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If you’re like me, you’ve probably seen endless variations of the “Keep Calm and Carry On” meme in Facebook feeds. Politicians and pundits are extorting Americans to keep their cool as we enter the “silly season” of the presidential campaign. The need to keep calm has reached a tipping point in popular culture, and there’s a sound reason for this. The fact is, staying calm can help you stay healthy, and living with chronic stress — job-related or otherwise — can make you sick.
Fellow PR execs already know how easily one can lose one’s cool when a crisis hits, when your client is blindsided by a competitor, or when a breaking news story squashes your campaign launch. It’s easy to become overpowered by stress. And while intermittent stress can actually improve mental performance, according to a study from the University of California, Berkeley, once it becomes chronic it can lead to loss of memory, obesity, heart disease and depression.
Keeping calm, therefore, is serious business — especially as people grow in their careers and take on new and greater responsibilities — and it deserves strong consideration as a resolution for the New Year. I’ve developed a few techniques to keep a level head when things get crazy, like literally walking around the block to regain focus, which recently helped when I had to re-shuffle work to accommodate a massive and urgent client request. Here are some other workplace strategies that may help you keep calm, positive and productive:
Breathe. Specifically, take a breath (ideally, a few steady deep breaths) when the pressure is on, or when you’re tempted to make a quick decision on a call or during a meeting. It’s the best way to force yourself to consider a more measured and thoughtful approach.
Exercise. It’s the healthiest way to release and prevent stress, and offers many significant benefits to overall wellbeing.
Listen. We’ve all been there: a question or comment is raised and you give in to the temptation to cut them off with a response. Next time, make a point of listening carefully; you’ll be a better team player and will have more time to give a truly insightful reply.
Use your support system. Trying to tackle everything by yourself only causes more stress.
Disconnect. Making yourself available to colleagues and clients 24/7 exposes yourself to a constant stream of potential stressors, so force yourself to go (and stay) offline regularly.
Take time to be grateful. “Gratitude” is a New Age-y buzzword, but consciously feeling gratitude — whether for successes, talented colleagues, meaningful work or anything else — has been shown to improve mood, energy, and physical well-being.
Get enough sleep. There’s no better way to let your brain recharge.
There are terabytes of other tips and information online about reducing workplace stress and staying positive and calm. Thankfully, more and more employers are now offering wellness benefits designed to reduce stress, like meditation, yoga and mindfulness trainings. Check them out, and hopefully you’ll be motivated to keep your cool in 2016. Your body and mind will thank you.
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Tom Rovine is a vice president at Cooney Waters Unlimited.
Lo Isidro, senior director at Real Chemistry with more than a decade of strategic communications and PA experience, has joined Narrative Strategies.
Nelson Fernandez, former North American chair of APCO Worldwide and managing director of Burson-Marsteller, has joined Volunteers in Medicine Berkshires as director of communications and PA.
Lilit Bargar, who was most recently an EVP in the healthcare practice at Weber Shandwick, comes on board at GCI Health as EVP, corporate practice lead.
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