Transcript Document

STRESS MANAGEMENT
AND
QUALITY OF LIFE
FOR
THE JUDICIARY
© Isaiah M. Zimmerman, Ph.D.
[email protected]
Washington School of
Psychiatry
1200 N Nash St
Arlington, VA 22209
Levels of
STRESS
NORMAL
 Positive, Motivating
 Challenging
 Full Recovery
BORDERLINE HARMFUL
 Uneven Recovery
HARMFUL
 Little Recovery
 Signs of Depression
INDIVIDUAL Wellness
INSTITUTIONAL Morale
© Isaiah M. Zimmerman, Ph.D
PROLONGED RELEASE
OF STRESS
HORMONES MAY LEAD
TO:
• Suppression of immune
system functions
• Rise in blood pressure
• Added abdominal fat
• Bone density loss
• Clogging of blood vessels
• Rise in insulin levels
• Recurrence of herpes and
shingles.
© Isaiah M. Zimmerman, Ph.D
HIGH RESPONSIBILITY
FOR OTHERS
High
Productivity
Demand
Low
Control of
Case Load
Work in Isolation
INCREASED STRESS
RELATED EFFECTS
Johns Hopkins Study, AJPH October 1988, VOL. 78, NO. 10 PP. 1336-1342
© Isaiah M. Zimmerman, Ph.D
THE TENSION PROCESS IS
SET OFF BY
 Any Perception of
LOSS OF CONTROL
+
 A Perception of
LOSS OF DIGNITY
© Isaiah M. Zimmerman, Ph.D
SHORT-TERM EFFECTS
OF TENSION ON
HEART FUNCTION
BY
 Raising Heart Rate
 Raising Blood Pressure
 Raising Cholesterol
Formation
 Increasing Artery Clogging
Processes
ANGER CAN
 Trigger a Heart Attack within
Two Hours of an Anger
Episode
M. Mittleman & J. Muller, March 1994, Amer. Heart Assoc. Meeting, Tampa, FL
© Isaiah M. Zimmerman, Ph.D
PERSONAL
STRESS
EFFECTS
© Isaiah M. Zimmerman, Ph.D.
BASIC
IRREDUCIBLE
DAILY
LIFELONG SELF-CARE
1. Exercise of:
• Large muscle
• • Small muscle
• • • Heart & lung
• • • • Agility & stretch
2. Nutrition balance: reduce
intake of fats, sugar, salt, carbs
3. Adequate sleep and emotional
closure
© Isaiah M. Zimmerman, Ph.D
A Daily Balance Between
TYPES OF DIALOGUE
Professional Talk
to get work done
Private and Family Talk
to promote home life
Personal Reaction Talk
to promote collegiality
© Isaiah M. Zimmerman, Ph.D
The Buddy Judge
Crucial To Have At Least Two
Buddy Judges…
Chosen On The Basis Of:
 Confidentiality
 Availability
 None-preachy
personality
© Isaiah M. Zimmerman, Ph.D
PROGRESSIVE SIGNS
OF DANGER
1.
1.
1.
1.
1.
1.
1.
1.
1.
1.
1.
Fatigue not relieved by rest
Irritability and impatience
Blaming others
Denial of any problem
Emotional distancing
Mood control by drink, food,
meds
Collegial withdrawal
Loss of priorities and panic
Drop in hygiene and self-care
Clinical depression
Inability to function
© Isaiah M. Zimmerman, Ph.D
BALANCING SITTING
AND STANDING
Alternating standing and
sitting promotes muscular and
circulatory function
Anti-gravity muscle and nerve
groups require full daily
activation
Judges benefit from
alternating standing with
sitting
Consider rebuilding your
bench to promote standing
part of the time
© Isaiah M. Zimmerman, Ph.D
SLEEP
 SLEEP PROVIDES
 Emotional rebalancing
 Energy restoration
 Metabolic rebalancing
 Preps waste removal
 Resets hormone cycles
 Allots memory storage
 SLEEP DEFICIENCY LEADS
TO:
 Memory impairment
 Rise in stress hormones
 Reduced concentration
 Shorter attention span
 Lowered vigilance
 Reduced muscle mass
 Weight gain
© Isaiah M. Zimmerman, Ph.D
COPING WITH
PERSONAL
STRESS
© Isaiah M. Zimmerman, Ph.D.
THREE SHORT BREAKS A
DAY
 At Mid-Morning, Noon,
Mid-Afternoon
 Three to Seven Minutes
Each
 Abstinence from all
Activity, Except Brief
Exercise or Movement.
