Enjoy a Stress-Managed Life

It's November, the end of the year is approaching, final project due dates are coming up, and the holiday planning is just around the corner. Nothing ruins the most wonderful time of year like stress.

We know you're working hard so you can enjoy the upcoming celebrations with friends and family, that's why we created this post on Stress: What it is and How to Manage it.

Why is managing small stress factors so important? Cortisol.

Psychology Today tells us that: the stress hormone, cortisol, is public health enemy number one. Scientists have known for years that elevated cortisol levels: interfere with learning and memory, lower immune function and bone density, increase weight gain, blood pressure, cholesterol, heart disease... The list goes on and on. Chronic stress and elevated cortisol levels also increase risk for depression, mental illness, and lower life expectancy. This week, two separate studies were published in Science linking elevated cortisol levels as a potential trigger for mental illness and decreased resilience—especially in adolescence.

There are many areas in our lives which create small levels of stress. These can build up over time and cause emotional outbursts to relieve emotions. Learning to deal with these smaller stresses as they come will decrease stress levels and allow you to more fully enjoy the holidays, protect your relationships with others, and maintain productivity.

Now that we know how stress impacts the body, it's time to use that knowledge as motivation to implement some stress coping mechanisms. Each person has the ability to choose to change, and it's amazing the effect even two minutes of positive action can have (just ask your pearly whites!).

What actions can be taken? 

Let's go back to the great advice from Psychology Today.

You can make some simple lifestyle choices that will reduce stress, anxiety and lower your cortisol levels. Below are 4 tips for reducing your cortisol levels everyday:

1. Regular Physical Activity: Any aerobic activity, like walking, jogging, swimming, biking, riding the elliptical... are great ways to recreate the ‘flight’ outlet and burn-up cortisol.  A little bit of cardio goes a long way. Just 20-30 minutes of activity most days of the week pays huge dividends by lowering cortisol every day and in the long-run. Fear increases cortisol. Regular physical activity will decrease fear by increasing your self-confidence, resilience, and fortitude—which will reduce cortisol. Yoga will have similar benefits with added benefits of mindfulness training.

2. Mindfulness and Loving-Kindness Meditation (LKM): Any type of meditation will reduce anxiety and lower cortisol levels. Simply taking a few deep breaths engages the Vagus nerve which triggers a signal within your nervous system to slow heart rate, lower blood pressure and decreases cortisol. The next time you feel yourself in a stressful situation that activates your ‘Fight-or-Flight’ response take 10 deep breaths and feel your entire body relax and decompress.

3. Social Connectivity: Close knit human bonds—whether it be family, friendship or a romantic partner—are vital for your physical and mental health at any age.  Recent studies have shown that the Vagus nerve also responds to human connectivity and physical touch to relax your parasympathetic nervous system. The “tend-and-befriend” response is the exact opposite to “fight-or-flight”. The "tend-and-befriend" response increases oxytocin and reduces cortisol. Make an effort to spend real face-to-face time with loved ones whenever you can, but phone calls and even Facebook can reduce cortisol if they foster a feeling of genuine connectivity.

4. Laughter and Levity: Having fun and laughing reduces cortisol levels. Dr. William Fry is an American psychiatrist who has been studying the benefits of laughter for the past 30 years and has found links to laughter and lowered levels of stress hormones. Many studies have shown the benefits of having a sense of humor, laughter and levity. 


In addition, Elizabeth Scott, M.S. recommends journaling as a way to manage stress, emphasizing the need to put aside roughly 20 minutes to record your thoughts and feelings: As you write, don'’t just vent negative emotions or catalog events; write about your feelings, but also your thoughts surrounding emotional events. (Research shows much greater benefits from journaling when participants write about emotional issues from a mental and emotional framework.) Relive events emotionally, and try to construct solutions and ‘find the lesson’. Using both aspects of yourself helps you process the event and find solutions to problems. 

As we've discussed stress, it's impact on the body, and ways to manage stress effectively, we hope you were able to find something to change in your life. Implementing some of these ideas as healthy coping mechanisms will increase mental and emotional health, therefore increasing individual quality of life and enable us to reach our goals and better our relationships with others in all areas of life. Here's to a stress-free winter wherever you are, Aggies. 

The Art of Leadership

This article includes content from Business News Daily, Levo League and About.com

What is leadership?

The word "leadership" may bring to mind images of power and authority, but that's not always the case. Think about a leader in your life-perhaps a friend, co-worker, or family member. Are they in a position of authority? Not necessarily.

How do we define leadership?

Business News Daily asked 30 business owners and experts to define what leadership means to them. Their ideas may just lead you to create your own definition of leadership. Take a look at what they said.

"Leadership is having a vision, sharing that vision and inspiring others to support your vision while creating their own."

