Posted on by hildaweisburg

Reduce Your Stress

Sometimes it feels as though I’m writing about stress every other week, but I am reminded daily of how many challenges we are all facing personally and professionally (come to the School Librarian’s Workshop Facebook page if you need support from those who understand!). And the short- and long-term effects of this stress are detrimental to our mental and physical health. The joy you felt at the beginning of your career feels like a fond memory. You may even be considering retiring.

But what we do is too important to allow ourselves to succumb to a hostile environment on top of our usual heavy workload. Unfortunately, when we lose pleasure in what we do, we cannot bring our best to our students and fellow teachers.

While humans can handle stress, they cannot function well when stress is constant, so once again, I want to offer some tools. Steve Keating in his article, Lowering Stress in Turbulent Times suggests these nine steps to help you deal with the continuous anxiety that has become a permanent part of our days:

  1. Control What You Can, Let Go of What You Can’t – Easy to say, hard to do. If you can’t control it, you can’t deal with it. What are the things you can control? Stop talking about the turmoil and focus on the things you need to do. Not simple, but keep reminding yourself of this. Consider a mantra: I will control what I can and let go of what I can’t. (Serenity prayer, anyone?)
  2. Set Boundaries with News and Social Media –You don’t need to read every post detailing the latest upheaval. Scan contents every so often but don’t read deeply. If you get a daily newspaper, read the headlines and perhaps the editorial page. Personally, I stopped listening to the news on the radio while driving. I listen to music instead. I arrive places in a much better mood.
  3. Maintain Healthy Routines – Stress can lead to unhealthy eating and affects your sleep. Keating says to, “Keep a daily schedule to create structure and stability. Maintaining control over your calendar has a surprisingly calming, stress-reducing effect on your life.”
  4. Stay Connected to Supportive People – Whenever possible avoid toxic people who drain you. You hopefully have a personal and professional network of those who support you – and need you to support them. Being with more positive people will lower your stress. Set up lunch or dinner dates. Schedule weekly calls. (And here’s a second plug for our Facebook group!)
  5. Use Physical Movement to Reset Your Mind –According to Keaton, “Physical movement helps regulate emotions; this is well known and proven. When you feel the stress building up, get moving.” I have mentioned in my blogs how important walking is for me. I need to get outside and move.
  6. Reframe Challenges as Opportunities – Let a challenge be an opportunity for you to look at things from a new perspective. It can give you a better way to do something or find a new and interesting path, collaborate with a new partner. I call these “chopportunities,” a term I learned at a conference workshop.
  7. Practice Gratitude –As many others have, Keating recommends looking for the good in our lives. No matter how small, nothing is insignificant when it comes to this focus. Before my workday begins, I journal three things for which I am grateful. It has shown me how fortunate I am.  I then get to my tasks with a positive mindset. I relate to people more positively and usually get that in return.
  8. Take Breaks and Breathe – Any athletic coach knows the value of a time-out. Turn off the negativity going through your head. Change your space, go into another room. Use a breathing technique such as square breathing or whatever you prefer. When we are tense, we shallow breathe. Take in some more oxygen and clear your brain.
  9. Seek Guidance if Needed – By now we know that there is no shame in seeking help. Unfortunately, even though we say this to others, we often don’t apply it to ourselves. We are supposed to be strong, capable, able to handle anything thrown at us. Very true – most of time. But personal and professional stress can pile up. Find a mentor or a professional but get the help and support you need. (Here it is – plug three)

Leaders are human. When we take care of ourselves, we give others the right to do the same – which is another way we can lead by example. So many people count on us. Allow yourself to do what is necessary to lower the stress in your life. Find ways to count on and care for yourself. You and those around you will benefit from it.

Posted on by hildaweisburg

From Adversity to Success

Life is tough, and nothing suggests that it’s going to be getting easier in the immediate future. Between personal and professional fears, being able to slog through the days is a real challenge. But you don’t want to drag your way through them. You want to shine and make your program seen for the value it brings to the entire school community.

