{"id":17196,"date":"2017-07-06T13:16:58","date_gmt":"2017-07-06T11:16:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.targettraining.eu\/?p=17196"},"modified":"2018-06-06T12:29:17","modified_gmt":"2018-06-06T10:29:17","slug":"stress-free-work-in-one-hour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.targettraining.eu\/de\/stress-free-work-in-one-hour\/","title":{"rendered":"Create a stress-free work environment in (less than) one hour"},"content":{"rendered":"

A lot of people cope with stress by going to the gym, jogging, playing with the dog, reading a book, etc.\u00a0 \u2013 these things relax us, tire us, and help us to not think about the stress that we feel\/felt. But even when we think we are good at dealing with stress, when confronted with a similar situation, your stress levels can shoot up even faster, because \u2013 let\u2019s face it – you\u2019ve been there before. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Stress at work takes on a life of its own<\/h2>\n

Deadlines, targets, budgets, schedules, colleagues, clients and expectations – just a few causes of stress at work. Before you know it stress is a living thing that lurks in the corners or takes a seat at the meeting table. One moment it talks through Steve, whose eternal negativity about suppliers causes others to roll their eyes, then through a client who\u2019s asking for the impossible. It comes and goes as it pleases, clinging onto this person or that and lingering in the elevator, or worse, by the water cooler.<\/p>\n

The stresses of past, present and future<\/h2>\n

The future that is thought of, imagined and discussed so very often at work and at home causes people to lose sight of the now. You stretch yourself three months ahead, a year, even five years. You already know exactly where you\u2019ll be on October the 14th<\/sup> this year (and you\u2019re not looking forward to it). We anticipate future scenarios and get stressed by what has yet to happen. We live our lives with our feet in the moment and our heads in the future. And in business this is the norm – everything you do today is ideally based on a future goal. As best as you can, you try to stretch and influence your way towards that future. This means that sometimes you are often not fully considering what is really happening with you right now. The futures we create are heavily based on our experiences so far \u2013 and how we feel right now.<\/p>\n

And then there\u2019s the past. Who doesn\u2019t get lost in things they should\u2019ve done or said, and who doesn\u2019t let experiences from the past influence future decisions? We all do\u2026it\u2019s normal. Finally, how much time did you spend today not<\/u> working on something for the near or far future?<\/p>\n

The existence of stress is optional<\/h2>\n

Try seeing it this way: The presence of stress is a message to your \u201csystem\u201d. Our bodies are great at giving us messages of whatever kind, thanks to our senses. Our fight-or-flight response to stress has helped humanity survive but, contrary to prehistoric times, today we don\u2019t remove ourselves from stress \u2013 we can\u2019t. Because it exists everywhere.<\/p>\n

Sleepless nights, sweaty palms or butterflies in your stomach is your body\u2019s way of saying\u00a0 \u201cYou deserve to know what you need to know\u201d. It\u2019s doing what it can to give you the message, and it won\u2019t stop until you listen. Why? Because it wants you to succeed, why else.<\/p>\n

Once we recognize this, the existence of stress can become optional when you learn to release it for good. This is something you can teach yourself. Like data on a computer, you can delete the stress from your system. Try seeing it as simply as searching for outdated or unwanted stress programs and hitting shift+delete. \u00a0Here are 2 practical exercises that can help you eliminate (some of) your stress.<\/p>\n

Exercise 1: Erase the future in 20-30 minutes<\/h3>\n

Part 1<\/strong><\/p>\n

Take a pen and paper and write down all the things you want\/need to be successful\/happy\/stress-free right now. Word it as positively as you can: don\u2019t say \u201cless stress at work\u201d \u2013 stress is what you don\u2019t need. For example:<\/p>\n