Resiliency Secrets: I Am In Control - Work Smart. Live Smart.

How do you control stress while at work?

"I am in Control Day" is a call to action. It is your chance to get things in order and less stressful.

We, humans, have a powerful need to predict the world around us. In the same respect, not having control, creates an enormous amount of stress. A great example is the movie with Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler. The real title is Anger Management, but really it was about not having control that lead to angry outbursts. As we evolved, controlling our environment increased our chances of survival. It can give us a sense of certainty, completion, understanding, and predictability.

What Is The Point Of Being In Control?

The need for control covers our basics such as food, shelter, and our social connections. Even our health can be impacted by the need for control, to the point where we often hear very ill people say that their disease is bad enough, but not being able to control it, is even harder to deal with.

When we can't completely predict something, then we can use trust, routines, and rules to help us with how to control stress. We can trust authority figures to keep us safe and make the right decisions. We can also trust in a 'higher' power. Routines and rules help to keep things more predictable when looking for how to control stress at work.

Beverly's Hot Tips On How To Build Resilience and Celebrating I Am In Control Day:

Take a deep breath and relax. The stress response can be fought by inducing the relaxation response. Being relaxed will help you implement the other suggestions.
Assess the situation. Gather the facts. Sometimes just having all of the information about what you are facing can help you to feel like you have more influence. Be sure that you are not over-exaggerating the situation.
Next, ask yourself what you can do to problem-solve the situation. What choices can you make that will help you resolve this and give you the right strategies on on to control stress at work?
Are there routines that you can put into place that will help to make things more efficient or effective?
If this is not something that you yourself can resolve, who is in the best position to help you with this issue? How can you approach them and ask for help?
Is this something that 'time will tell'? Do you have to wait it out? If yes, then understand that this is also a way of problem-solving. You are doing something. You are trusting.
Focus on the things that you do have control of, even if they are the little things.

"Remember, we always have the choice about the way we live our lives. We may not be able to control everything and often control is more of an illusion. But when we give up choosing, we truly are out of control." Beverly Beuermann-King Click to tweet