If you can’t shake off the weight of stress, continuing the way you are will only lead to overwhelm and burnout. You need a plan. Dr. Christian Marcolli has one. In his article “Setting the Gold Standard: What CEOs Can Learn from an Olympic Champion” he outlines five steps to get you back on track for success. We need to “adapt to adversity” because we cannot avoid or outrun it. To do this, Marcolli recommends we:

  1. Rigorously manage your energy to build up a strong foundation for sustained high performance – You are not the energizer bunny. You can’t keep going at full speed. You need to develop your resiliency. Part of this can be done by setting and managing priorities. Be honest with yourself. What must be done? What must be done now?  Identify what can be dropped, deferred, or shared with someone.
  2.  Think through a robust strategy that will lead to success – Keep your goals front and center. Review your Mission and Vision. Develop a strategic plan complete with action steps, timeline, and assessments as you go along and at the completion. With a plan in motion your energy will be focused rather than diffused.
  3. Work on creating a winning mindset – Find ways to nurture your desire to live your Mission statement. This will allow you to tap into a positive mindset that will give you the boost you need, even when the results aren’t (yet) what you want. When things feel hard, remind yourself of past successes.
  4. Be ready to adapt to changes and setbacks – Fighting change, expected and unexpected, is a waste of energy. It happens. Know how you best bounce back. Leaders recognize setbacks happen but know how to create the path for going forward. Look to your strategic plan to take the next best step forward.
  5. Visualize success – This is a common technique for athletes. It’s not something we think to do. Think about the end result. Imagine yourself getting there – what will it look like? What will it feel like? Hold on to that feeling and do what it takes to live into it. If you’re a visual person, consider creating vision board. Or, if you prefer, make a list of the feelings you are hoping to have, the results you are looking forward to seeing. As an extra benefit, the process of constructing these and envisioning the end will lift you up and improve your mindset.

This quote from Barbara De Angelis serves as a good reminder, “We don’t develop courage by being happy every day. We develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity.” Leaders always need courage. The path forward is continually filled with obstacles to overcome.

Tough times require tough leaders. With a clear plan and vision, no matter what else changes, you will get to your goal and enjoy a well-earned success.

Posted on by hildaweisburg

Calming the Butterflies

Public speaking. It can make even the most polished professional panicky.. Getting up to speak before an audience can be a terrifying moment. It is said that people fear it more than death. It’s even a challenge for even well-known performers. Adele, Rhianna and Barbra Streisand all reportedly suffer from stage fright.

But you need to face these fears. You are a leader, and at some point, you are going to have to speak before a group or do something else that makes you nervous. When this happens, don’t avoid the possibility and lose the opportunity to show your value to an administrator. It is not what leaders do.

Instead, prepare for it by knowing what to do when the butterflies start churning. In her article, Why the First 30 Seconds of a Stressful Situation Are the Most Critical, Stephanie Vozza provides four steps to get you through those moments. Vozza explains those first seconds are the peak anxiety time. Since this is when all your bodily functions go into freeze and flight, they are the key to getting past the worse of this. Here are her four steps:

  • Practice Meditation – It doesn’t need to be more than two minutes, but if do it each day (or at least regularly), you become accustomed to stilling your heartbeat. When you are faced with getting up to the podium, or anything that has your pulse racing, you can do your accustomed routine. Your body will easily recognize what it needs to do.
  • Just Breathe – Not the usual in and out, but in a more fully mindful way. Become aware of your breathing and your body. Notice the physical manifestations of your tension. Are you clenching your teeth? Are your fingers tightened into fists? By being mindful you can do what it takes to physically relax. Breathe. Notice. Untense those tight muscles.
  • Harness Your Inner Superhero – Just as your body adds to your tension by its responses, it can do the opposite and telegraph confidence. Straighten your stance. Throw your shoulders back. You have this. You know your stuff. You are well prepared. Think of your favorite empowering song and go for it.
  • Rehearse Challenges – One of the best ways to be calm in the moment is to prepare in advance. If you’re giving a presentation, know the opening paragraph. Print it out on something you can read easily without it being too conspicuous. Once you get past that opening, you will be fine. Can you get into the room early? Seeing where you will be can help you to envision yourself succeeding.

How you manage the challenges and stresses you will face as a leader is up to you. As with so many things in life, you can go one of two ways. You can let the stress engulf you and avoid ever doing it again. Or you can embrace the challenge. Prepare yourself in advance and prove to yourself you can handle this.

Being a leader involves getting out of your comfort zone and taking on new challenges. Whether it’s public speaking or running for an office in your state/national organization, there will be scary moments as you start and even once you have attained a new level of being in the public eye. The more often you take the chance, the more often you will succeed. And each success will build an extra layer of confidence.

