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Principles,  and  practices  for  improving  performance,  increasing  focus  and  

reducing  stress.      

         Care  for  a  slice?      

The  number  of  American  workers  who  consider  stress  to  be  a  major  problem  in  their  lives  has  more  than  doubled  during  the  past  ten  years.    

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Stress  is  the  body's  reaction  to  a  change  that  requires  a  physical,  

mental  or  emotional  adjustment  or  response.  

   Kristi  A.  Dyer  MD,  MS,  FT  

 

‘necessary  stress’  

Distress  is  a  negative  stress  response.  It  occurs  when  stress  continues  without  relief.    

 

Distress  disturbs  the  body's  internal  balance  causing  physical  and  emotional  symptoms:  headache,  elevated  blood  pressure,  chest  pain,  insomnia,  depression,  panic  attack  and  anxiety.  

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Too  much  technology?  !  Did  you  hear  about  the  women  that  called  911  because  she  locked  

herself  inside  her  car?  (Turns  out  the  keys  were  in  the  ignition!)  

!  I  actually  saw  a  man  checking  his  email  on  his  laptop  and  using  the  urinal  at  the  same  time.  

!  One  of  my  friends  told  me  she  sent  a  text  message  to  her  son  asking  him  what  he  wanted  for  dinner  -­‐  she  was  in  the  kitchen,  he  was  in  the  living  room!  

!  Ever  yelled  at  the  automated  voice?  

!  I  caught  my  Rabbi  checking  his  smart  phone  while  leading  prayer  service…perhaps  it  was  you  know  who…  

 

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Brain  Changes  ! Too  much  informa=on  causes  stress  -­‐our  brains  secret  cor=sol  &  adrenaline,  ini#ally  boos=ng  energy  levels,  &  augmen=ng  memory.  

 

! Over  =me,  these  hormones  may  impair  cogni=on,  lead  to  depression,  &  alter  neural  circuitry  that  control  mood  &  thought.  

Brain  Changes  ! The  neural  circuits  that  involve  human  interac=on  are  neglected  &  gradually  diminish  

 

! Our  capacity  for  connec=ng  &  communica=ng  weakens  as  customary  one  on  one  people  skills  atrophy  

Brain  Changes  ! Many  of  us  find  ourselves  in  a  state  of  ‘continuous  partial  attention’  

! We  find  ourselves  keeping  tabs  on  everything  while  truly  never  focusing  on  anything  

! This  places  our  brain  in  a  heightened  state  of  stress  -­‐  our  brains  were  not  built  to  maintain  such  monitoring  for  extended  periods  of  time  

 

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How’s  this  working  for  us?  “Since  1957  our  GNP  has  doubled  while  the  average  level  of  happiness  has  declined  (about  32%).  ..  the  divorce  rate  has  doubled,  teen  suicide  has  doubled,  violent  crime  has  tripled,  more  people  than  ever  are  depressed,  overweight,  suffer  from  ADD,  and  are  addicted  to  drugs,  food,  gambling,  stress  and/or  work.”  

What  about  you?  What  your  challenges?  

“Medicine  today  appears  to  fit  snugly  in  the  age  of  science.  We  treat  the  body  as  an  object  unrelated  to  emotion  and  spiritual  power.  We  deal  with  organs  and  body  parts  as  separate  entities  

unrelated    to  the  whole.”    

Care  of  the  Soul  in  Medicine  Thomas  Moore  

     

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Body  

Spirit  

Work    

Mind    

a  ‘whole’  new  approach  to                    productivity  &  well  being  

•  We  have  habits  that  impede  our  performance  and  increase  stress.  

•  Changing  your  habits  requires  self  awareness  and    self  compassion.  

 

hab•it  (habit)  n.    1.  A  recurrent,  often  unconscious  pattern  of  

behavior  that  is  acquired  through  frequent  repetition.    

2.  An  established  disposition  of  the  mind  or  character.  

3.  An  addiction,  especially  to  a  narcotic  drug.      

Defini=on  of  Habit  

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‘habits  at  work’  This  happens…    You  make  a  promise  to  eat  healthier  

   

Something  comes  to  mind  that  you  need  to  remember  

 

 

Someone  asks  you  to  do  something    

 You  schedule  9me  to  go  to  the  gym,  

do  yoga  or  take    a  walk    

You  do  this    

You  convince  yourself  that  Haagen  Dazs  is  an  essen9al  food  group  

 You  tell  yourself  “I’ll  remember  that  

later”    You  jot  it  down  on  a  handy  scrap  of  

paper    You  tell  yourself    “I  need  to  work,  

I’m  too  9red  anyway”    

 You  will  never  get  it  all  done.  

