STRATEGIES FOR WORKING REMOTELY The options for dealing with stress fall broadly into four categories: • Health. When we exercise too much or too little, sleep too much or too little, and fail to take opportunities to rest and relax, we put stress upon our health. A failure to protect our health may also be a clue to underlying problems. For example, sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, teeth grinding, arthritic pain and allergies may all interfere with sleep. By staying within healthy parameters, we give our bodies time to repair and rejuvenate and our minds a chance to make creative connections that fizzle out among the constant interruptions and challenges of daily life. Restoring health begins with a visit to a physician, followed by learning specific techniques to overcome physical and emotional challenges. • Habits. Self-medicating and self-soothing behaviors often emerge when we are stressed. Cigarettes, alcohol, drugs and sugar are among the items we turn to when we ignore stress or refuse to deal with it. The stress trigger becomes a cue (“I can’t think straight”), which leads to a routine (“I have to get away from here”) and provides the soothing reward (“I’ll go out for a smoke”). Habits may be broken and rebuilt when we understand the cue/routine/reward cycle and how to make the cycle work to our benefit. • Mindfulness. Our minds are tricky—they may constantly ruminate about the past, worry about the future or shut down in an effort to find temporary relief. They are seldom here, in the moment. Mindfulness brings us back to the here and now, and to appreciation and gratitude for what we have. It breaks the stress of always thinking about what might have been, what might happen and what we cannot have. Among mindfulness activities are visualization, focused breathing, practices like qigong and yoga, and distractions like counting your steps as you walk (rather than revisiting your anger once again, for example). • Skills. No one teaches us how to be a team member or leader at work or, for that matter, a partner or parent at home. The skills we need to communicate well, deal with conflict, avoid discriminatory behavior, foster productivity and engagement, and so on can be learned — and once learned, they reduce our workplace stress considerably. Even mentor relationships benefit from professional advice on giving and receiving mentoring. “I know how to handle this” is a very satisfying feeling.
Row the Boat Minnesota Golden Gophers Head Coach P.J. Fleck and bestselling author Jon Gordon deliver an inspiring message about what a person can achieve when he or she approaches life with a never-give-up philosophy. The book shows how to choose enthusiasm and optimism as one’s guiding lights instead of being defined by circumstances and events outside one’s control. Perfect for athletes, coaches, business leaders and anyone else who hopes to squeeze a little more enjoyment and productivity out of life, Row the Boat will propel leaders, teams and organizations to greater heights than they have ever reached before. Row the Boat: A Never-Give-Up Approach to Lead with Enthusiasm and Optimism and Improve Your Team and Culture Jon Gordon and P.J. Fleck Wiley
According to the American Psychological Association, stress causes U.S. businesses, at a minimum, $300 billion a year.
Available 6/9/2021
$23
Be Where Your Feet Are When we’re moving at 115 mph, we rarely see the wall coming. But it comes for all of us and when it does, we grasp for lessons, for meaning, for purpose. Each moment (good or bad) and each win or loss provides us an opportunity to learn, and, if we choose to take it, that opportunity can change our lives — and the world — for the better. The human spirit craves connection. Authenticity. Belonging. Touch. Gratitude. Purpose. We need to make our interactions count. Whether it’s dealing with the death of a friend, loss of a job, a bad break-up or the isolation of COVID-19, those who manage to be where their feet are will grow, stretch and emerge stronger, smarter and more prepared as we find peace and gratitude in the pause. Be Where Your Feet Are: Seven Principles to Keep You Present, Grounded, and Thriving Scott O’Neil
272 pages
St. Martin’s Essentials
Available 6/1/2021
$25.99
Creative Directions Creative Directions is a management masterclass in which
OVERCOMING RELUCTANCE
With all the various techniques, programs and experts at our disposal, why do we hesitate to deal with stress? In addition to the belief that stress is inevitable, that ignoring it is laudable and that bowing to it is a moral failure, we face the stigma associated with any referral to a doctor, mental health practitioner or coach. That stigma may find its roots in a desire to be perfect, harnessed to a secret conviction that we are far from perfect and therefore need to hide anything we consider a weakness. It may also arise from a desire to transform ourselves into something we aren’t — thinner, smarter, more successful, more in command — leading us to try paths that compromise our physical, mental and emotional health. We may also simply be afraid. What part of ourselves will we lose during meditation? How much respect will we lose if anyone finds out we are addicted to stimulants? What if we are expected to do more and be better when we are already struggling? This reluctance is in itself a source of stress. However, there are practitioners out there who will meet us where we are; offer a range of options; and provide the time, resources and skills needed to deal with stress. We do need to deal with it. The personal, organizational and social costs of stress are simply way too high.
144 pages
readers attend lectures and seminars as they learn from some of the best in the business, including directors Ava DuVernay (When They See Us) and Joe Russo (Avengers: Endgame); two-time Academy Award-winning editor Angus Wall (The Social Network); executive producers from hit TV shows like “The Simpsons” and “GLOW”; and creative directors and leaders at businesses like Amazon, Apple, Disney, TikTok and more. All these lessons are provided in an attractive, easily accessible format so that readers can open the book to any page and find some actionable or inspirational insight or strategy. Readers will receive essential guidance on how to master the delicate balance required to successfully lead a creative team, like how to relinquish control while keeping the focus where it needs to be. Creative Directions: Mastering the Transition from Talent to Leader Jason Sperling HarperCollins Leadership
320 pages Available 6/1/2021
$32.99
39 JUNE 2021 INBUSINESSPHX.COM