Posted on by hildaweisburg

Bring Aliveness To Your Life

Last week I wrote about how becoming aware of the glimmers brings more joy into your life. To benefit from glimmers, you need to notice them as they occur. Those instances are precious, and you can add to them by extending that focus.

With so much on our plates and so much stress in our lives, all too often we go through the day like automatons moving from one prescribed thing to the next. Whatever is next on the to-do list gets our focus – while we are also frequently thinking about what comes after that. In addition to becoming aware of glimmers, we must become an active participant, present in our lives. In other words, we need to be truly alive. Doing so will bring positive changes to mental and physical health.

In his article, Jack Craven explains Why You Need to Prioritize Aliveness, Starting Today. He defines aliveness as: “a sense of being fully awake, fully present.” According to Craven, overwhelming stress is the opposite of aliveness because it is a reactive state. To get started, he asks us to respond to these three questions:

  1. When have you felt most alive? – Think backwards from today – go in five year increments if that helps – and go back as far as you need. Was it a special occasion? Maybe it was viewing the recent eclipse. Go back as far as you want. One I remember is running as fast as the wind when I was a child. What moments can you recall?
  2. What does aliveness feel like to you? –What words come to your mind? For me, it’s exuberance. Others might choose serenity or laughter. Bubbly. Present. Make a list. We are unique. Everyone’s answer will be different. Whatever feels true to you is right.
  3. What could you do today to increase your aliveness? – With this memory and these words, begin what hopefully is a never-ending journey to add these steps into your life. What is one thing you love doing that brings you this feeling? When can you do it? (Today would be great!) The more you can intentionally add this to your life, the more you will become increasingly alive. And keep in mind, this is not a sprint. It’s a lifelong marathon.

 Some aliveness principles to consider:

Aliveness is always with you – It’s there. You have experienced it. Now you need to move it to a more central place inside you. Bring your awareness to it, and you will notice it more.

Prioritize how you want to feel each day, not what you want to do – An important change to your To-Do list. It’s about becoming a Human Being not a Human Doing. Craven says to set your mindset for the day each morning and keep that in focus as you go through your day. If it helps, write it down someplace you can see it.

Avoid calendar creep – This is when more and more is added to everyday. What gets pushed out? You – and this wonderful feeling. When your To-Do list becomes too long, stop and ask yourself: Do I have to do this? What can I let go? Who else can handle it? If it needs to be handled by you, make sure you’re also making time for those things that light you up.

We need to be in the relationship business. When stress overwhelms us, we are less approachable. And that is not good for building relationships. Or for our own health. It’s time to become alive and be a presence in and present to the world. Find what makes you come alive and add more of that to your life.

Posted on by hildaweisburg

Look for Glimmers and Find Joy

Joy is a wonderful feeling. It swells inside you and bubbles over. Life is great. Things are wonderful. When we consider what brings us joy, it’s usually the big moments: particular holidays, important events such as graduations and weddings. But wonderful as joy is, those special moments occur infrequently throughout the year. Unfortunately, we have too much in our lives that brings us down.

The solution? Find ways to increase our joy.

We can’t miraculously create more of those big events, but there is something we can do to bring “mini-joy” into our days: glimmers. Glimmers are micro-moments of joy – the opposite, in many ways, of micro-stressors. These are the everyday moments which give us a rush of happiness, a moment of gratitude, or a sense of calm, peace, safety and goodwill. That instance when some little thing makes you smile or even catch your breath. You might see a rainbow in a puddle, a tree that has burst into flower overnight, or received an unexpected compliment. Glimmers don’t last long, but they are special.

In the article What Are Glimmers and Why Are They Good for You? the Newport Institute explores how to bring glimmers into your life. According to the blog, the term was coined by Deb Dana who said, “[Glimmers are] micro moments that begin to shape our system in very gentle ways.”

