STRESS RELIEF

SAY GOODBYE TO STRESS

Could there be an end in sight for stress in your practice? A stress expert shares 5 tools for reducing your day-to-day anxiety in the office

BY ERINN MORGAN

Don Joseph Goewey knows a thing or two about reducing stress. After spending six years directing a think tank aimed at integrating breakthroughs in neuroscience and psychology, he innovated a model for people to help change their brain structure and extinguish stress reactions—and amplify the higher brain function that enables a human being to flourish.

Today, the success of this model is helping people end stress in high-pressure workplaces like Cisco Systems and Wells Fargo via Goewey’s PROAttitude Training Program.

Here, we check in with Goewey—also the author of “The End of Stress, Four Steps to Rewiring Your Brain”—for his best tips for reducing stress in a retail setting such as an eyecare business.

EB: WHY IS STRESS SO COMMON FOR THOSE PEOPLE WORKING IN A RETAIL SETTING?

GOEWEY: I think that the biggest stressor in retail is dealing with a negative interaction from a customer, which can have a much greater impact than the other kinds of work stressors, especially when a customer is angry, blaming, or demanding.

It can set off a big stress reaction in the brain of the employee that can be hard to recover from. The brain locks on to the incident, ruminating over what happened, which only perpetuates the stress the employee is feeling.

It takes a person with a heroic attitude to remain undaunted in the face of another person’s attack, and, fortunately, we human beings are capable of developing this heroic attitude. It’s called a “dynamically peaceful attitude,” which is that calm under siege that enables you to relate to a problem fearlessly, analyze it intelligently, engage it creatively and optimistically, and respond appropriately.

It takes practice to master but you can develop it in a meaningful way in just four weeks, with modest but consistent effort.

EB: STRESS IS OFTEN UNPREDICTABLE IN A RETAIL SETTING. HOW CAN PEOPLE BEST DEAL WITH UNEXPECTED STRESS SITUATIONS?

GOEWEY: When a storm of stressors is raging around you, like your boss, or your customer, or your 5-year-old throwing a tantrum, a positive, peaceful attitude is the life raft that will carry you to the eye of the storm.

The one resource we control completely in every circumstance is our attitude. Attitude shapes the way we experience life, from happy events to stressors.

Research has found that 50% of what determines a happy, peaceful person is genetics, 10% is our set of circumstances, and 40% is the quality of our attitude.

Exercise that 40% and you can literally change the way the stress gene is expressing, tilting the scales in favor of attaining the good life.

EB: IT’S OFTEN HARD TO FIND THE TIME TO GET AWAY AND TAKE A BREAK DURING THE WORK DAY IN A MEDICAL OR RETAIL BUSINESS. WHY IS THIS SO IMPORTANT?

GOEWEY: First, we need to understand breaks as science understands them—as the key to sustaining peak performance. Breaks create the brain state in which the dots begin to connect themselves.

The importance of taking breaks came out of the landmark research of Nathan Kleitman, who discovered what is called the basic, 90-minute rest-activity cycle.

During the first phase of the 90-minute cycle, brainwaves oscillate at a fast rate. You feel wide awake and are able to concentrate. During the last phase, your brainwaves start to slow down, until toward the end of the cycle you feel day-dreamy and somewhat tired.

The refueling process requires a 15- to 20-minute timeout, after which your brain starts humming again.

And, consider this: In related research on musical virtuosos, it was found that the basic 90-minute rest-activity cycle was the way most of them achieved mastery.

EB: HOW DO YOU SUGGEST MAKING THE TIME DURING A BUSY WORKDAY TO TAKE BREAKS IN A DEMANDING RETAIL SETTING?

GOEWEY: Just do it. Make the time. Given the science, it’s too important to miss taking breaks. If you can’t imagine taking a break every 90 minutes, then start by taking a break mid-morning and then another in the mid-afternoon.

You cannot help but notice the difference it will make in your day. Accomplishments will come without that awful effort of pushing yourself. Work will flow. Your energy will remain high.

ACHIEVING A RELATIVE IMMUNITY TO STRESS: 5 TOOLS

Don Goewey, founder of the popular PROAttitude stress solution training program—which has earned a 4.7 (out of 5) on the Likert scale with 98% of participants recommending it to others—shares his Starter Kit for Resetting the Brain’s Auto Pilot from Stressed to Stress-Free. Learn more at proattitude.com.

START EACH DAY IN QUIET

Wake up ahead of the rush to begin each day with five minutes of quiet. Do the following exercises: close your eyes, follow your breathing, feel appreciation for the good things in your life, and set the intention to have a great day, achieve meaningful results in your work, and sustain a mental attitude of peace.

According to Goewey, studies show that when individuals consciously frame their day in this manner, they experience more positive emotions and more interest in their work.

BUST NEGATIVE THOUGHTS

Prevent a stressful thought pattern from creating a stress reaction with these actions:

Be aware of stressful, anxiety-producing situations.



Notice the negative emotions that stressful thoughts carry and the perception of threat they produce.



Don’t try to change those thoughts; simply observe them.



Recognize that the stressful thought is in you, not in reality. Take a moment to recognize the truth.



Finally, stop believing in the stressful thought. When you don’t believe a negative thought it has no power; it doesn’t turn into stress or anxiety.

USE THE CLEAR BUTTON

Spare your brain enormous wear and tear by utilizing the Clear Button. Here’s how:

Imagine a button at the center of your palm that, when pushed, sends a signal to the primitive brain to stop negative, stressful, or pessimistic thinking or judgments.



Press the button—and keep pressing as you become aware of your breath.



Take a breath. On the inhale count “1,” and on the exhale think red.



Take another breath. On the inhale count “2,” and on the exhale think blue.



Take a third breath. On the inhale count “3,” and on the exhale think green.



Take one more breath. On the exhale, let your mind go—completely.



Assert your intention to be at peace as you relate to whatever challenge you face.

TAKE BREAKS

Every 90 minutes or so take a break from your work. Step outside or go to a window and see what Mother Earth is doing. Let your mind relax. Researchers have found that blood flow to the brain networks responsible for memory and learning increases during breaks.