"Leadership is the ability to guide others without force into a direction or decision that leaves them still feeling empowered and accomplished."

"A true leader is secure in creating a framework that encourages others to tap into their own skills and ideas and freely contribute to the whole of the project or company."

"Leadership is actions committed by a person or group that produce an output or result. It simply helps people to get things done. It is not based on position in a hierarchy."

"Leadership is employing your skills and knowledge, leveraged by your attitude to get the results you desire."

Leadership is like art. There is more than one way to define leadership, just as there is more than one way to be a leader. Tiffany Dufu of Levo says that a leader is someone who uses their leadership, who "inspires people to live their best selves and their best lives," and that "artful leadership is knowing others and knowing yourself."



How do we become better leaders?

We want to see our Aggies across the globe leading the pack in establishing the qualities necessary for a happy, successful life. Whether you are in a technical position of leadership or not, you can be a leader everyday. There are many ways to improve your leadership-all of which can be started right now.

Learn More About Your Leadership Style. Understanding your current leadership style is essential. What are your strengths? Which areas need some improvement? Once you've determine which areas need some work, you can begin looking for ways to improve your leadership abilities.

Serve As a Role Model. Inspiring leaders exemplify the behaviors and characteristics that they encourage in their followers. They walk the walk and talk the talk. As a result, group members admire these leaders and work to emulate these behaviors.

Have a Positive Attitude. Leaders who facilitate change have an upbeat, optimistic attitude that serves as a source of inspiration for followers. Even when things look bleak and your followers start to feel disheartened, try to stay positive. This does not mean viewing things through rose-colored glasses. It simply means maintaining a sense of optimism and hope in the face of challenges.

Listen and Communicate Effectively. Good leaders should express sincere care and concern for the members of their group both verbally and non-verbally. By keeping the lines of communication open, these leaders can ensure that group members feel able to make contributions and receive recognition for their achievements.

Encourage Creativity. One way to foster creativity is to offer challenges to group members, making sure that the goals are within the grasp of their abilities. The purpose of this type of exercise is to get people to grow and stretch their limits without being discouraged.

Keep Trying New Things. Who says leadership is a one-way relationship? As you work toward honing your leadership skills, don't forget to look to your followers for feedback and inspiration. Pay attention to the things that have been effective in the past and always be on the lookout for new ways to inspire, motivate, and reward group members.

Go get 'em, Aggies. We're rooting for you!

Learning to Articulate That You're Awesome

Article Originally Posted on Levo League

Photo Courtesy of Levo League

Nearly every week, there will come a moment, over drinks or maybe even in the locker room at the gym, where the woman I’m speaking to, no matter her age or socio-economic status will say meekly, “I don’t want to toot my own horn….” and then in a voice barely above a whisper mention a recent success she’s had.


As young adult, if we can’t share our successes with our friends and family, then how can we expect to ace the next interview? Seal the deal on a new opportunity? Or impress a new supervisor or contact? That ability to share your accomplishments in a way that is palatable is a skill that successful people leverage on a daily basis, so how do you enhance your ability to articulate that you're awesome. Here are a few ideas:


Write it Out

Do you know what you’ve accomplished? If you just read that sentence and then looked off into the distance because you aren’t sure how to answer, I suggest taking the next 10 minutes to write out a bulleted list of what you’ve done (at work or outside of work) that you’re proud of. Once you finish this first list, take another 10 minutes to go through the list and add some facts and figures to it, flesh it out and make it more substantial. 

For example, “…contacted various media outlets to pitch new digital content” would be stronger as “…cultivated 20 new international media relationships which lead to 5 new content partnerships.”  Or another example, “Worked with young women on self-esteem and empowerment issues” would be stronger as, “I developed a personal development curriculum to support teen girls in identifying their strengths and increasing their self-esteem”. 

Once you have a personal understanding of what work you’re doing in the world and can articulate that work, you are a step closer to being able to share your accomplishments.

Now that you have language and maybe even a little more pride in what you’ve done, it’s time to practice talking about it out loud.
 
Practice With Strangers

The best way to get comfortable talking about your successes is to talk about your successes. The next time you find yourself on a plane, strike up a conversation with the person in the seat next to you, see how you can mention something that you’re proud of. Test your personal success story telling ability with the woman who sits next to you on the bus every day. Try it again and again so that you can get cozy with shining a bit brighter.
 
Don’t apologize for being awesome

Now that you’re able to articulate your awesomeness and have practiced this new skill with people you may never meet again, you’re ready for the hardest part. When you find yourself sitting with your friends and they ask, "how’s work going?", toot your own horn! Let them know what you’ve been up to, encourage them to share also. Make it a part of your relationships with your friends to share your successes. That way, when it’s time to share your accomplishments with the recruiter for the company you’d love to work for, you’re ready and able to share your value add.

Article Originally Posted on Levo League