While the times of joy are easily recognized, you need to be alert to glimmers as they appear. Glimmers are the opposite of triggers. One lifts you up, the other pulls you down. Some of the sample Glimmers given include:

  • Feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin
  • Getting a hug just when you need it
  • Stopping to smell flowers in bloom
  • Enjoying the feel of the sand between your toes while walking along a beach
  • Relishing the taste of your morning coffee or afternoon tea
  • Looking at a photograph of someone you love
  • Watching a child laugh or a puppy frolic

You can feel the positive effect these Glimmers have on you by how your body reacts. To get the best results from Glimmers, you need to collect them throughout the day. Six suggested ways to gather Glimmers are:

  1. Set a Glimmer Intention – Set a goal for finding a specific number of Glimmers per day. You can start with one and build on that as you become more aware of them. Pick a time of day to find one and keep your focus.
  2. Go Where the Glimmers Are – What places are you most likely to find Glimmers? I find them on walks. You might choose a playground, the library, or a special place in your home. When you know where they are – you can seek them out.
  3. Engage Your Senses – Glimmers can come from any (or many) of your five senses – and the more the better. The sound of birds chirping and the color of their feathers. The feel of the body wash on your skin and its scent as you shower. The taste of a favorite dish or a new one. The smell of a book – and the anticipation of reading it.
  4. Jot Them Down – Recording when you experienced one keeps the Glimmers present in your mind and reminds you of all the places they can be experienced. The Institute suggests a Glimmer Journal.
  5. Limit Screen Time – If you are absorbed by your devices, you won’t notice the Glimmers. And if you aren’t focused on screens, you will have more time to engage with people and/or things you enjoy, which brings more opportunities for Glimmers.
  6. Connect with Others –  Humans are, generally, social beings. Find and seek out people who spark Glimmers in you. And tell them of the special place they hold for you.

Glimmers are small, but when collected intentionally, the pay-off is big. Be on the look out for the many Glimmers in your life. You will be more joyful – and less stressed – because of it.

Posted on by hildaweisburg

Clear the Clutter To Be More Productive

Merriam-Webster defines clutter as to fill or cover with scattered or disordered things that impede movement or reduce effectiveness. Marie Kondo made a whole career (and a best selling book) about how to eliminate the clutter that fills our work and home spaces. (Although don’t listen to her about books – you need lots of those). Growing up, I used to hear that a cluttered desk was a cluttered mind. Do a cursory search for help on this matter and you will quickly discover the number of services available to help clear our houses, closets, cars, and more. Clearly, this is a problem for many of us.

As I look around my desk, there’s a lot on it, but it wouldn’t call it cluttered.  There are the things I need within easy reach including my to-do list and post-it notes. I have on it the flowers that bring me pleasure.  The walls of my office have positive reminders of my life from photos to various certificates.

So why do I still have a tough time getting started?

Because there are other types of clutter getting in my way In her blog post 4 Types of Clutter –  and How to Get Rid of Them, Stephanie Vozza has the answer, or rather Barbara Hemphill, who she quotes extensively, does. It is Hemphill who identifies the 4 types of clutter—physical, digital, emotional, and spiritual. Examples of these are:

  • Physical – the things around us we can see and touch;
  • Digital – emails, texts, open tabs on our internet browser;
  • Emotional – issues in your life that you cannot stop thinking about;
  • Spiritual – things getting in the way of hopes, dreams and purpose;

While my desk may not have a lot on it physically, once I get on my computer, digital clutter is everywhere. In addition, there are several personal issues that are an ongoing source of emotional and spiritual clutter. And it’s clear that the first two are more easily dealt with than the second – although the second two frequently lead to the first two.

Fortunately, the blog offers these three steps to help us manage these different clutters:

  1. Find Your Focus – What’s your number one priority? Know what it is before you begin. Be clear on how you will start and what you will do next. If what you need to do requires opening your email or the internet, do your best to only go where you need, and close everything else afte.
  2. Establish Systems – To ensure that you can stay focused, Hemphill says you need to have systems that support your focus. Unfortunately, one size doesn’t fit all, so you will need to try different things to find what works for you. For your desk, she likes a “Magic Six” rule – identify the six —and no more— things you need to be able to see. (If possible – don’t make your phone one of those since that can easily lead to digital clutter)
  3. Seek Out Support – Reach out to people who truly understand what your goals are – personally and professionally – and who can support you when clutter builds in any of these areas. Hemphill recommends a five-step process where you share your vision or goal: state your vision, identify your obstacles, become aware of your resources, discuss and execute your plan, and lean on your support to help you sustain your success. Who among your family and friends can you turn to for help? They provide the caring sounding boards and help us find the best ways to deal with these most draining types of clutter.

As a leader, you have so many responsibilities. Your personal and professional life has likely seen an increase in all types of clutter. Whatever you can do to reduce your clutter can increase your productivity and create momentum for continuing. The uncluttered desk is easy. The uncluttered mind is much harder — and more valuable — to maintain. 

