Are you stressed?

Are you feeling stressed? You may be thinking, “Who isn’t?”  This time of year may be a factor.  For some, the year is winding down. For others you are frantically trying to tie loose ends together.  If you find yourself dragging at work and frazzled to the core, I have some suggestions that will help energize you now and all through the year. 

Stay away from energy vampires.  What’s an energy vampire?  You probably know who they are. They’re the people who suck the energy out of you every time you are with them.  Sometimes they’re know-it-alls. Other times they simply complain—about everything.  I’ve worked with a few over the years. My best strategy was to simply avoid them. One guy I worked with was an expert on everything. How did I know? He told everyone who would listen. What was worse, he would then share with anyone who would listen how everyone else was doing things wrong.  A few minutes of listening to his complaints about policies, people and procedures would leave you dragging.  That’s hardly what you need in business today.  If you can’t avoid these people, stop them.  One woman told this energy vampire when he started his rants, “Jim, you’ll have to stop. I’m not taking any complaints today.”  That worked. He had nothing to say. 

Surround yourself with your personal cheering squad.  This may sound dramatic, but do you know who wants you to achieve your dreams? You should find out who these people are in your life.  These are your champions and you need to surround yourself with them. You can spot them because your champions find it easy to give you sincere compliments. Another way to know who they are is by their consistency.  What they say about you in public is the same thing they say in private.  They also do a great job of listening to you when you simply need to talk.  You probably notice that they want the best for you and they don’t compete with you.  Surround yourself with as many of these people as possible and nurture these relationships. You’ll need your champions especially when projects get difficult and you’re having bad days.  Because your champions believe in your success, they’ll help provide you with the hope you need to move forward.  When things look impossible, often what you need is someone who you respect telling you that you can do it.

Sure it’s stressful this time of year. The stress doesn’t have to consume you though. Stay away from vampires and it won't.