Industrious alaskans have developed unique stress management techniques. Many employers in the northern region give employees “subsistence leave” as a negotiated benefit. How do the thrifty natives use their subsistence leave? They prepare for the cold months ahead by drying and packaging hundreds of fish and enjoy family time together handpicking quarts of blueberries.
This annual ritual gives us four useful insights to skillfully manage stress.
Plan engaging ways to stockpile necessities. You may initiate a small financial venture, plant a garden, learn new skills, or listen to and read uplifting and motivating media. Target your plan to relieve specific stresses in your life.
Invite family and friends to take part in this process. Loved ones give moral support. Your outward invitation to them is therapeutic in practice.
Craft the experience as essential with high anticipation. Nature has prioritized food for the body. You can master “time” to discipline man’s nature. Alaskans must canvass the tundra for berries and fish the streams for salmon in an exact season or the opportunities are lost.
Gain the perspective that comparable stress in others’ lives is manageable. This perspective makes hope an essential step in managing excessive stress.
Frank L. Barrus BS, ’85
Nome, Alaska
Take care of yourself. make sure all important aspects of your life are balanced. Physically, you need exercise and adequate nutrition and sleep. Emotionally, you need supportive, close relationships and things you are passionate about. Spiritually, you need to develop a closeness to God and nature and to enjoy the benefits of losing yourself in the service of others. Take time to meditate, ponder, and reflect. Intellectually, you need activities that excite and grow the mind.
Have an eternal perspective. Think about what life will be like in the hereafter. No doubt you will see the stressors of life in a new light. Focus on those things that are most important and that you can control. Reexamine your priorities and plan accordingly. Don’t take yourself too seriously. It will all work out.
Consider change. Sometimes you may need to change your environment permanently by changing jobs, neighborhoods, or friends. You may also consider more temporary changes like going on vacation to see things in a different way. Sometimes you may need to change you. Prayerfully consider possible growth areas and options. Sometimes you need to weather the storm and exude the patience of Job before you will see the purpose and blessings of the stresses in your life.
David Tietjen, MBA ’88
Ogden, Utah
As you watch people who thrive under horrendous pressure, you will quickly discover their source of strength. They don’t thrive because they experience stress, squeeze a beanbag, and then fall back into control. Most don’t feel stress in the first place.
Why? They know how to handle crucial conversations. When facing an apparent debacle, they don’t whip themselves into a frenzy by assuming the worst of others. Instead, they assume the best and then seek data. When faced with people who are about to blow a gasket, they know how to calm troubled waters. Doing so, they avoid the viral qualities of strong emotions.
Finally, they know how to express their strong opinions in a way that’s persuasive, not abrasive. By avoiding heated arguments, they keep emotions in check. In sum, learn how to master crucial conversations, and cut off stress at the source.
Kerry Patterson BS, ’70; MOB, ’76
Orem, Utah
Alumni Exchange: A forum for alumni to share ideas about challenges facing Marriott School graduates