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Little Things Cause Big Results

Ever had one of those days when everything you did took longer than expected?  Ever had a day when it seemed everyone needed you for something, and you were wondering if you would have time to breathe?  Yeah, me too.  We have all had days like this.

It’s fine if that happens only occasionally, but when it becomes more consistent or persistent, it’s a problem. The stress builds and builds. It’s like what happens when water keeps dripping on stone. That constant drip will eat away at the rock more effectively – if slower – than a flood.

There’s a word for this – “microstressers.” If you’re constantly feeling under pressure, but there is no one obvious culprit, then microstresses, aggravations so tiny you don’t notice or dismiss them, might be what is causing the problem. Rob Cross, Karen Dillon, and Kevin Martin have an approach to deal with them in their blog post, Five Ways to Deal with the Microstressers Draining Your Energy.  The authors identify 14 microstressers, breaking them into three categories. Here are 6 of them in the categories they belong:

Microstressers That Drain Your Capacity to Get Things Done

  • Unpredictable behavior from a person in a position of authority – Principals, administrators and school boards, can be a significant source of microstresses when they ask first for one thing then another or ask you to make something a priority that changes what they previously requested.
  • Surges in responsibilities at work or home – This is a big one for most of us. Constantly being asked to do one more little thing rapidly adds up to ongoing and unending microstresses.

Microstresses That Deplete Your Emotional Reserves

  • Managing and feeling responsible for the success and well-being of others – We care about our students and teachers as well as our families, but it can take a lot out of us when we take on their process as our own.
  • Confrontational conversations – Dealing with a defiant or disruptive student or a challenging discussion with a partner is wearing, no matter how successfully you manage it. We gear up to have the conversation, then are drained after.

Microstresses That Challenge Your Identity

  • Pressure to pursue goals out of sync with your personal values – Librarians choices are being attacked on all fronts. Being able to advocate for the collection and programs you want to have to make your library a welcoming environment for all is more and challenging. (Okay – this one may not be micro!)
  • Attacks on your sense of self-confidence, worth, or control – Anytime we hear something negative about ourselves, our choices, our beliefs, it’s like a pinprick in our confidence. Too many of these small holes, and our self-assurance leaks away.

Now that you can see what some of these microstresses are, here are the author’s 5 steps for dealing with them:

  1. Start small – Always good advice. First, look to identify one small microstresser in your life – the fact that they are micro can make this a challenge initially. Once you can see it, identify steps to address it. For example, if you are feeling a loss of confidence, start keeping a list of great things about you or what you do. Look at them regularly (especially after one of those pinpricks).  And keep adding to the list.
  2. Shift your attention to positive interactions that help create resilience – Is there someone at work you really like?  Can you have lunch with them a few times a week or go for a walk together after school. Enjoy these connections as they happen and look forward to your next time together will help. What about outside of work? Is there a friend you can call regularly?
  3. Tackle two bigger microstresses – Now that you have a handle on two of your microstresser “go big” and try two. Schedule some time with the guidance counselor to get better ideas on dealing with disruptive students and see if they can do a workshop or tutorial for you and teachers. How can you delegate some of the increased workload at home or on the job? Where is there help and support in your life?
  4. Pay attention to areas that create anxiety because of your concern for other people – We worry about the people who matter to us whether at home or work. We can’t make choices for them, and we can’t always rush in to help them. The authors suggest you work with them on developing problem-solving skills, which will allow you to both feel more successful. It may also have the added benefit of giving you peace of mind that you can trust their process.
  5. Finish by pivoting to activities that help you derive a greater sense of purpose – The authors suggest you find a group or two outside work and family that gives you “meaningful activities.” For me it’s my Weight Watchers weekly meetings. I can feel myself shedding the microstresses even if I gain weight. Community and support are something we all need and which can get easily lost in the midst of all the little things that pull at us.

If you want to learn more about this subject, Cross and Dillon also co-authored the book The Microstress Effect. As leaders, we have so many demands we and others place on us, but our focus and energy tends to go to the big things and we don’t notice the little things that are draining our energy, mental health, and joy. When we succumb to these microstresser we can’t give as much to our school community or our family. Look for the little things that are becoming big things and take small steps to reduce your stress.

