Category: Corporate

You can’t sleep, because your mind is racing. You have constant butterflies in your stomach. You can’t focus on one thing at a time. You forget someone’s name as soon as they introduce themselves. The slightest extra task reduces you to tears…

You know what I’m talking about it. We are all too familiar with the big S. Yes, I’m talking about STRESS.  Stress is currently one of modern society’s biggest health concerns. Stress affects our physical wellness, our mental capacity, our relationships, our productivity and much, much, more. It’s a silent killer.

Unfortunately, very few of us can afford to retire and live a stress-free life sipping cocktails on the beach and reading all day. The fact of the matter is that stress is something we need to learn to manage in our everyday lives. Stress is an everyday reality for most of us and we need to learn to manage it, otherwise it will consume us.

But fortunately, at Sensory Intelligence Consulting® we’ve made it our business to help you manage your stress in a healthy way. We use easy and practical tips and tools to help you reduce and manage your stress levels. Today we want to share a few of our “life hacks” to beat stress with you. These may seem simple, but they are tried, tested and trusted.

TIP 1: MOVE!
Sitting is the new smoking. Many people spend 8 hours or more sitting each day. As human beings, we are designed to move our bodies, and if we don’t, our physical and emotional stress increases. Get up and go to the bathroom, make a cup of coffee, use the stairs, go for a short walk after work, do some stretches before work… regular movement will drastically change your stress levels. You will start to notice an improvement in your mood and a decrease in your stress after you move. It is a quick and easy way to access your body’s natural relaxation response and feel refreshed when you return to your desk.

TIP 2: CONNECT!
Most of us have the natural inclination to become less connected and more task-centered when things get busy. We spend evenings checking mail and weekends frantically trying to manage tasks on our to-do lists. All the while our stress increases. At Sensory Intelligence Consulting® it’s about quality, not quantity. It’s about being fully present in the moment with your friends and loved ones. Research shows that people who connect with others as little as once a day, have lowered stress levels. The trick is, it has to be real connection- not via WhatsApp or sitting in the same room watching television. To facilitate real connection, we use the technique of STOP, LOOK and LISTEN

• STOP – Put down your phone. Let go of your frantic thoughts. Simply stop and be present for the person you are with.
• LOOK – Look someone in the eyes. Really take in what you see. That’s where real connection happens
• LISTEN – We tend to listen to respond, rather than truly listen to the other person’s experience. What would happen if you just listened without needing to respond? Just be open to what the other person has to say.

TIP 3: BOUNDARIES!
Setting healthy boundaries is a way of protecting your own time and prioritising what is really important. For everything you say ‘yes’ to, you are also saying ‘no’ to something else. Spend some time thinking about how you spend your time. How many things are you doing that is not a priority and increase your stress levels? What are the things you can say ‘no’ to in order to say ‘yes’ to something else? Do you need to maybe say ‘no’ to a birthday party of someone you don’t know that well, in order to say ‘yes’ to spending time with your children? Do you need to say ‘no’ to work this weekend, in order to say ‘yes’ to go for a run? The reality is, you cannot be all things, for everyone, all the time. Decide what’s important and use boundaries to protect what’s important.

TIP 4: PLAN!
Write your to-do list using pen and paper. Using your touch and visual sense, means you are solidifying the task in your brain and increasing your chances of getting to your to-do list. Spend each morning writing down the biggest 3 tasks for the day – our brain works in 3’s. Focus on that and let go of less important, time-wasting tasks. Return at the end of the day and congratulate yourself on your tasks well done!

Now over to you …

• Do you have any creative hacks to manage stress? Please share them with us.
• Do you want to take stress management to the next level? Do your Sensory Matrix™ assessment and receive a personalised wellness guide to keep you productive, healthy and happy!
• Do you want to take stress management to the next level in your company? Contact us to book a workshop for your team.

We’re all guilty on this one.  We’ve all done it.  The quick desk-snacking, the in-between-meeting munching, the one-finger-on-the-email, one-hand-on-the-toasted-sandwich typing.  Lunchtime has become a myth in the modern workplace.  With deadlines looming, workloads expanding and performance appraisals around the corner, we all know the feeling … there just isn’t time to take lunch!

Today I want to bring you in on a little secret – one that progressive companies already know and implement.  Lunchtime is holy time.  I want this to be written in every office manual and preached at every staff meeting.  Like the refrain of a lunchtime revolution. Lunchtime is holy time.  Not only because I want everyone to be well-fed and nourished, but because I want you to:

• boost your productivity,
• build your resilience, and
• decrease your stress.

Most people fall into the trap of thinking that eating lunch at their desk or, the horror, skipping lunch altogether will lead to higher levels of productivity.  The opposite is actually true.  Skipping lunch costs you.  Stress is cumulative during the day and if we don’t do small things throughout the day like taking lunch away from our desks, our stress never gets the chance to ‘reset’ and decrease.  High stress in turn affects our concentration, decision-making abilities, judgement and executive functioning. I’m guessing your job requires all of the above. Research has shown that taking the time to eat lunch away from your desk, actually improves your productivity and work speed afterward.

Another benefit is that we can limit the sneaky calorie intakes and weight gain from eating at our desks.  Various studies have shown that people who eat at their desks gain more weight, and are less aware of what they are eating than people who eat away from their desks.  You will also become a more mindful eater, enjoy your food more and feel more satisfied afterward.

So stop working through lunch, mulling over the complicated problem with your just dunked rusk dripping over your keyboard.  It doesn’t help staring at the screen.  Rather, take a walk, get away from your desk and eat your lunch somewhere else.  On a sensory level, you are then using your movement and visual systems to reboot your brain.  Hopefully, you engage in some social connection which helps even further.  Not everyone has the luxury of a full-hour lunch, so even 30 or 15  minutes (though not ideal) is better than nothing at all.

If you try this for a full week, you will see that your ability to work post-lunch improves.  You will experience less of that dreaded post-lunch slump.  To make even better use of your lunch, make sure you pack something crunchy and healthy like nuts or carrots and limit refined carbs and sugary drinks in your lunchbox.

Progressive workplaces and even some countries are getting on the “lunchtime is holy time” bandwagon.  In Canada there is a “desks are for working, not eating” policy spreading like wildfire. Studies also show that companies with policies around no eating at your desk have better relationships among workers and improved teamwork.

Convinced but still scared to try it? Just remind yourself, and your co-workers, that the world will not end if you are away from your desk for 30 minutes. Try it, I dare you…

Do our free Sensory Quiz™ for an introduction to your sensory style.