Victoria Scott here to talk about managing work stress. Today we're looking at stress triggers.
Here's a reminder of what the seven levels of energy look like.
Let's look at a typical work scenario of a request to make a change to a document and see how that request may trigger stress at the different levels.
At level 1, everything is a potential trigger because you see yourself as lacking.
When the request to change a document comes in, you're thinking about what's wrong with you that you didn't notice it yourself. You're also wondering how badly the other person must think of you who made the request.
At level 2, everything is a potential trigger because you see conflict everywhere.
The request might cause you to feel annoyed or defiant. It might cause you to find fault with the requester or the change that they're asking for. You may even argue against making the change and win.
At level 3, you're triggered by the perception of things that are getting in your way of getting your work done
The request may trigger you if you see it as having the potential to set back your progress on your task list. You may be especially triggered if the requester is asking for a change that you had already recommended but that they didn't listen to.
At level 4, you're triggered if you see something that might make someone else feel bad and you're not able to help.
You might be happy about the request if it gives you an opportunity to fix something. But if you think that it might hurt someone else's feelings or if you're not able to help, those are triggers.
At level 5, you may be triggered if you're limited from exploring opportunities that you want to pursue.
The request may not trigger you if you can see an opportunity in it. It may stress you out if you receive the request as a directive and you don't have any leeway to explore the way that you want to do it. It may also stress you out if you have to deal with anger or frustration from the requester because you're only interested in learning.
We identify our triggers to build awareness because awareness is the first step of choosing changes that we want for ourselves.
I've given you simplified examples of complex concepts. It's more than likely that you will experience a range of emotions. For example, at a previous position I recall leadership frequently reacting with a level 2 response to things that I didn't perceive as any big deal.
I would withdrawal a bit (level 1) and be somewhat annoyed (level 2) while I waited for their reaction to be over (level 3) so that I could then step in and fix it (level 4) and maybe even find a solution beyond the initial problem (level 5). How's that for a mix of energies?
I'm curious, what triggers your stress at work?
Comment below or message me privately to share.
Stay tuned for my next message.
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