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On the Path to More Joy

Today I’m concluding what has unexpectedly become a three-part series on joy. It seems especially fitting after a stretch of gray and rainy days where I live and the change of clocks in the United States which heralds a lengthening of daylight hours (something that personally gives me a lot of joy).

Finding and noticing joy are key to our ongoing mental health. And because our mental health affects our physical health, it has an important role to play in our ability and willingness to do the work we love. We think joy comes from an event or occurrence that happens to us. But we don’t need to wait for those moments. Last week in my blog, I shared the first five ways to bring joy into your life from 10 Ways to Find or Create Joy at Work by the Career Contessa Team. Here are the remaining five ways:

  1. Give Back – We usually think of this as volunteering, but at work it can be something as simple and meaningful as giving someone a true compliment – one that is specific to something you saw or experienced with them. Better yet write them a note so they have it to reference later. Is there someone who helped you recently? Send a thank you note (yes, e-mail is ok, but imagine how’d they’d feel getting something handwritten).
  2. Surround Yourself with (You Guessed It) Joyful People – Who are the people in your life who seem to have a zest for living? The people you can’t help but be drawn to. Find ways to see and work with them more often. The Career Contessa Team says these people need not be from your school. Your family and friends can (and hopefully do) bring you joy. Spend time with them. Don’t sacrifice joy with them to get more work done.
  3. Distance Yourself from Work Vampires – The Career Contessa Team says these are the “people who mosey up to your desk to complain, spread gossip, complain, and complain.” They delight in finding and magnifying everything that isn’t going well and suck out any joy you might be feeling. Recognize them for who they are. You may have to see them if they are your colleagues (and we have to be in relationship with everyone), but do what you can to minimize the time they take. And be sure not to agree with them. It will be added to their gossip.
  4. Find Small, New Ways to Do Old Things – Many times when we feeling down makes us yearn for change, we look to do big, sweeping things. Instead, we are often better off making small, sustainable changes to make things one step better. That can give us the momentum to continue to do more and more. Finding small ways to do old things differently can spark all kinds of energy and joy. You can also try a new approach or set up – put your desk near a window, change display areas, redo a bulletin board – and get help and input from others.
  5. Embrace You and Your Strengths – We are all unique. Our inner critic often wishes we were more like someone else. Why waste time on that.? You are you, and you bring your unique strengths to all your interactions. Seeing that what you bring is special and important can help you rekindle the joy for what you do and how you do it. The Career Contessa Team concludes with fun exercise. First, list five of your strengths. Complete this sentence for each one: I am (your strength), and it matters because ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­________________.

Now you have ten ways to find and create joy in your life. I have found that joy is contagious. The more joy you bring into your life, the more you will notice and the more you will attract people who want to be with you. Knowing that joy is something you can reach for and find whenever you need it is very empowering. And feeling empowered supports your work, your leadership, and everything you do. As well as creating more joy. Don’t think of it as secondary – make joy a priority and see the amazing results of your efforts.

Posted on by hildaweisburg

Tap Into The Power of Adversity

I have come to see that everyone has something stressful and negative going on. I hear of emotional, physical, or financial crises in the lives of friends and family. Professionally, librarians face scary and intimidating situations at work. So, what can we do?

We can slog our way through it. Use various techniques to keep a positive mindset. Work on self-care. While these are good ways of coping with what we face each day, we can take a step beyond them. Years ago, I learned the term “Chopportunity.” Blending the words Challenge and Opportunity, it serves as a reminder that a challenge can provide an opportunity. Knowing the term is great but translating it into action can be a challenge in itself.

LaRae Quy explains how we can accomplish this in This Is How Adversity Can Improve the Way You Think. She notes we tend to say, “when things return to normal,” but Quy asks if you really want to return to what was. This is what a Chopportunity it is. You have a chance to have things be better than they were. To do so requires focused thinking. Quy gives these four steps for doing so.

