Free Personal Development ebook how to deal with stress at work with Str...

 

Welcome to Project Tuber Today topic we will be covering is how to deal with stress at work with Stress management techniques. Before we guide you through a few practices, please make sure you are in a place where you will not be disturbed and can focus on this guide for how to deal with stress at work with Stress management techniques. 

Find somewhere quiet that you feel comfortable and can close your eyes. The practices we will lead you through, you will be able to do at work to help you manage stress and you can use in other situations where you need to find your sense of balance again. 

The first stress management technique we will cover is focusing on regulating the nervous system. Our autonomic nervous system is in charge of our stress hormones and nonessential bodily functions.  This is the first place we should look to when we notice stress within our mind or body. Sometimes it is obvious we are stressed, other times, we may suddenly become aware that our jaw has been clenched for who knows how long. Expanding our awareness to notice the state of our body, from the depth and ease of our breathing, to the tightness in our muscles, we can explore the body to get to know what is going on inside of us. 

With this in mind, we will journey into our first stress management technique. This practice is called box breathing, adjust yourself however you need to so that your breath can move freely in and out of your lungs. Now is a perfect time to close your eyes so that you can fully give your focus to this practice. Relax your belly and begin to focus your attention on your breath, slowly lengthen and deepen your breathing. (PAUSE)

For box breathing imagine drawing a square inside your head. Each count of 4 draws another side to the square. Let us begin together, you will understand the practice as we go. 

inhale 1, 2, 3, 4, see the first line in your head hold 1, 2, 3, 4, draw the second line exhale 1, 2, 3, 4, third line hold 1, 2, 3, 4, and finish the box…. 

inhale 1, 2, 3, 4, hold 1, 2, 3, 4, exhale 1, 2, 3, 4, hold 1, 2, 3, 4,

inhale 1, 2, 3, 4, hold 1, 2, 3, 4, exhale 1, 2, 3, 4, hold 1, 2, 3, 4,

inhale 1, 2, 3, 4, hold 1, 2, 3, 4, exhale 1, 2, 3, 4, hold 1, 2, 3, 4,

inhale 1, 2, 3, 4, hold 1, 2, 3, 4, exhale 1, 2, 3, 4, hold 1, 2, 3, 4,

Great,  continue breathing for a few more moments on your own. Place all of your attention on seeing, breathing, and counting. Let everything else fade into the background. If a thought or distraction pulls you away, simply bring yourself back to the practice. (PAUSE)

Wonderful, you can let go of this practice now, letting your breathing return to normal. (PAUSE)

Notice the effects of this practice. How do you feel now compared to before we began practicing box breathing? 

When we breathe steadily and into our diaphragm we increase the supply of oxygen to the brain, thus, decreasing our blood pressure, reducing stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. It also improves digestion and puts the body into the parasympathetic state of the nervous system where the body is able to repair itself which it cant do when it is in stress. 

You can come back to this practice of box breathing at any time whether you are at the office, in a difficult conversation, or experiencing physical discomfort. You may practice with your eyes open or closed and along with this visualization or not.. It is all up to you and what you are able to place your attention into. The more that you give to the practice, the more you are able to get out of it. Because the more you give to the practice with your attention, the more you are able to let go of everything else.  

We will go ahead and cover one more practice for how to deal with stress at work with Stress management techniques. For this technique you can perform it in two different ways. Either while walking or while sitting still. If you choose to practice this while walking, come to a standing position. Later on you can use this practice and take a brief walk anywhere that you have space, whether that be down the hallways or perhaps even outside while on a short break. No matter if you are standing or choose to remain seated, scan your awareness throughout your body. Begin to lengthen through the spine, relax the neck and jaw, roll the shoulders away from the ears and let the chest rise slightly forwards. Great, now you can begin slowly walking if you wish to do so. Bring all of your focus into your feet. Notice the sensations in them. Hone in here and let go of any other information your senses notice, focus only on your feet. 

Perhaps you feel warmth or coolness. Maybe tingling or not much at all. Just allow your attention to remain here for another moment on your feet. (PAUSE) 

Great, now moving up to the ankles. Notice any sensations here. And whatever you notice, do not label it as good or bad, enjoyable or not, notice it as a sensation, maybe it is a subtle sensation or a strong one. (PAUSE)

Now, moving up to the calves. How much of your focus can you place here and not let it roam anywhere else. Even if you do not feel much here, allow your focus to rest here for another moment. 

Great, now coming to the knees. Sense where your knees are in your body, using your internal gaze to feel them. Place your focus within your knees. 

Wonderful, guide your awareness to the thighs now. Notice the feeling of clothing against your skin here. Are there any sensations within the muscle you notice?

Moving up to the hips. Letting your focus land here. Everything else becomes blurred, all of your attention resting in your hips. If you are walking continue to move at a slow pace, and instead of letting your attention drift into your surroundings… draw your attention inside of yourself. 

Notice your abdominals now. Feel how your breath reaches into the stomach. Perhaps a sensation of digestion or hunger. Noticing without any judgement and without placing any preference on to what you become aware of, just moving your focus through the body. 

Now coming up to the chest. Feeling the full expansion of your breath. Notice any sensations that are in this area of your body. Any tingling or numbness. Any tension or warmth. 

Great, now the neck. Noticing the jaw, the muscles that connect your collar bones to your skull. Notice where the head rests. Notice where the skin of your neck makes contact with the air around you. 

Wonderful, now coming up to the face. Become aware of your facial muscles. How your lips are resting. The sensation of air inside of your nostrils. Where the air touches the skin on your face. 

Now, lastly, bring all of your focus to the crown of your head. Scanning for any sensations here. Placing your focus on the crown of your head. Observing what is going on in this part of your body. 

Great. If you are walking you can now come back to a seated position. Take a deep breath in, and exhale letting go of focused attention and letting your awareness expand again to encompass all of you. Take notice of how you feel now in comparison to beginning this practice. (PAUSE)

You can repeat this body scan as many times as you would like, not allowing your attention to be caught in any one area of focus. This allows you to move beyond having your focus become attached. It brings clarity to the mind by strengthening the ability to move beyond discomfort. This practice can help us to find a birds eye view of situations that may be causing stress and let go of picking at things that cannot be changed so we can reach our center again.