It’s  Impossible!  

! It  is  obvious  that  you  will  never  get  it  all  done,  but  you  habitually  think  you  should  get  it  all  done  

! We  all  know  that  good  people  should  get  it  all  done  and  are  failures  if  they  don’t.    Since  you  are  a  good  person  you  will  try  to  get  it  all  done,  anyway  –  even  if  you  can’t.  

Notice…  

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What  are  some  of  the  ways  you  try  to  “get  it  all  done”?  

 

Mul=-­‐tasking?  

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Release  “I  release  the  need  to  get  it  all  done,  now  and  forever….”  

When  most  people  think  of  productivity,  they  think    of  time  management,  useful  but  limited    

We  have  more  productivity  tools  than  we  could  have  imagined.  Since  1960  the  average  American  is  working  

160  hours  more  per  year      

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             The  ‘Time  Management  Ladder’  

!  Day/Executive  Planners  

!  Organizational  tools:  

 Post-­‐it  notes,    

   whiteboards,  

   paper  calendars,    

!  Technology  Tools:    Blackberry’s,  Laptops,  

 Electronic  Calendars  

 Electronic  Post-­‐it  notes  

         cocktails…    

How  many  do  you  use?  !  To Do / Task List !  PDA !  E-mail !  Tablets !  Piles on your desk !  Computerized schedule !  Scraps of paper !  Files !  Laptop computer !  Bound notebooks !  Paper Schedules/

Organizers !  Baskets !  Database !  ‘Smart’ phone

•  Fax machines •  I Pad •  Word Processors •  Blackberry •  Voice messages •  Desk top computer •  Wall calendar •  Desk phone •  Internet portals •  Wireless products •  Voice recorder •  Digital camera •  Computer databases •  Post-it Notes •  Spreadsheets

•  Instant messaging •  Notebooks •  Paper folders •  Computer files •  Contact lists •  Reference libraries •  Activity logs •  Project Mgmt programs •  CRM software •  Webcast presentations •  Tape recorders •  Video cameras •  Planners •  Voicemail logs •  Meeting journals

Simplify…  

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Interrup=ons  &  Distrac=ons  

! Learn  to  say  “NO”  when  you  should    ! Clean  your  office,  create  a  sanctuary    ! When  interrupted  ask,  ‘is  this  a  ‘411’  or  a  ‘911’  

Signs  you  might  be  suffering  from  ADD…  

! You  pulled  up  to  a  stop  sign  and  waited  for  the  light  to  change.  

! You  tried  to  open  the  front  door  of  your  house  with  the  keyless  remote  to  your  car.  

! You  tried  to  change  television  channels  with  the  telephone.  

! You  could  not  find  the  glasses  that  were  on  your  face!  

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If  you’re  practicin’  relaxin’,    

Life  wouldn’t  be  so  taxin’,  

 Each  and  every  day….    

So  it’s  time  to  start  confessin’  

Just  how  much  we’re  stressin’  

And  learn  a  better  way…  

   

Now  I  know  you’re  workin’  hard  

Just  tryin’  to  keep  up    

and  feelin’  so  tard…  

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all  together  now…  

If  you’re  practicin’  relaxin’,    

Life  wouldn’t  be  so  taxin’,  

Each  and  every  day!    

 Tips  ! Release  the  need  to  be  busy  all  the  time  

! Release  stress  through  breathe;  meditate,  walk,  exercise  

 ! Don’t  eat  &  work  at  the  same  time  

 Tips    ! Take  brief  but  regular  breaks  from  your  desk,  naps  are  good  whenever  possible,  feed  your  soul  

! Manage  the  quantity  &  quality  of  exposure  to  the  machines  

! Paint,  draw,  write,  sing,  dance!  

 

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Reduce    caffeine,  sugar  and  alcohol    

“My  doctor  says  only  one  glass  of  alcohol  per  day…I  can  live  with  that!”  

Happy      Birthday!  

What    did  you  get?  

What  do  you  now  see  is  

possible?    

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