RISMEDIA, May 6, 2011—According to The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, workers who report that they are stressed incur health care costs that are 46 percent higher—or an average of $600 more per person—than other employees.
“Why is it that workplace stress is one of the most common forms of stress in our society today?” says Lauren E. Miller, author of her newly released 4th book: 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Stressing Out!.
One of Mother Teresa’s famous quotes, “Bloom where you are planted,” is easier said than done. What if the garden you find yourself in is full of weeds: ego-driven people, negative thinkers, victims, control freaks and gossipers? How is one to “bloom” in that environment?
Your perception of the world around you flows directly from your perception of yourself. Do you see the world as safe or unsafe? An opportunity for learning and growth or is the world out to get you? Do you face challenges with flexibility and curiosity or with assumptions and reactive behavior? Do you approach your co-workers from a collaborative spirit or one that says, “What’s in this for me?” Do you rise and fall depending on how the world judges you or is your sense of self worth rooted deeply within? Your choice of response creates your reality. In order to bloom it is essential to have a healthy, strong root system under the ground feeding and supporting growth and new life. A clear perception of reality leads to accuracy in response.
Lauren offers two tips to get relief from work place stress:
• What frustrates you most about the people you work with? Make a list. Become aware of the emotional charge within as you go through your day and pause for a moment asking: what can I shift within myself in order to maintain inner peace and calm? Remember that your greatest opportunity for growth in life comes when your buttons are pushed. Ask yourself: Do I feel judged? Unappreciated? Unrecognized? If so, this is a sign that you are seeking your sense of self worth from the outside in rather than the inside out. As you become rooted in loving and accepting yourself no matter what surrounds you, you will find that you are able to maintain calm in the midst of all the external static. When you feel safe and confident within, it’s amazing how that begins to reflect into the world around you.
• When you shift how you perceive yourself within, your view of reality shifts. To help grow in your connection with you it is essential to honor the BRAC: the Basic Rest Activity Cycle of the body. Every 90 minutes in your workday take a 20-minute break to rest. Breathe deeply into your stomach, closing your eyes as you reflect on a moment of beauty or inspiration. Download your positive experiences in life. Remember, whatever you focus on grows bigger.
For more information visit http://www.laurenemiller.com.
