Treat Stress Now

Business Stress In The Midst Of Grief Stress

Business stress, financial stress, grief stress… Understanding these five changes will help you get through it and into a far brighter, lower stress life.

If the stress of grief has you in a debilitating vice grip, you really need to be aware of these Five Stages of Change, and what that means for the grief process you are experiencing. I’ve helped numerous people suffering from grief to move forward simply by making them understand that what they are feeling is normal. There’s nothing wrong with them.  It’s O.K to feel this way at this stage. And it will pass!

One late-sixties widower was even about to enter a psychiatric facility because his family thought he was stuck in too deep a depression at eight months after his wife’s death. His whole emotional state and outlook changed the very day he understood that he was O.K. He gained hope again, a brighter outlook for tomorrow, a skip in his step… all from an understanding of where he was, and that it would pass.

You see, I’ve been through those horrors with the sudden death of my husband plus much more death and destruction piled on top of each other. I know how debilitating these ultimate stressors can be.

And I know how important it is not to get stuck in any one phase, but to get through it. I love the encouraging title and substance of what Oral Roberts once wrote about going through the dark valleys of life. It’s a little booklet entitled “Don’t Park Here!”

Wow, that struck a familiar chord with me. Doesn’t that make so much sense to you, too? No, I’m NOT going to “park here” but move on toward better times!

It’s the same in business. If executive stress, professional stress - or whatever you want to call your stress in business or your own financial stress - is sucking your energy, playing havoc with your health and relationships, your moods and focus, ruining your work efficiency and productivity, then you need to understand this:

“The same Five Stages of Change apply if you want to relieve this stress and move your life and business forward. If you want finally to make a real, positive Impact on your world and life!” ~ Ken McArthur

Years ago, when I was newly recruited Senior Vice President, Corporate Planning in a major financial institution in charge of implementing massive change in the corporate culture on top of all else, I attended an intense, week-long Executive Seminar at the Darden School, University of Virginia - “Managing Organizational And Individual Change.”

That’s when I first learned about these cycles of change - the same for catastrophic illness, death, and business. I had undergone so many major changes in education, career, geography, and life, and now was a pregnant corporate executive (talk about life changes!), that the instructor enthusiastically requested to use me as a case study!

Little did I know that my greatest changes and challenges lay ahead . . . and how the five stages I learned in this business course would hold me in good stead when I later faced the overwhelming debilitation of grief stress, compounded by mega financial stress from assumption of my deceased husband’s huge business losses.

But I didn’t “park there.”

One of the best, most succinct explanations I have seen of these five phases is by Ken McArthur, a savvy advisor, internet marketer, coach, mentor, and friend at TheImpactFactor.com/blog. Ken goes on to ask this probing question:

“So where are you and what can you do to really change the results of your business, your actions and your life?”

And he gives answers. Not one to leave you hanging, but a truly caring and brilliant man who always offers solutions, Ken lists some simple steps to move you forward, so you don’t “park there!”

IMPACT - Changing Your Life For Maximum Stress Relief and Impact

It seems that nothing relieves stress more than the feeling that you are moving forward, you have a future, and you are making a difference. I highly recommend Ken’s powerful book, “IMPACT: How To Get Noticed, Motivate Millions, And Make A Difference In A Noisy World.”

It’s improved my life, as I am certain it will yours. You can get Ken McArthur’s great book “IMPACT” here.

You’ll be glad you did!

By Margaret Hampton

-MargHamp on Twitter

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Executives eat stress for breakfast, lunch, and dinner but they do not complain. To an executive, stress is as much a part of the job as the salary and the job description, and some even become “stress junkies.”  They seemingly thrive on it… for a while.

Executives do whatever needs to get done without minding the clock or how worn out they have been feeling. After all, they spent years doing things better and faster than their peers so they could get ahead. Now that they are where they want to be (at the top or close to it), it’s the deadline and the output that matters more than anything else.

Or is it really?

To Chris Green, the answer is a resounding “NO!” The author of ‘Conquering Stress – How To Find Natural Anxiety, Depression and Stress Relief’ suffered chronic stress for years before he came to recognize the wear and tear that stress was putting his body.  Eyebags and depression were the least of his worries.  He was losing weight, was constantly unhappy, experienced headaches and back aches all the time, and always woke up tired.

There’s a real problem with feeling all of these every day.  Instead of allowing you to function at the optimal levels expected of a hardworking executive, stress makes you work slower, lousier. You do see the irony in this, don’t you? You push yourself to do more only to end up achieving less - a lot, lot less.
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I honestly don’t imagine it comes as any surprise to you to learn that many people suffer from stress and related issues like depression and anxiety. Are you one of them?

We tend to give a long list of reasons for our condition, and many of them do play a role.  Could be the office causing incredible executive stress.  Or performance driven stress at school or sports.  Or grief, parenthood, relationship stress, aging stress, caregiver stress…

But how to get a handle on the causes of our stress?  On the stress triggers?  And to find a way to manage stress?

There’s great stress related information out there, but it’s in so many places, it’s hard to decide where to start… until now.  I found a fabulous resource.  If you are looking for stress articles to help you eliminate depression, anxiety and stress, you should read Conquering Stress before you do anything else.

I’m not making any claims; I’m only going to say that I urge you to consider learning more.

Do you know the true root of your stress and anxiety?

Do you understand that medications do not fix the problem?

There are so many aspects to learn, but you can master it.  Actually, doing so will eliminate your need for stress articles, medications, therapy and more.  You have to think things through with logic, and understand what Conquering Stress teaches.  The best way to do this is learn for yourself, of course.  Those who have done so already are sleeping soundly, waking with energy, enjoying mental clarity.  And they can do this because they now understand why happiness isn’t the key to feeling better, and what they should be asking the doctor.

Again, there is so much to learn and apply that I can’t do the discussion justice in this short space. But you can continue to inform and educate yourself about what you need to know for your personal stress situation.  This resource simplifies your search for quality help!
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There are a lot of things that come with the job that only those who experience it understand.  The amount of nursing stress some people take home and live with daily can begin to impact everyday life in negative ways.  Perhaps you or someone you know suffers from stress related conditions or symptoms such as anxiety, depression, weight gain, social avoidance and more.  Each person handles and manifests their stress differently, but you know if you’re not feeling yourself.  Thanks to research and the accessibility of information online, you now have options you didn’t have previously and one of them is worth learning more about for certain.  You can gain control over your life if you learn about stress; the triggers, the management and the truth, which has nothing to do with taking medications.
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