Click here to read a text only version of Dr. Crawford's article

Take the Edge Off
June 23, 2001
By Pamela Margoshes

Does workplace pressure have you ready to spontaneously combust? Stay calm and in control with these techniques.

In June, 1990, Rick Speckmann, now 50, got the wake up call of his life. One afternoon after exercising, the Minneapolis, Minn.-based entrepreneur experienced a disturbing tightness in his chest. He went to a nearby clinic, where doctors ran tests--and promptly ordered him into an ambulance to the nearest major hospital. After many more tests, he got the diagnosis: acute over-stress. Burned out by the demands of running the executive-search company he had co-founded, Speckmann's anxiety levels had simply gone into overdrive.

Speckmann, now president of Burnsville, Minn.-based Amcon Construction Company, has since learned to heed his body's 911 calls. Typically, many entrepreneurs don't. And, that's too bad, since small-business owners tend to report more tension and anxiety than other people, according to experts on stress.

What's more, stress can be bad for business. Consider a recent study of 209 small-business owners conducted by researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington. It found that the stress experienced by those entrepreneurs who refused to delegate or give up control of their companies caused their businesses to be less successful.

"Entrepreneurs want to be both on the edge and in control. Because of this, they are more prone to feeling out of control than the average person," says Bill Crawford, Ph.D., a Houston psychologist and business-services specialist and author of All Stressed Up and Nowhere to Go (Humanics, 2001). Chief stress complaints include headache, backache, stomachache and high blood pressure. And in today's uncertain economy, many small-business owners are more stressed out than ever--and suffering more from stress-related ailments. "People are feeling even higher levels of anxiety today," says Michelle Pruett, director of media relations for the National Mental Health Association, Alexandria, Va.

What to do? While you can't control the economy, you can use these easy and effective techniques to adjust your level of stress quickly.

Deep Breathing. Entrepreneurs are prone to experience anxiety that can result in panic attacks, irritable bowel syndrome and headaches, says Crawford, who has counseled more than 500 entrepreneurs on how to de-stress. One of the most powerful ways to gain control is through deep breathing.

How does it work? The brain is divided into three areas (1) the reptilian/mammalian, which controls body temperature and other autonomic responses, (2) the limbic, the seat of the emotions, and (3) the neocortex, where thinking originates and which is millions of years younger than the others. When we experience stress, hormones including cortisol and adrenaline gush into the sympathetic nervous system, triggering the body's fight or flight response. Slow, deep breathing allows the neocortex to regain control over the two older sections of the brain, and that makes the stress chemicals subside. The resulting calm releases beta endorphins that help the body return to its pre-stressed state.

Acupressure points. You can get fast stress relief by applying therapeutic touch to several key spots on the body, says Paul Wilson of Sydney, Australia, and the author of the best-selling Instant Calm series. Pinching the fingertips (hold for a few seconds, then release) relieves upper body tightness and frees up energy. So does pressing down on the spot between the nail and the first joint on the middle finger, or squeezing the webbed area between the thumb and forefinger with fingers from the opposite hand. To soothe eyestrain and nervousness: Press the tip of the forefinger against each cheekbone, right below the eyes, with enough pressure to cause mild discomfort. Hold for 60 seconds, then release. Wait 10 seconds then repeat up to five times.

To get the best results, combine pressure points with visualization. Consider Melina Vilas, co-owner of CoachInc.com, a Sarasota, Fla.-based coaching company with $7 million in annual sales. She uses what she calls the "One Minute Vacation." Closing her eyes for one minute every hour while working, she pushes her tongue gently against the back of her two front upper teeth to help calm the mind; she then envisions herself at a drive-in movie, where the entire space is taken up by a huge blank screen. The combined effort has a powerful calming effect.

Tapping your funny bone. Humor is one of the fastest ways to relax--without losing your edge. "Humor visualization"--when you picture something funny happening, say, to a detested boss--is one technique, as is the "laughter exercise," in which you simply laugh.

Being silly can help, too. At the Vancouver, Canada, headquarters of 1800GotJunk, CEO and president Brian Scudamore has a novel way to keep everyone in the office from being stressed out. During particularly hectic times, he plays the theme song from the television show Sanford and Son over the intercom. "After all," he says, "we are a junk company."

Using the right stuff. That means everything from food and clothes to color and scents likely to calm you down. Create a calming diet with such foods as beans, lentils, peas, yogurt, oats and broccoli. Raw veggies' high alkaline content is especially tranquilizing. Then there's the issue of clothes. "Light colored clothes induce peaceful feelings; cotton is more calming than synthetics," author Wilson says. Best bet: loose-fitting, light-colored, natural fibers. Calm colors: Blue, pink, green, white.

1800GotJunk's Scudamore also tries to help employees calm down by spritzing the office with a scent that is supposed to have a soothing effect. "I spray it around when people are stressed out, " he says.

Getting your hands dirty. Consider Elaine Hodgson, 45, the president and CEO of Incredible Technologies Inc., in Rolling Meadows, Ill., a company with $60 million in revenue which places coin-operated video games in more than 20,000 bars nationally. Her solution is to throw herself into a really hands-on task. Recently, for example, she tackled her laundry room--a job that took four days to complete. "As head of my own company, I depend on a lot of other people to do the nitty-gritty things. This time, I got to do it myself," she says. "Instant gratification!" And instant calm, too.