 Practice absolute
mindfulness
© Isaiah M. Zimmerman, Ph.D
TEMPER MANAGEMENT
 Temper and tension is a built-in
reaction
(unconscious)
Anger
is hard-wired,
built-in to a
reaction to a Perceived Threat to
threat
to dignity
your dignity and
control
and
Train
yourself to work to restore
control
control and dignity in the situation,
for yourself and the other parties
 Train yourself to restore
dignity and control to
yourself and all parties
involved
© Isaiah M. Zimmerman, Ph.D
WORKING MEMORY
 Useful but not established:
 Memory training
 Puzzles
Anger
is hard-wired, built-in
 Computer
gamesThreat to
reaction
to a Perceived
control and dignity
 What seems to help:
Train
yourself training
to work to restore
 Strength
control
and dignity
in the situation,
 Cardio
workouts
foryourself
and
the other parties
Healthy
diet
 Social interaction & wide
interests
 Learning a totally new skill
© Isaiah M. Zimmerman, Ph.D
BIOLOGY OF TIMING
 Respect Your Sleep Cycle
 Stay on Schedule
 Stabilize Workplace
 Alcohol Disrupts Sleep
 Identify Your Best Times
for
- Energy
- Alertness
 Light Meal at Night
 Weekend Naps
 Best Workout Time
 Best Sex Arousal Cycle
© Isaiah M. Zimmerman, Ph.D
PERSON TO PERSON
HELP
 Listen, keep good eye contact
& do not interrupt despite
some repetition and
disorganization
 Prove accurate listening by
brief replication
 Encourage options and
solutions
 Prioritize alternative solutions
 When pressed for advice, give
it respectfully and briefly – do
not lecture
 Always follow up later, by
showing interest in how things
worked out
© Isaiah M. Zimmerman, Ph.D
BRAIN CIRCUITRY
UNDERLIES ALL
EMOTIONS
 All significant personal behavior
includes an emotional
component
 Optimize your quality of life by:
1. RESILIENCE (how quickly you
recover from negativity)
2. OUTLOOK (how long your
appropriate and positive
outlook persists)
3. SOCIAL INTUITION (how
accurately you decode nonverbal signs of emotion)
© Isaiah M. Zimmerman, Ph.D
4. SELF AWARENESS (how
accurately you decode your
physical cues: breathing, heart
rate, muscle tension, sweating,
temperature etc., plus private
thoughts and impulses)
5. CONTEXT (how accurately you
can switch roles and modulate
your approach between specific
people and situations)
6. ATTENTION (how long you
maintain an accurate focus and
attend to an issue without
distraction)
7. CLOSURE (the satisfaction of
completion and a readiness to
focus on something new)
Davidson, R. Univ. Wisc/Madison. The Emotional Life of Your Brain. 2012
© Isaiah M. Zimmerman, Ph.D
© Isaiah M. Zimmerman, Ph.D
ORGANIZATIONAL
STRESS
© Isaiah M. Zimmerman, Ph.D.
BASIC ASSUMPTIONS
 The rule of law
 Mission of the SSA
 Professional excellence
 Integrity
 Collegial pride and enjoyment
 Personal career satisfaction
 Pride in collective achievement
© Isaiah M. Zimmerman, Ph.D
RESEARCH ON
“INSTITUTIONAL BETRAYAL”
 Complaints and suggestions
strongly discouraged and
treated as unjustified
 Little feeling of protectiveness
and support from administration
 Pressure to produce is based on
a technological production
model with little regard for
human complexity and variation
 Administration passes tensions
downwards instead of managing
it
© Isaiah M. Zimmerman, Ph.D
RESEARCH ON
“INSTITUTIONAL BETRAYAL”
Cont’
 Workers experience little
prospect of improving the
system
 Signs of medical and
psychological distress seen as
weakness or inadequacy
 Administrative interests seen as
separate from the workers
© Isaiah M. Zimmerman, Ph.D
PERSONAL ACTIVITY
 Privately, set an approximate
retirement date for yourself
 With your colleagues, arrive at a
few institutional improvement
proposals
 Through committees, keep
focus and pressure for desirable
improvements
 Support your union and stay
involved
 Articulate specific action
proposals. Stay on course with a
3-4 year outlook
© Isaiah M. Zimmerman, Ph.D
PERSONAL ACTIVITY
Cont.
 Tenaciously use a positive
attitude and language when
dealing with administrative
colleagues. Assume you are
united in the mission and spirit
of your unique judiciary
© Isaiah M. Zimmerman, Ph.D
JUDICIAL QUALITY OF LIFE
 Collegial dignity and support
 Three short breaks a day
 Daily decompression I & II
 Maintaining wellness
 Insight about tension process
 Time with family, friends, and
colleagues. Relationship
satisfaction
 Religious / spiritual base
 Separate private life from public
activity
 Professional achievement
 Pride in career
© Isaiah M. Zimmerman, Ph.D