How to Handle Work Stress

Work stress...a pretty common topic and maybe even overrated when it comes to serious discussion however as someone who works in the marketing world in the heart of Silicon Valley - horrible traffic like our East Coast counterparts and Los Angeles commuter friends, top competition when it comes to skills, certifications, and higher education, and one of the most expensive cities to live in - combine this with being a wife and a mother to a toddler, and well, you got yourself a beautiful recipe of success (and maybe disastrous stress if you don't know how to handle it all.)

I want to follow the paragraph above with  some facts. I have never been happier when it comes to my career. I am doing what I love and working at a company that has been the most innovative and creative in my entire work experience. Every day I come home I am happy and fulfilled. Sure I have those weird days like everyone else but the majority of the time, I live a very content and happy Life. 

I also work in a very high pressured and fast paced environment. To all my fellow marketing warriors out there, you know the thrill of working in such a creative, around the clock department and yes, the phrase "I thrive off pressure" came from us in marketing. I don't work a 9-5 schedule because I need to be available for conference calls and sometimes urgent items around the clock (also accommodating worldwide employee timezones.) And even so, I wouldn't change a thing about my job. So how do I cope with day to day work stress on top of having a 2 year old, an 11 year old, and being the Wonder Woman wife that I am (let's face it, I am.) I am not going to pretend that I'm perfect and always grounded, like so many fabricated social media profiles. But I do continue to embrace the list below, out of order, and at times giving more attention and weight to a particular item in the list one month and changing it the next. Full blown healthy chaos!

• Meditation: The most important on the list and yet so misunderstood by people. Meditation comes in many forms from sitting quietly with your eyes closed, to chanting mantras, or taking up the hobby of meditation coloring books. I have actually taught myself how to meditate at home but also wide awake in traffic. I learned the meaning of this mantra, Om Mani Padme Hum, and chant to it during my drive. It's life changing, just takes some time to practice.
  • Learn what it means: https://www.yowangdu.com/tibetan-buddhism/om-mani-padme-hum.html 
  • Listen to the chant below​ ​

• Make time for your hobbies: I have many hobbies - painting, crafts, reading, playing guitar, and running but these all take up time. I have learned that I don't need to have 3 hours straight to spare just to engage in my hobbies and although I am exhausted when I get home and still have conference calls in my early evenings, I do my best to not hop in bed and only watch Netflix (a habit I have easily formed in the past.) If I play guitar for 20 minutes, it centers me more than if I did not. Keep your sanity by making time for other things you love to do that aren't work related.
• Stop checking email: Even the most "intelligent" people need to stop checking their email and remove themselves from work altogether sometimes. Here's an example: I was getting into the habit of checking my email immediately when waking up. Why didn't this work well for me? I would see the floods of emails come in and would instantly feel overwhelmed when in reality I needed to focus on the present moment which is to get myself ready to commute to work and get my toddler ready. There is really no point in always checking email before getting ready because there isn't much I can do about it - unless it's a very unique and exceptional situation. Live in the present and wait until you can actually focus on answering those emails...the world can wait.
• Work out in your own way: I don't have a "supermodel" body and I am not a workout fanatic but I do run 1.5 miles, about 4 times a week. The stats are simple - if you workout a little bit it will go a long way for your mental stability especially combating stress. 
• People's attitudes (or them being wound up) is NOT personal and NOT your problem: This is the most challenging of all the above. Why? You cannot avoid everyone at work and there are just some people with...I will call them special personalities. You might have to work with particular people who are naturally negative, rude, mean, obnoxious, the list can go on. They may even try and spill their stress over to you but I am here to tell you it's the most beautiful thing to have full control over your own reaction. I literally picture myself floating outside of these spaces and I just keep a positive attitude and smile with everyone. It works wonders. It takes practice every day and in the moment. I sometimes slip up but then remind myself to just let it go. (Meditation helps this practice.)

As I said before, I am not going to pretend that I always do the above in any perfect way. Whenever I have those challenging days and find myself getting wound up, I pause, breathe, and refocus on the above. And although I have a career that stretches my skills to the max, I am able to continue with passion in my soul, with a tamed stress, and happier than ever.

Thanks for tuning in, 
​Sterp