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  1. Meditation

A recent study indicates that the practice of meditation reduces psychological and physiologic response to stress factors.

The Basics: Workplace stress and burnout are insidious problems that can affect your performance at work and personal health of an individual. Making efforts to control stress may be good for the heart and your health, and now you can ease your mind, too! Recent research has shown that Transcendental Meditation (TM) has demonstrated a positive impact on emotional distress when tested on a small group of secondary school teachers and support staff.

More Detail: One way that people have tried to cope with stress is with meditation. There are different types of meditation. The meditation practice listed in the study above is called Transcendental Meditation or TM. TM practices:

  1. Focused attention
  2. Being mindful
  3. Living non-judgmentally

TM teachers claim that if you practice this type of meditation regularly, one can achieve a greater feeling of inner calm throughout the day, experience reduced Cortisol (known as the “stress hormone”) levels and lessened feelings of anxiety and depression amongst other health claims.

Some people find meditation and visualization techniques helpful when trying to relax or achieve goals. If you are not ready to embrace a yogi lifestyle, but you feel like you are on fast-forward – try five minutes of “me” time. Start with five minutes per day thinking about nothing. That’s right – thinking about nothing. It may be harder than you think. Most people find their mind begins to wander to the daily “to-do” list or daily stressors. If this happens, reset and begin to clear the mind again. Begin or end your day with five minutes of clearing out your mind, if you find a sense of calm – then meditation may be for you. Seek out books, classes or relaxation music to build your meditation muscles.

  1. Upbeat Conversation

Negativity can be contagious, lower productivity, and slow people down from doing the task-at-hand. It spreads to other associates and bogs down efficiency. Instead choose ways to add to a productive spirit which will help elevate those around you. To boost morale and motivate a harder work ethic, try complimenting co-workers on a job well done and celebrating goals achieved. Choose to see the positive and reinforce that optimism within the workplace.

  1. Being Solution-Driven

Are you adding to the problem or searching for a solution? Rather than making excuses and using phrases like, "Well in my defense no one told me," or "So you're saying it's my fault," or "It's not my job," replace them with a solution-minded approach. Instead, try:

  • Asking for clarification if you don't understand
  • Presenting plans and options, and seeking feedback from peers and leadership
  • Having a can-do attitude (remember choose your attitude!)

Remember teamwork also aids in the solution process. Be open to collaborating if it means a better overall outcome. There may be many possible solutions, so be open to hearing out other’s ideas, as well.

  1. A Focused Mindset

Striving for work-life balance means finding the sweet spot between your work life and your home life. In other words, don’t let the drama in your personal life affect your work life, and vice versa. You’ll be surprised what you can accomplish when the other isn’t blurring your focus. The same is be said about bringing your work stresses home. Be fully present and engrossed with work when you are at work, and fully engaged with home when you are at home.

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Thomas Glimp, MD

Thomas H. Glimp, MD joined Medcor in 1994. Tom is board certified in internal medicine and in emergency medicine. Dr. Glimp’s clinical affairs team provides standards, scope, guidelines and protocols, quality assurance, and other support for Medcor’s clinical services and staff.

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