“One and then the two, two and then the three,
three and then the four. Then you gotta breathe.”
Fabolous
Stress in the office can trigger the Fight or Flight Response
When your back’s against the wall, you better make your next move your best move. Stay on the wall too long and you may realize that you’re standing in front of a firing squad. Get off the wall too quick and you may be springing into disaster. Without knowing the intricate details of your particular situation, it’s impossible to provide meaningful insights. Too many variables, too much complexity, and not enough time … all equal a high likelihood of you scapegoating me or even better: you suing me (Litigation the “other” American pastime). However, what I’ll tell you is timeless. Simple but timeless. You need to breathe.
Fabolous was right. You gotta breathe.
This simple act sets you on the path to calming down and working things out. To be clear, we’re talking about stress in the office. I’m not talking about getting bum rushed outside of the office (at a party, a sports venue, or home). In that instance, listen to these immortal words of a highly trained martial artist and an all around badass. “If you’re about to get jumped, run like your life depends on it … especially if it’s your wife!” Ahh, such sage advice. But I digress. We’ll talk about conflict resolution at another time. Right now let’s focus on getting through the day and delivering the impossible on time. (FedEx I’m open to having a conversation, if you want to update your tagline. “Delivering the impossible on time.” 😉
Good things happen when you breathe. First thing is you get out of your own head.
Let’s walk through it now. Stop complaining. Leaders have a bias for action. On y va …
✔ Step 1: Find a quiet place. Can’t find one. Do it right where you are. Sitting or standing. Doesn’t matter.
✔ Step 2: Don’t just breathe. Breathe deeply. In through your nose and out through your mouth. Take your time.
✔ Step 3: Close your eyes and breathe (deeply remember).
* Let’s add one more thing since everyone loves multi-tasking these days.
✔ Step 4: Close your eyes, breathe, and chase any thoughts out of your head.
Do this for one minute. Then do it for another minute. For the best results, add one more minute and then open your eyes. For my friends who are mathematically challenged, that was three minutes. (You’re welcome.)
Back to Reality.
Now that you’re starting to feel calmer … keep breathing—but remember you’re not practicing breath control. You have to deliver the impossible on time. So pinpoint the problem you need to solve. Write it down. I like numbered lists because you can quickly change prioritizations. But do what you like here. White board. Tablet with touch stylus. Good old-fashioned pencil and paper. Doesn’t matter. Don’t overthink it. Keep breathing. Notice something? You’re not just breathing. You’re excited. You’re running headfirst. You know what you’re solving for. Good. This is your story. You write the ending. I’ll give you one more tip.
No one likes giving bad news, but it must be given immediately.
That’s the only way disastrous results can be mitigated. So based on the day you’re having … it might make sense to update your boss and let her know that you’re going to need more time. No, stop gasping for air. Calm down. We just talked about this. Remember what Fabolous said? You gotta to breathe … “One and then the two, two and then the three, three and then the four …”