Stress is a common problem in the workplace, often attributed to high-pressure situations or demanding bosses. However, according to Dr Derek Roger and Aki Hintsa, stress is caused by your own reactions to external events, not the events themselves. In fact, many people can face high levels of pressure without feeling stressed, while others can find themselves overwhelmed. To break this habit and overcome stress, they recommend four steps.
Breaking out of ‘waking sleep’
People often find themselves in a state of ‘waking sleep’, where they are physically present but mentally absent. This is when rumination, the act of thinking about past or future events, can take hold. To break this state, it is essential to reconnect with the world, both physically and mentally. You can stand up, move your body, or connect with your senses, noticing what you can hear, see, smell, taste, and feel.
Redirecting your attention
When you ruminate, your attention gets caught in an unproductive loop. Instead, you need to redirect your attention to areas where you can take useful action. A useful exercise for this is drawing a circle and listing everything you can control or influence inside of it, while everything you cannot control goes outside. It is important to remember that you can care about externalities without worrying about them.
Putting things in perspective
Ruminators tend to catastrophize, but resilient leaders keep things in perspective for themselves and their teams. Techniques to help you keep things in perspective include contrasting, questioning, and reframing. Contrasting involves comparing past stress to current stress, while questioning involves asking yourself questions such as “How much will this matter in three years’ time?” and “What’s the worst that could happen?” Reframing involves looking at your challenge from a new angle, such as “What’s funny about this situation?”
Letting go
Letting go is often the hardest part of overcoming stress. Three techniques can help you in this regard. The first is acceptance, which involves acknowledging that the situation is the way it is, whether you like it or not. The second is learning the lesson, asking yourself what you have learned from the experience. The third is action, which involves doing something about your situation.
A personal story of success
Aki Hintsa was diagnosed with stomach cancer in his late twenties, with cancer returning a year later in his liver. The anxiety he felt was the hardest part of his illness. However, he met Dr Derek Roger, who had spent 30 years researching why some people become overwhelmed in difficult situations while others persevere. As he applied Dr Roger’s techniques, his anxiety subsided, even though his situation didn’t change.
By reconnecting with the world, redirecting your attention, putting things in perspective, and letting go, you can break the habit of rumination and overcome stress. These techniques helped Aki Hintsa overcome his own anxiety and have helped thousands of leaders achieve the same.
