Membership Meeting Recap: Working Without Stress

You’ve probably noticed people experience and respond to situations differently. Some people lose sleep trying to figure out how they’ll meet a project deadline. Others seem to thrive in the face of a challenge. No matter what, stress affects us all and is largely brought on by “rumination” — or thinking about events over and over and attaching a negative emotion to it.

Alex Willis, founder and CEO of Leadership Surge, joined us for our May membership meeting to deliver a high-energy presentation on coping with professional and personal stress. As a former walk-on University of Florida football player who later had a successful career as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer, he learned a thing or two about stressful situations.

“Stress lives in two places: In the past, where you’re thinking about all the bad things you can’t go back and change, and in the future — the what-ifs,” Alex said to a room full of SMACNA Greater Chicago members. “There are things we can control, and there are things we can’t control. You have to start asking yourself: Have I done all the things that I can do? If you have … let it go.”

Rumination can cause health issues (brought on by increased adrenaline and cortisol), decreased productivity and constant negative emotions. But with some effort and a shift in mindset, there are ways to reduce the amount of stress in our lives, both in the workplace and at home:

WAKE UP
Focus on the present, not the past or future.

CONTROL YOUR ATTENTION
Train your mind and practice focusing consciously.

DETACH
Get some space to maintain perspective.

LET GO
Don’t continue to ruminate. Let it go.