Everyone has to deal with stress. It’s a part of life.
But there are ways to reduce stress you may not have considered. And these strategies can be the difference between feeling overwhelmed and feeling overjoyed.
The first thing you need to know is there are three parts of the mind. And neglecting your needs in any one area can cause real stress.
When your knowledge and skills (cognitive part of the mind) haven’t caught up with your responsibilities, that will cause stress every time.
If you’re constantly doing things that you don’t enjoy or value (affective part of the mind), that will cause stress every time.
And you probably already knew about both of those statements. But what you maybe didn’t know is just as important:
If you’re constantly doing things that don’t align with how you naturally take action or problem solve (conative part of the mind), that will cause stress every time.
Everyone has conative strengths. These are the ways we naturally operate. Working against those strengths will cause as much stress over time as doing work that you don’t know how to do well or even work that you don’t value or enjoy.
But, as you’re probably aware…Sometimes we HAVE to do work we’re not good at. Sometimes we HAVE to do work we don’t like. AND…
Sometimes you have to work against your conative strengths.
So first, you need clarity on those strengths. The best way to do that is by taking the Kolbe A™ Index.
Once you have that clarity, here are three great ways to reduce stress by embracing your strengths:
As mentioned, sometimes we just have to do things. In that instance, the key is to do them in a measured way, still keeping your conative needs in mind.
Do it in a way that lines up with your strengths. Ask for help or partner up with someone whose strengths are different. Use technology solutions (there are some AI options available that often cover the parts of a job that you don’t naturally do). Use your time strategically by doing tough tasks in short bursts or considering which time of day you have the energy to give. Redirect your talent – do projects outside of work or around the office that use your strengths so you don’t become consumed by working against your grain all the time.
If a task or responsibility needs to get done but is causing you stress, ask yourself, “Does this need to get done by ME?”
It’s okay if you’re not always the right person for the situation. People have a variety of instinctive strengths, which means that organizational task that is causing you serious anxiety may be a natural breeze for somebody else. Don’t be afraid to delegate to be great.
Yeah, some things need to get done. But not everything!
If a task or responsibility keeps causing you stress, don’t forget to ask yourself, “Does this NEED to get done?”
Sometimes the answer is yes. Sometimes you need to ask somebody else too. (If you think it doesn’t need to get done, but your boss or client disagrees, then it probably does need to get done!)
But sometimes the answer is no. This doesn’t need to get done. So…stop doing it. If the juice isn’t worth the squeeze, simply stop squeezing.
Of course, even with Clarity on your strengths, Commitment, and Collaboration, there will be times when you run low on mental energy.
In those moments, it’s helpful to remember these words of advice from Kathy Kolbe:
“Do nothing when nothing works.”
Watch your favorite tv show. Read a book. Take a nap. Don’t force things today so you can live to delete, delegate, and do tomorrow. Value your mental energy at all times — we can’t stress that enough!
