When we interact with others, we get stressed by different things. Last week’s tips were how to help your housemates cope with #forcedtogetherness. This week it’s about how you can help yourself to manage the stress of so much time at home – with or without others.
Watch this video for an overview of the four styles to help you decide which one is you.
Are you a Navigator?
Navigators tend to think first before speaking and they like to have a course of action – they like to work things out and make thought-through decisions. They move and speak in a deliberate manner and appear serious and focused.
My husband is a Navigator and when the lockdown started he missed his regular pattern of activities, both work and social. Not having a plan and not knowing what was going to happen from one day to the next, felt quite stressful – this is typical for Navigators.
We dealt with this by putting some regular daily activities in the calendar – these act like an anchor and give some stability to each day. He now has a weekly “beer and banter” night with friends on Zoom, he’s building a wildlife pond in the garden, and he knows when it is his turn to do the hoovering!
Top tip for Navigators during #lockdown: build into your schedule some time to relax!
Are you an Energiser?
I have several friends who have the Energiser style and I know they are missing their busy work and social lives. Too much time without interacting with others drains their energy and makes them feel unproductive. Now they are finding ways to maintain contact virtually.
Energisers like to be involved with other people – they like to collaborate with others and get everyone on-board. They move and speak enthusiastically and appear expressive and engaging.
They get stressed when they or others don’t get involved.
Top tip for Energisers: interact virtually but don’t take it personally if others may want some time to themselves!
Are you a Mobiliser?
Do you like to get things done? When you talk to others, do you speak and move quickly, and appear straightforward and determined? Do you get stressed when nothing is being accomplished?
If you are a Mobiliser, you might be finding it hard to channel your natural sense of urgency during the #lockdown. I have a colleague who was on every email and every task straight away, even though they were not urgent. Then he felt disappointed and frustrated that other people didn’t respond quickly and he started to lose his natural motivation.
He’s coping with this by consciously slowing down, allocating some “free” time away from his to-do list and doing some relaxation exercises.
Top tip for Mobilisers: find some things to do but don’t rush them – take your foot off the gas!
Are you a Synthesiser?
Do you like to have time to integrate lots of information and input so you can get the best result? Do you get stressed when you don’t have enough input, enough time to get the best result, or enough credit from others for your efforts?
Having more time is a luxury that my Synthesiser friend is really enjoying. He is using this time working from home to do background reading for his job and is then summarising and explaining it for his colleagues. He’s managed to neutralise all three of his stressors – he’s got the time to gather input and he is getting credit from his colleagues!
Sometimes Synthesisers procrastinate because they are not sure how to get the best result. If you are a Synthesiser, don’t worry about working out the optimum use of your time – just get on and do something.
Top tip for Synthesisers: focus on the here and now, one task at a time, do what you enjoy and remember that sometimes “good enough” is good enough!
The What’s Your Style cards are a handy reference to how to connect with different types and avoid triggering their negative emotions. Email contact@essenwood.co.uk to place an order.
