How to Handle Stress and Deal With Uncertainty

Digital Enterprise Society is the authority on the transformation to a digital enterprise, impacting all areas of an organization. Tune in for discussions among industry leaders about operations and action needed to drive digitization principles forward for the future of product development and life cycles.    In today’s episode, Thom Singer welcomes stress management expert Eliz Greene to discuss the importance of managing stress while dealing with uncertainty in your career and your life.  Eliz survived a heart attack at 35 while 7 months pregnant with twins and she has joined the podcast to share simple ways to bring stress levels down in any situation.  This timely advice applies to all of us as we are dealing with uncertainties surrounding the pandemic, and it can help you both advance your career and improve your life.  She explains that even though you may not be able to control all of the uncertainties in your life, you do have the power to master your stress levels and perform like a pro in any situation.    On today’s podcast, you will learn: Controlling for the uncertainty that causes stress Eliz shares the experience that led her to focus on controlling for the uncertainty that causes stress. How do you feel about stress?  Achieving work-life balance may not actually be as important as taking control over other stresses in your life.  93% of respondents in Eliz’s survey indicated that slowing their pace in the workplace and reducing uncertainty would be more beneficial than achieving work-life balance. A physical reaction to uncertainty is natural for our bodies, but that doesn’t mean it has to take over our daily lives.   Why should you master your stress levels?  Managing stress is not a soft skill — it is an essential life skill that keeps us balanced and properly functioning.  Stress itself is not a bad thing — the boost of energy that comes with a cortisol boost is how we get things done. Staying in a high stress level all of the time is not only bad for your physical health, it’s damaging to your mental health.   Ways to reduce your stress level Raise your heart rate and let it come back down to signal to your body that it’s okay to let go of stress-induced cortisol.  Slow and lengthen your breath and clear your mind through meditation of any form.  Recognize how you best disengage from stress, either by choosing to do nothing or by staying highly occupied, and then give yourself permission to actually do it.  Staying connected with your coworkers while working remotely is essential to managing stress.    How can managing stress help your career?  People are unable to work well when they’re stressed out, but you can avoid burnout by learning how to manage your stress proactively. If you can effectively handle incoming stresses then you can perform well where others are unable to. Reducing stress will increase your creativity and critical-thinking skills. Do you have an example of extraordinary efforts or innovation during these unprecedented times? We would love to hear your story and possibly interview you for an upcoming episode. Please reach out to us at www.DigitalEnterpriseSociety.org