Rhoberta Shaler

<strong>WHAT TO DO FIRST WHEN FEAR HITS YOUR WORKPLACE</strong><br />
Rhoberta Shaler, PhD<br />
www.OptimizeInstitute.com<br />
www.WorkplacePeopleSkills.com<br />
www.TamingTenseTeams.com <br />
<br />
<br />
Money is tight. You hear that layoffs are coming. Someone is <br />
called to the supervisor's office. Word travels through the <br />
workplace. Fear creeps in. Anxiety grows. <br />
<br />
It is said that, in times of drought, the animals down at the<br />
watering hole look at each other differently. Are folks looking<br />
at each other differently at your water cooler?<br />
<br />
Your body has a mind of its own. When it senses fear, it<br />
immediately goes into a protective mode. Your shoulders move<br />
towards your earlobes. Your digestion slows down. You become<br />
hyper-vigilant. Your hands and feet become cold as the blood<br />
rushes to protect vital organs. When this happens, the blood also<br />
leaves your brain. In fact, it first leaves the frontal lobes<br />
whose job is associated with reasoning, planning, parts of speech,<br />
movement, emotions, and problem solving. Great! Just what you<br />
need is the first to go!<br />
<br />
Knowing this, then, it is imperative that you 'keep your head<br />
about you' in tense times. Easy to say! Fortunately, not so<br />
difficult to do. Here are some suggestionsno, really,<br />
imperativesfor triumphing in tense times.*<br />
<br />
______________________<br />
<br />
BE POSITIVELY SELFISH<br />
______________________<br />
<br />
Take very good care of yourself. This is important at all<br />
times, however, it is essential in tense times. Do these five<br />
things every day, without fail:<br />
<br />
1. Often throughout your day, breathe deeply in through your<br />
nose and exhale slowly through your mouth five times. This is the<br />
best mini-vacation on the planet. You'll notice that your<br />
shoulders naturally relax as you exhale through your mouth. The<br />
increase of oxygen to your brain is also appreciated.<br />
<br />
2. Go for a walk for, at least, thirty minutes each day.<br />
Breathe well and relax your body. This is a time to enjoy the<br />
beauty that you see. If you are walking in nature, see it there.<br />
If you are walking on a city street, see it in the people you<br />
meet. Find it. If your mind begins to race, do #1 above and<br />
re-focus on what you are seeing.<br />
<br />
3. Put your personal affairs in order. Clean your office,<br />
your space, your home, your closets. Doing things over which you<br />
have control is calming. Take back overdue library books. Pay<br />
fines. Return borrowed items. Write that letter you've been<br />
putting off. Make a will. Organize your finances.<br />
<br />
4. Focus on your goals. What do you want to have accomplished<br />
one week, month or year from now? What are your plans for<br />
achieving these goals? What can you do pro-actively right now to<br />
move forward? Again, take control of what is in your control.<br />
This is important.<br />
<br />
5. Eat nutritious foods. You know this and your mind will play<br />
tricks when you are tense. What you think of as comfort foods may<br />
be just the things that increase your discomfort. Sugars, for<br />
instance, seem comforting, however, they can contribute to a<br />
feeling of depression. Sure, many folks think that coffee keeps<br />
them going when things are tough. It may give them that illusion.<br />
Coffee is not only a stimulant but also a diuretic. That means it<br />
is taking vital water from your cells just when you need it most.<br />
It creates tension&and the desire for another cup!<br />
<br />
______________________<br />
<br />
BE ATTENTIVE<br />
_______________________<br />
<br />
It is easy to become hyper-vigilant when fearful in the<br />
workplace. This is a natural response to high-stress or trauma.<br />
Once one thing has happened, there is a heightened expectation of<br />
more to follow. So, be attentive and avoid responding to<br />
hyper-vigilance.<br />
<br />
How do you do this? When something happens that could be<br />
construed as an indication of a problem, say, you see two<br />
colleagues chatting quietly together, ask yourself a few<br />
questions. If lay-offs were not an issue, would this behavior<br />
seem problematic? Am I labeling or judging this behavior<br />
inappropriately? How am I intensifying the fear by my reactions<br />
and behaviors? Am I doing anything that might be causing others<br />
discomfort? This will help you adjust your perspective to<br />
maintain balance.<br />
<br />
Be attentive to your own behavior. When you focus on what you<br />
can contribute rather than what you fear, several benefits follow.<br />
You are calmer. You help others feel more settled. Your focus<br />
makes you more valuable in the workplace. You become a leader.<br />
<br />
______________________<br />
<br />
BE PRO-ACTIVE<br />
______________________<br />
<br />
Keep your head up out of the sand. Be aware of the realities<br />
of your current situation and plan for them realistically. If<br />
your first reaction is panic, set aside an hour to just worry.<br />
Get it out of your system. Worry really well and use that hour<br />
fully. Then, look for actual evidence in reality of the best plan<br />
for yourself.<br />
<br />
Read magazines from your industry. What are the trends? What<br />
are the needs? Do you need more training? Is re-location an<br />
option? This would be a good time to assess your goals and focus<br />
on your next steps.<br />
<br />
Talk with others in your field, preferably, those in charge.<br />
Ask your questions. Clarify the intentions of the organization.<br />
Ask how and if your position is likely to be affected. Don't wait<br />
to be a result. Be an effect, a cause!<br />
<br />
Your life is too important to live in fear in your workplace.<br />
You have goals. You have skills. You have direction. You have a<br />
voice. Take charge of fear. You know that you are the only<br />
person who is responsible for your responses to life. Choose<br />
responses that support you. Too many people fail to step up to<br />
the plate in their own game of life. Step up! Be positively<br />
selfish, attentive and pro-active.<br />
<br />
* Want to triumph in tense times? My booklet, Pack Your Own<br />
Parachute: Top Ten Tactics for Taming Tense Times, gives you many<br />
other ideas and strategies. It's available at my website,<br />
www.OptimizeLifeNow.com. <br />
<br />
Rhoberta Shaler, PhD All rights reserved worldwide.<br />
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Dr. Rhoberta Shaler is the author of Wrestling Rhinos: Conquering Conflict in the Wilds of Work and founder of the Optimize Institute, WorkplacePeopleSkills.com and TamingTenseTeams.com . A well-respected psychologist, speaker, consultant and coach, she works with organizations that know their people are their top resource, and with enlightened leaders who know that building relationships must be a top priority. They know that working with Dr. Shaler creates right-sized, high-performance teams that are consistently effective and profitable--especially in a troubled economy. <br />
<br />
Author of more than two dozen books and audio programs, Dr. Shaler offers cost-saving professional development through training delivered both in person and on the telephone. Call Dr. Shaler now and optimize your success. Visit www.OptimizeInstitute.com & subscribe to her ezine, The Rhino Wrestler.<br />