Transcript Living With Change: Coping and Stress Reduction in the Library Workplace Instructor: Jean Crossman-Miranda [email protected] An Infopeople Workshop Spring 2005

Living With Change:
Coping and Stress Reduction
in the Library Workplace
Instructor:
Jean Crossman-Miranda
[email protected]
An Infopeople Workshop
Spring 2005
This Workshop Is Brought to You By
the Infopeople Project
Infopeople is a federally-funded grant project
supported by the California State Library. It
provides a wide variety of training to California
libraries. Infopeople workshops are offered
around the state and are open registration on a
first-come, first-served basis.
For a complete list of workshops, and for other
information about the Project, go to the
Infopeople Web site at infopeople.org.
Where We’re Going
 What is Stress and where does it come from?
 What is its relation to Change?
 Identifying the signs and symptoms of stress
 The protective nature of the stress response
 Customizing a stress resistance plan
 Coping with the stress of change in the library
workplace
A Working Definition Of Stress
“The natural response of the body to any demand
placed upon it.”
--Hans Selye, M.D., 1946
“Mental, emotional, or physical strain, tension or
distress.”
-- Webster’s New Riverside
Dictionary
Stress
Truths and Myths
 Stress is all around us
 Stress can be positive or
negative
 Most people focus on the
stress itself, rather than
on managing it

A stress-free life is
possible and preferable

Only unpleasant
situations are stressful

Stress is bad - avoid it at
all costs
Change Can Be….
Small, incremental
Predictable
Positive
Productive
A small modification
to your life
 Taken in stride,
managed





Huge, catastrophic
Unpredictable
Negative
Unproductive
A devastating collapse
of your world
 Continuously stressful





Perception Defines Experience
 It’s not the event itself, but how you
react to it that causes the feeling of
stress.
 So, it’s not the change, but your reaction
to it that determines how stressed you
feel.
Basics of Stress Management
 Fight or Flight: Nature’s way of protecting us
with an adrenalin dump
 Saber tooth tiger and holiday season: examples
 Can lead to hypertension and physical
breakdown
 Best strategy is to focus on what is under your
control
Responding To The Stress Of
Change
 Your body produces physical signals that
can tell you that the adrenalin dump has
happened.
 Your mind produces cognitive signals,
which lead to emotional signals, which
lead to behavior and interaction.
On-the-job Reactions To
Change
 Feel attacked and betrayed
 Caught off guard, blind-sided
 Resistance, anger, frustration, confusion
 Presentee-ism – become “retired on the job”
 Afraid to take risks, innovate, try new things
 Feel victimized due to loss of traditional
relationships, familiar structure and predictable
patterns on the job
 Burnout
Burnout
 Burnout is an impairment of motivation to work
- the inability to mobilize enough interest to act
 How to recognize if you are approaching burnout?
 What to do about it?
 look for the warning signs
 activate your coping strategy
Phases Of Change
 Denial: shock, refusal to recognize the change
 Resistance:
increased distress, blaming, complaining
 Exploration/Consideration:
clarify goals, assess
resources, look at alternatives, experiment with new possibilities,
motivated, hopeful
 Commitment/Acceptance: focus on new course of
action after a period of growth and adaptation, support others in
accepting the change
Navigating The Phases Of
Change
Denial
Commitment
Resistance
Exploration
Improving Your Ability To
Handle Change
 Self-assurance
 Personal vision
 Choose realistic and
flexible goals
 Get organized
 Proactive perspective
 Anticipate changes, plan
contingencies
 Fine tune problem
solving skills
 Interpersonal
competence
 Socially connected
 Balance your workload
 Self-inventory: what
helps you be resilient in
times of stress?
Keys To Managing Stress
 Reframe the situation with positive Self-talk
 Turn trigger thoughts into coping thoughts
 Use assertive communication to create a winwin
Self-talk: Re-framing The
Situation
 Self-talk is the way you make sense of a
situation
 Happens automatically, instantaneously
 Sets the stage for your emotions and your
behavior
 Re-framing puts the situation into perspective –
seeing with new eyes
The Big Picture
 Thoughts lead to emotions, which lead to
behaviors
 Taking more control of each step is the
name of the game
Transform Trigger Thoughts
Into Coping Thoughts
 Trigger Thoughts
- automatic response
to an event
- just the right reason
to get upset
- great justification for
stonewalling
 Coping Thoughts
- reduce stress by
changing your
perception of the
event
- the goal is that this
response becomes
automatic
Assertive Communication Is
Problem-solving Communication
 Focused on solutions
 The goal is a win-win
 Helps you move through stressful
interactions while taking care of yourself
and others
More of the Big Picture
You own 50% of any relationship and are
100% in control of your own behavior.
Multi-tasking
Is this helpful or detrimental in your library?
Stress Reduction Techniques
That Work

Something internal:
 Something external:
- deep breathing
- aerobics, stretching
- guided imagery
- running, jogging,
- meditation
- re-framing
- “thought stopping”
- Trigger thoughts to
coping thoughts
swimming, biking
- lifting weights
- expressive arts
Physical Self-care
 Diet: healthy breakfast; low-fat, low-sugar diet;
restrict alcohol intake
 Rest: daily quiet time; relaxation exercises before
bed; get a good night’s sleep
 Exercise: 20 minutes of aerobic exercise three
times/week; participate in games/sports regularly; walk
as much as possible
 Recharging: regular time with friends/family;
establish personal and professional goals; assess
accomplishments
Reactions To Change
 People don’t resist change; they resist being
changed
- habit, have always done it this way….
- uncertainty, anxiety about what will happen
- self-interest, non-aligned goals
- misunderstanding, poor communication
- lack of trust, team not cohesive
- peer pressure
- too little time to adapt
- feeling victimized
How Can I Stop Feeling Like A
Victim Of Change?
Responding to Feeling
Victimized
 Derail your automatic response
 Think WIIFM (what’s in it for me?)
 Determine the costs and benefits of your
reaction
 New strategies become automatic
through practice
Learning From Past Change
 How do predictable changes differ from
unpredictable changes?
 How can we anticipate and handle each
type of change?
A Closer Look at Change in My
Library

Clarify what is really over for you, what’s not.

Identify what is lost and what is gained by this
change.

Determine if your reaction is based on current losses
or old wounds.

Reevaluate what you have and what you want from
this change.

Look at the challenge that this change offers.

Look at the opportunities that this change offers.
Discussion
A Closer Look at Change in My
Library
Workplace Change in Process
Is there a way to distinguish between
current losses and old wounds?
Exploring Other Points Of View
 Value of looking at the change through the
lenses of others:
- management
- colleagues
- library users
 Develop new perspectives on the change
 Avoid us-them thinking
Coping Strategies
 Manage your own reactions
 Set goals and reward yourself
 Build a support system
 Reinforce your skills
 Manage your time and tasks
 Identify and eliminate time wasters
 Rationally detach
 Exert control and/or influence
Develop An Effective Response to
Change
 Stay involved and committed
 See change as a challenge & an opportunity
 Focus on things you can control
 Ask for help and support from coworkers,
work for a sense of connection to others