| One of the best professional experiences I have | | | | Stay connected. |
| ever had was working for an adolescent drug | | | | Tired - Vince Lombardi said "Fatigue makes cowards |
| treatment center for a good part of the eighties. I | | | | of us all." It's not that most people don't have the |
| certainly didn't make much money there, but what I | | | | time to rest, it's that most people have actually |
| learned during those six plus years was priceless. | | | | forgotten how. When it comes to the ultimate form |
| HALTS is an acronym commonly used in substance | | | | of rest, sleeping, when was the last time you got the |
| abuse treatment that can be very usefully applied to | | | | recommended 8 - 10 hours? You can stop laughing |
| stress management. A HALTS approach to managing | | | | now. We can push ourselves just so far before the |
| our stress recommends that we avoid getting too | | | | body takes over and forces us to rest. I've worked |
| Hungry Angry Lonely Tired Scared. | | | | with clients that have told me that it's actually a |
| Hungry - Although food comes immediately to mind | | | | badge of honor among their colleagues to have been |
| (when doesn't it?), there are many other things for | | | | hospitalized for exhaustion. Go figure. |
| which we can "hunger." We all need a sense of | | | | Tip: In addition to getting enough sleep, schedule time |
| worth, connection to others and to something bigger | | | | to rest. Put it in your appointment book, and protect |
| than ourselves, appreciation, and many others. Miss | | | | it and keep it like you would any other important |
| out on some of these basic emotional needs for | | | | appointment. |
| very long and we can end up sad or depressed. | | | | Scared - In the Tarzan movies I watched as a kid, |
| Tip:Angry - I get angry, you get angry, we all get | | | | there were these natives with blowguns who would |
| angry. No problem there. The problem comes when | | | | shoot darts coated with poison that would render a |
| anger is our most common emotion and our first | | | | person temporarily paralyzed. Fear can do the same |
| response to most situations. Recent research has | | | | thing - paralyze us into inaction. Fear of failure, of |
| demonstrated that constant anger is not only not | | | | rejection, of success, of the future, you name it, we |
| good for you, it can kill you. | | | | get too scared and we freeze up. |
| Tip: Pay attention to and deal with the emotions that | | | | Tip: Facing your fears and taking action is spite of |
| anger typically grows out of: fear, frustration, hurt. | | | | them can reduce or eliminate your fears. Remember |
| Lonely - In spite of all the modern ways we have to | | | | that fear stands for forget everything and run and |
| communicate with each other, we still live in a culture | | | | false evidence appearing real. Courage is not the |
| where it is incredibly easy to become isolated. Most | | | | absence of fear. Courage is being afraid of something |
| people don't know the names of their neighbors on | | | | and doing it anyway. |
| either side or across the street. I know of people | | | | For better or worse, we may have too much of one |
| who are "just too busy" to spend the time to | | | | of these on any given day. Consistently having two |
| connect with other people. These folks are way too | | | | or more can indicate a situation in need of change. |
| busy for their own good. | | | | Practice these tips to successfully manage your |
| Tip: Take the time to connect and stay connected | | | | stress or you might want to get with someone who |
| to others. Walk next door and introduce yourself. Call | | | | can coach you on making your stress work for you. |
| an old friend you have not spoken with in a while. | | | | |