Screw flat abs — what we really need these days are stress reduction tips!  Fortunately, yesterday I attended an industry conference that concluded with a fantastic quick talk by Sharon Melnick, Ph.D., who helps “talented and successful people get out of their own way.” If the ten minutes in which she captivated me are any indication, I have no doubt that she is incredibly good at what she does.

Sharon spent ten years at Harvard Medical School conducting tons of research, and bubbled up four “how to reduce stress” bullet points for the audience (folks trying to get their arms around the changing landscape of the print industry, etc.). Her advice?

1. Be impeccable for your 50%. The challenge of stress reduction is not about “managing stress” or “managing time”; it’s about managing your self! “Stress is not out there; it’s in here,” she reminded us, and is “a perception of your own creation.” (Ashton Kutcher would probably agree!) To reduce stress, try reverse breathing: Open your mouth and breath in so that you feel a cooling sensation on the top of your tongue; breathe out through your nose. “Reverse breathing leaches toxins from your liver,” noted Sharon, and lets you “take charge of your own chill” – even while on a conference call.
2. Come to work on your own terms. “Who do you want to be? Articulate that self in detail and allow that to become your filter. Think, feel, and respond to events in service of that person. Shift the “power-digm”!” I, of course, love this – step one in the DinnerGrrls.org Hierarchy of Career Nirvana, after all, is “Know Yourself” followed by “Know Your Bliss”. Framing your work day with your longer-term self in mind is always a good idea. (And probably is connected to saying hello to octogenarian you!)
3. Be a better DJ of your mental iPod. “Humans have 60,000 thoughts per day, and that inner self-talk is a mental iPod. What kind of DJ are you? How many of us play a soundtrack that prevents us from being our best self?” (At this point, my mental thought was: Sharon Melnick is awesome.) Pay attention, be mindful, and “be a better DJ of your own mental iPod. And remember,” she added, “the way you talk to yourself is the way you talk to others, including colleagues, superiors, and even your children.” Cultivate that better self in every thing that you say – even in the confines of your own mind!
4. Strengthen your nervous system. Doing this will help you grow more resilient. Our nervous systems, she explained, are made up of two parts: the sympathetic and the parasympathetic. The sympathetic is what helped us run away from woolly mammoths; you may have heard of it referred to as “fight or flight”. It’s reactive and makes you focused and energized – which can be good! However, we’re a bit out of balance these days; the parasympathetic is supposed to balance it out. It’s the “calm, big-picture perspective, connected, and creative” side of our nervous system. (Mewonders if it’s connected to alpha-waves?) How can we achieve more balance between the sympathetic and the parasympatheic? “Yoga is great for a temporary hit” (and Sharon encourages yoga!) but you can actually retrain your nervous system with a breathing technique: breathe in through your nose for five seconds, hold for five, then exhale for five. Do this for just a minute and see what happens! (Master yogis can do it for twenty seconds, apparently!) The best part about this technique is that you can strengthen your nervous system while sitting in a meeting, and no one will be the wiser.

Sharon Melnick is awesome and I can’t rave enough about her!  You can learn more about her, and her work, by clicking here.

Sharon advises figuring out who you want to be so that you can come to work on your own terms.  But how?  Discuss on our forums!

Photo credit: Green Pearl.