{"id":22724,"date":"2021-08-30T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-30T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.appreciationatwork.com\/?p=22724"},"modified":"2021-08-26T13:29:04","modified_gmt":"2021-08-26T18:29:04","slug":"practical-steps-for-reducing-the-stress-of-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.appreciationatwork.com\/blog\/practical-steps-for-reducing-the-stress-of-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Practical Steps for Reducing the Stress of COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This blog is the second of a two-part series written primarily for those who provide services to our senior adults (but is applicable to us all).<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In last week\u2019s blog<\/a> we discussed that stress is the result when perceived demands are greater than perceived resources. This week we want to focus on ways to cope with and reduce stress.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steps for reducing your stress<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Incorporating this model of stress is vital for successfully coping with the daily demands in your life and how you lead others.\u00a0This model provides four different ways to reduce the stress we experience in our lives:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.Reduce perceived demands.<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0Take all of those expectations of \u201cthe way things should be\u201d when life was \u201cnormal\u201d (pre-pandemic) and critically evaluate them. Are my expectations for myself and for others too high?\u00a0Are they realistic and sustainable given our current circumstances?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.Reduce actual demands.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>This may seem impossible, but it\u2019s not.\u00a0Yes, there are demands you have to meet (if you are going to continue to be a licensed provider of services). But there are also activities, habits and traditions that have developed over time (and are good things to do when you have the resources) that aren\u2019t currently needed in order for you to survive the present ordeal we are going through.\u00a0No, you don\u2019t have to organize a field trip to the zoo or do the annual holiday pageant at the local theater.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.Increase perceived resources.<\/strong><\/em> Times and circumstances occur where we have access to resources, but we won\u2019t allow ourselves to access them. The simplest example is asking for help.\u00a0Sometimes we have more tasks to accomplish within a time period than we realistically have the time or energy to do so.\u00a0One solution is to ask for some help from a colleague. But for some (including all groups \u2013 professionals, clinicians and frontline staff), asking for help is anathema \u2013 against a strong belief they hold that asking for help displays weakness on their part.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this limits accessing resources that are available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4.Increase actual resources.<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0Again, this may seem impossible \u2013 we all only have 24 hours in a day, and financial resources are limited. But there are <\/em>ways we can create additional resources. We get more energy when we rest and sleep.\u00a0Recreational activities are designed to help us re-energize \u2013 listening to or playing music, engaging in artistic and craft activities, playing games, socializing with friends, laughing and exercise \u2013 all are ways we can create more resources to cope with the demands in our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we combine some aspects from all four areas, the results can be significant. The stress we experience then is, at least, manageable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning from those who have gone before us<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The COVID-19 pandemic is not the first crisis to threaten the health and ongoing existence of societies and countries. Additionally, there are (unfortunately) numerous man-made disruptions that lasted for years which individuals and families had to struggle through in order to survive \u2013 the U.S. Civil War, the Thirty-Years’ War in Europe, and World War II. Fortunately, we can learn from those who survived these long-term tragedies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Probably, the most poignant examples come from those who survived the Holocaust. They were victims of long-term social denigration and ostracization, economic discrimination, isolation, emotional trauma and physical torture \u2013 to the point that millions lost their lives. But some who survived the concentration camps shared how they survived, and the mental component was usually at the center of their strategies \u2013 maintaining hope, focusing on the \u201clittle things\u201d that brought beauty into their lives and remembering those who were important to them. (A great example is the book Man\u2019s Search for Meaning <\/em>by Viktor Frankl.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One lesson is this \u2013 while none of us are truly in control of the forces that shape our lives, we are<\/em> in control of our daily choices and of how we choose to perceive the circumstances we find ourselves in. One hallmark characteristic of those who survive difficult times is gratitude <\/em>\u2013 being thankful for what you have now and what you\u2019ve been blessed to experience in your life. Being grateful helps us focus on the positive aspects of our lives rather than giving all of our time and emotional energy to negative circumstances over which we have no control.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This blog is the second of a two-part series written primarily for those who provide services to our senior adults (but is applicable to us all). In last week\u2019s blog we discussed that stress is the result when perceived demands are greater than perceived resources. This week we want to focus on ways to cope… Continue reading…<\/a>","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[63,67,27],"tags":[2261,411,201],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nPractical Steps for Reducing the Stress of COVID-19 - Appreciation at Work<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How do we manage and cope with the stress caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic when it affects both our work and personal lives?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.appreciationatwork.com\/blog\/practical-steps-for-reducing-the-stress-of-covid-19\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Practical Steps for Reducing the Stress of COVID-19 - 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