 

‘till next time.

 

Richard

www.attackstress.com

www.makesafetyfun.com

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BUT I’M JUST NOT AN UPBEAT “HAPPY” PERSON!

Monday, July 20th, 2009

 Sad Face

Did you know you can “remap” parts of your brain? At least that’s what recent research in brain science is finding out. Even people with serious brain injuries or “bad wiring” have been able to fix their problem with concentrated effort. If you want to read more about this check out The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science by Norman Doidge, M.D.
http://www.librarything.com/work/2608086

What that means for all of us is that science is proving that many of the traits we sometimes think are a permanent part of our personality such as a bad temper, or low self esteem or being frightened about a common situation such as public speaking can be changed. It also means we can develop new traits that are harmful such as a constant urge to rush. Now, this truth has been proclaimed by many wise humans throughout the centuries and can be found in thousands of books such as the Bible, The Power of Positive Thinking, The Secret, Harmonic Wealth, etc. It’s just that now we’re proving scientifically that how we think determines who we are. 

So think better. I check myself throughout the day and monitor the type of thoughts I have. It’s making a difference in how I feel, act and react, especially during trying situations. It will do the same for you. (As for accidents and “safety.” Here’s a little excerpt from an article in the March 2009 issue of Readers’ Digest based on the book Why We Make Mistakes by Joseph T. Hallinan http://www.whywemakemistakes.com/ 

“Good feeling increase the tendency to combine material in new ways and see relatedness between things. Happy people tend to be more creative and less prone to errors.”

So helping employees improve their happiness factor by including stress-handling programs and fun-related events are not just a silly waste of time but a way to reduce mistakes (which, of course, are a common cause of accidents) based on recent science.

’till next time.

Richard

http://www.attackstress.com

http://www.makesafetyfun.com

Posted in Safety, Stress | No Comments »

IT’S JUST A BAG

Thursday, June 18th, 2009

Hello Again,

Last week, I traveled to Oakland, CA. On the second leg of my trip I sat in the coveted last seat on the plane (aisle). Next to me was a newlywed couple on their way to Hawaii for a 10-day honeymoon. They were both showing the typical affection young lovers do in public (holding hands, giggling, looking adoringly at each other, etc.) However, the husband, Jeffrey, was a bit agitated because he had to check one of their bags before getting on the plane. He got over it quickly and we settled in to an uneventful flight—until just before we landed when Jeff looked at the baggage tag and realized the destination city written on it wasn’t in Hawaii! 

Jeff quickly summoned a flight attendant and they discussed his problem at length. She told him that “Yes, the airline representative had written the wrong airport on the tag on his luggage. And yes, it will probably not be forwarded to Hawaii.” Jeff was livid! He was totally absorbed in the fact that he might not get a piece of luggage for his 10-day honeymoon in Hawaii.

The couple were young, healthy, in-love, had enough money for the vacation (I got to know a bit about them and both were successful young professionals—the new bride, Julie, was starting her internship as an internal medicine doctor and Jeff was an executive at a large business firm). Yet, Jeff was on the way to letting a “bag” cloud the joy of his wonderful situation.

Normally, I don’t give people advice on-the-fly unless they ask for it (or pay for it). But I couldn’t resist at least letting Jeff know that “it is just a bag.” That’s what I told him a couple times. “Jeff, you’re going on an incredible honeymoon with the woman you love and just married and you are going to let “a bag” put you in a bad mood. He turned and looked at me then exhaled and said “yes, you’re right, it’s just a bag.”

I don’t know if Jeff ever got his luggage but I sure hope that if it was wrongly routed that he didn’t let it mar his honeymoon. I do know the experience helped me realize even more that every day is as important as a honeymoon because it could be the last one I experience here. That’s why I plan to keep in mind that when I don’t get what I expected I’ll consider it “just a bag.”

Last week I finished reading The Power of Now by Eckart Tolle. http://eckharttolle.com/the_power_of_now  I enjoyed it. There were parts that didn’t do much for me and a few explanations didn’t seem to have much science behind them. Overall, though, it was worth the time and attention it took to read about such a vital topic in our fast-past, multi-tasking, hurry up society. It also helped me continue to realize that most of my supposed problems and irritations are “just a bag” 

’till next time

Richard

Posted in Stress, Encouraging Ideas | No Comments »

FINGER PUPPET POWER

Tuesday, May 29th, 2007

Hello Visitor,

This is my first blog entry. I was encouraged to start a blog by the folks who host my website. So, here it is and here I am. Thanks for the visit.

(This is Proof That Being Extra-Nice Is Worth The Effort)

Two weeks ago, I was traveling from Omaha to Denver on North West Airlines (NWA). It had been a hectic couple weeks of travel and I was eager to get to the hotel and get some much-needed rest. (I had a talk to give the next morning.) So, I didn’t check my guitar as it came out of the oversized luggage shoot. After I got settled in my hotel, I went to open my guitar case and discovered it had been brutalized by some type of vehicle. You could see the tire marks on the outer shell! My Takamine guitar was smashed! Even though I used it the next day (my audience felt sooooo sorry for me), it was ruined. Being a stress guru I didn’t let it bother me much.

The next day: I went to the ticket counter at NWA and was turned over to a supervisor (a lovely caring woman who was shocked and upset when she saw my guitar). I forget her name, but let’s call her Janis. Well Janis told me she would be right back with a form for me to get reimbursed for my loss. When she came back, I could tell instantly that she found out (as I already knew) that guitars were not covered for damage from baggage handling. Janis was way more upset than I was. She even said, “how come you’re not upset?” I told her that stuff like this happens to everybody sometimes and life is too much fun to let little things mess up your mood.

Then I gave Janis a finger puppet and told her that whenever she needs someone to brighten her mood just talk with her finger puppet. She laughed and said “you know I can give you a $300 ticket voucher, would that be okay?” Of course, I said, “That’s more than I expected.”

On my way to the shuttle to catch my flight back home, I heard my name called to come back to the ticket counter. Once there, Janis told me that after she explained to her supervisor how pleasant I was and about the finger puppet she wanted to reimburse me for my guitar. “Would a check for $300 (plus the $300 voucher) be enough?” she asked. I said, “Absolutely”. Though the guitar was a gift, it cost about $600 when it was bought for me.

Now you know one of the many reasons why I always have finger puppets in my pockets. And why I am always pleasant and upbeat with everyone I meet.

’till next time.

Richard

www.attackstress.com

Posted in Stress | 3 Comments »