Creating Your Way to Less Stress

What is Stress? Physical, mental, or emotional strain or tension” A condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize According to the American Institute of Stress (yes, that’s a real thing) Stress is Physical, mental, or emotional strain or tension” A condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize

What is Stress? Can’t define “most” or “least” stressful occupations Not the job but the person-environment fit that matters Police state that paperwork is more stressful than the dangers of pursuing criminals The association has several groups that have done studies on workplace stress and they found that Can’t define “most” or “least” stressful occupations Not the job but the person-environment fit that matters Police state that paperwork is more stressful than the dangers of pursuing criminals

The main causes of stress in the workplace are 46% is the workload 28% is people issues 20% said it juggling work and personal lives 6% said it is lack of job security

Stress in the Workplace 40% of workers reported their job was very or extremely stressful 25% view their jobs as the number one stressor in their lives Three fourths of employees believe that workers have more on-the-job stress than a generation ago 29% of workers felt quite a bit or extremely stressed at work 26 percent of workers said they were “often or very often burned out or stressed by their work” Job stress is more strongly associated with health complaints than financial or family problems 40% of workers reported their job was very or extremely stressful 25% view their jobs as the number one stressor in their lives Three fourths of employees believe that workers have more on-the-job stress than a generation ago 29% of workers felt quite a bit or extremely stressed at work 26 percent of workers said they were “often or very often burned out or stressed by their work” Job stress is more strongly associated with health complaints than financial or family problems

So What Can We Do? So how do we juggle without blowing up?

The Connection Between Art, Healing, and Public Health There is a relationship between engagement with the creative arts and health outcomes In 2017 the American Journal of Public Health published a study by Heather L. Stuckey and Jeremy Nobel that started the conversation that There is a relationship between engagement with the creative arts and health outcomes

Specifically mentioned with positive health effects of music engagement, visual arts therapy, movement-based creative expression, and expressive writing. Many cultures have embraced the idea that creative expression can make a powerful contribution to the healing process. Art therapy has now been used clinically for more than a century and in 1991 it has become a recognized profession.

Developed by Bob McKim it will help get your juices flowing. 3 minute timer – go ahead and draw anything you like in each circle. Doodle – fill in as many of the circles into recognizable objects. The goal is quantity, not quality. Go. Now lets compare results – how many people filled all 30? 20? 10? Did you draw similar items like food, types of balls? Faces, cookies, planet? Did anyone break the rules and combine two or more circles to make something? Was that a rule that was implied? Look at your neighbors circles – did you draw similar items?

Suni Brown, the author of The Doodle Revolution stated Great thinkers used doodling It enhances recall & activates unique neurological pathways Can help lead to new insights and cognitive breakthroughs Sign up for a class for something you have never done – gardening, sewing, writing, cooking, pottery, woodworking, new language, new instrument Create an environment for creativity – Google has volleyball court, free drinks, an adult playground – what can you do to suggest a good environment? Move your body – dancing – go for a walk, theater pros run their lines using different poses and positions Start a sketchbook – instead of fiddling on your phone, buy a small sketchbook and sketch when you have a few minutes of time Keep toys on your desk – legos, play dough, origami, building something with your hands as opposed to typing can give a jolt to what you need Engage in Flash Fiction – form a writing using 100 words to tell a story from start-to-finish based on a prompt 30-Circles Test Role-Play – not just for Comic-Con (no judgement) It can help you develop new solutions to existing problems by putting yourself in the shoes of a client, customer or co-worker

According to the American Art Therapy Association, coloring definitely has therapeutic potential to reduce anxiety, create focus or bring about more mindfulness. It allows one to switch off your brain from other thoughts and focus only on the moment, helping to alleviate free-floating activity. Crayola has created a line of adult coloring books and a coloring book by Johanna Basford topped the Amazon.com bestselling book list!

A clinical study commissioned by the Home Sewing Association reveals that people who sew – both skilled as well as novice sewers – experience a significant drop in heart rate, blood pressure, and perspiration rate when compared to others who participate in other leisure-time activities. The results appear to indicate that sewing helps to relax while they focus on a creative activity. The belief is that sewing involves the muscles and the mind, promoting healthier body synergy, and that because sewing as been so successful at promoting relaxation among women who sew that it may be better than therapy. I am going to attest to this fact to be true.

What is your plan to create your way to less stress? Call to Action What is your plan to create your way to less stress?