Bridges Edition of 12/6/2006

Welcome to Bridges, a monthly newsletter published by Robin Fogel, Executive and Career Coach & Consultant. My goal is that these newsletters include practical information that you can use in your work and in your life. If you found the newsletter helpful, please forward it to your colleagues, friends and family.

If you would like to take advantage of a business consultant or executive coach, please email me at robin@coachrobinfogel.com for a complimentary coaching session or visit my website - www.coachrobinfogel.com

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STRESS
Regular readers of this newsletter may have noticed that I address the issue of stress in the December newsletter. What is it about this month that some people find so stressful? For some it is the sheer quantity of things they want or feel they have to do, whether personal or professional, December is a month with lots of obligations. There are office parties, personal obligations, gifts, and finally those work projects that need to be completed before year end. It's easy to get overwhelmed.

Finding the right balance is the key. Too much stress leads to health consequences. Ironically, too little stress can also be a problem. Good stress, also called "eustress", is what motivates us to strive and accomplish. It is what gets us out of bed in the morning. Yet it's the bad stress that takes its toll this time of year. Research continues to mount showing the health effects of bad stress, from being more susceptible to colds and flu, to heart disease, high blood pressure. Even without the health consequences, stress makes us less productive.

In an article last year in the Harvard Business Review, Dr. Herbert Benson, professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School described the "breakout principle", a process managers can use when confronting a stressful situation, a process that I think can be used elsewhere. He said the first phase occurs when you are struggling with a problem or issue - you can feel yourself getting stressed or overwhelmed and you stop feeling productive. At this point he recommends that you walk away, detach yourself and do something that will produce a relaxation response such as exercise or meditation. The outcome, he said, is the actual breakout, a state often reached by top athletes, "the sense of well being and relaxation that brings with it an insight or higher performance". The last phase is when the body and mind return to normal functioning. The solution to the problem or challenge you were struggling now is in sight.

So apply Dr. Benson's principles, start by recognizing the stress. Be realistic about what you can accomplish and what should wait. Perhaps there are things you should let go. Finally use one of the ways that science has shown can relieve the stress such as exercise, deep breathing, and meditation. Even a good laugh has been demonstrated to release those endorphins that bring a sense of relaxation necessary to enhance your performance.
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GIFT GIVING
One special way to address gifting during the holiday season is to make a donation to a charity. For example, if you know your client or colleague is an animal lover, consider making a donation to a local animal shelter in their name.

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FINAL THOUGHT
"Happiness does not depend on outward things, but on the way we see them."
--Leo Tolstoy
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I truly appreciate your support and suggestions for this newsletter this past year. I wish you and yours happy holidays
COPYRIGHT: 2006, Robin Fogel & Assoc., LLC. All Rights Reserved. May be distributed and reprinted in its entirety with copyright, subscription instructions, and contact information intact. However, you may not copy it to a website.