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10 Top Tips

Top TipsBeating Stress

  1. Address the issue.
    If what you are doing is internalising the feelings you are getting from a particular person or situation,
    then go and talk to that person or start working on the problem rather than avoiding the situation
    physically but mentally making it much bigger (and worse) in your mind. If it is a person you are having
    the issue with, then try using the DESC script (see below)
  2. DESC Script
    Describe the behaviour you want changed.
    “When you …”
    Explain the effect the behaviour has on you.
    “I feel …”
    State the behaviour you would prefer.
    “What I’d prefer is …”
    Consequences of not changing behaviour should be given in a non‐threatening way.
    “Otherwise …”
  3. Get a life outside of work.
    It seems much stress is work related, and often this is made worse by spending too much time too
    often at work. Start and continue an interest outside work that is both involving and requires commitment.
    Examples from the Inspire Change office: Become a parish Councillor, a Magistrate, take part in
    a London to Paris sponsored cycle, take part in a round the world yacht race. Other things you could do
    include joining a choir, a sports team, becoming a School Governor, a Samaritan, a volunteer at your
    local school or older peoples’ home.
  4. Get a better Time Management system
    You may have particular problems with having too high a workload. Only you will know what
    your particular time management problem is (e.g. The more time you have available the less you
    get done, you have a succession of projects you have started but never finish, you will do anything
    rather than the job you should be working on, you are too busy on minor task to start that
    one major task you have to do etc) but get a good book on Time Management (e.g. ‘Get Everything
    Done and Still have time to Play’ by Mark Forster
  5. Address the issue with your team
    It is quite possible that you are stressed and therefore so are others around you (partly caused by
    you, partly by the situation). Teams can be a good place to be at these times. Discuss redividing
    tasks so that people do things they find easier or more enjoyable. That ways things get done
    quicker and there is a shared responsibility .
  6. Have a Day out
    Go away for a day and reconsider and prioritise your workload and issues. Are there things you
    could be delegating, farming out to a supplier, stopping altogether? For example, get someone
    in to do the ironing, get an agency to do all the logistics work involved with that big meeting you
    are planning for the team in November
  7. Get a life coach
    Are you too busy working ‘in’ your job to work ‘on’ your career? Maybe you should consider investing
    in yourself and getting some advice from a coach to help you set priorities for you and
    your career