  1. Find the Philosopher Within – To do so, Quy says you need to know what is true, and how you should live your life based on what you believe to be true. As librarians we know how to find out what is true. Your core values tell you how to live your life based on that. Socrates said, “the unexamined life is not worth living.” If you are unsure of exactly what this means for you, consider writing your eulogy. What would you want people to say about the life you led? Are you living a life that would earn those words?
  2. Look for the Opportunity in Every Crisis – It’s the Chopportunity. Quy says the Chinese character for Crisis and Change Point are the same. Every crisis marks a change. What do you do about it?  Think of what you would want to change about your job and what you can do to make that a reality. In your school, this may be the moment you decide to step up to leadership because of the ongoing challenges in other libraries. You could start some monthly workshops for teachers.  On a larger level, you might marshal your resources from your state and national associations and make your presence known in the fight to defend intellectual freedom. As Gandi said, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”
  3. Take a Lesson from the Stoics – Quy explains the Stoics would consider every possible adversity. Senecca advised Romans to “Rehearse your adversity in your mind: exile, torture, war, shipwreck.”  It seems a scary thing to do, but it gives you the opportunity to prepare for the worst, at least mentally. Consider contingency plans for the possibilities. This gives you the ability to react rationally rather than in a panic when a crisis occurs. The idea Quy says is, “when you prepare for adversity, you diminish its bite when it happens.”
  4. Hunt the Good Stuff – Whatever your favorite news source is, the oft-quoted saying “if it bleeds, it leads,” is true. I have switched to music when I’m in the car because listening to the news makes me anxious. Apparently, research has shown that it takes five positive items of information to overcome a single negative one. You may have to work to find the good stuff, but it’s worth it.

Life is not easy, but it’s what we have. What we do with it, how we choose to react when things go wrong or the unexpected happens, is up to us. Consider what how you can grow as a leader – and a person – when you learn how to use adversity as a step to the next great thing.

Posted on by hildaweisburg

Using Stress to Succeed

Who isn’t dealing with stress? We face it at work and most of us face it at home. Librarians, teachers and administrators are dealing with scary challenges. And we not only have to manage our own stress, but we have to interact with others who are experiencing stress as well. Our students’ mental health has become a concern. Teachers have new goals and guidelines they don’t know how to meet. Administrators face unending political pressures.

People under stress are rarely at their best. Tempers flare, harsh words are said, and relationships are torn, sometimes beyond repair. We can’t afford to endanger our relationships. As leaders and librarians, successful relationships are vital to what we want to achieve. But we can’t simply wish our stress away. Indeed, the stresses in our lives only seem to increase. So what can we do?

In her blog post, Fear(less) Leadership: How to Recalibrate Your Stress Response, Rebecca Heiss takes a novel approach to dealing with stress, by finding ways to (believe it or not) make it work for us. “Fear(less)” is the key word. So much stress is rooted in fear, whether it is getting everything done, forgetting a key detail, or your job security. Knowing how to deal with that fear is a way to deal with that challenge.

Heiss makes three main points:

  • Our Brains Aren’t Designed for Today’s World – Heiss notes our brains treat all threats no matter their source or complexity in the same way. We fall into the classic, freeze, flee, fight response. We see all three in the responses librarians are making to the book banning that keeps ramping up in the United States. I am sure there are some librarians who are in one of these modes even if there haven’t been challenges in their district. Most often, we hide our fear under a brave face and plunge in, much like an animal that bristles and growls when under attack. But the fear is still there and wears away inside us. To deal with that, Heiss says we need to understand “how our brains will interpret the risks initially and then taking the time to calculate the actual costs of both action and inaction in making the next move.” In other words – there isn’t a lion at the cave opening. You can find a way through this.
  • Stress can give your life more meaning – That sounds counterintuitive, but Heiss explains that successful leaders view the cause of the stress as an adventure. See it as a challenge that will lead you to new understanding and growth. Looking for and finding a positive response to stress is the way to find new solutions (the classic “thinking out of the box” or getting rid of the box entirely). Heiss reminds us that athletic records are broken in competition, not in practice. We need stress to succeed and exceed. Chemically, you produce the same hormones and neurotransmitters when you are stressed as when you are excited.
  • Perceive Your Stress as Opportunity – Looking more deeply into the concept of stress as an adventure, Heiss provides the “ABC’s” of how to do it:
    • A is for Awareness – Allow yourself three minutes to feel the stress. Don’t deny it’s there. That won’t work. Name it to face it.
    • B is for Breathe – This named stress isn’t going to kill you, so the freeze, flight, fright response is unnecessary. Take a couple of deep breaths and gain control of the cognitive part of your brain.
    • C is for Curiosity – Ask yourself some questions to get moving. This is the time to look at your Core Values. What are the ideas and beliefs that you hold most valuable? The ones you need to support. If you retreat from them, your stress will only increase. What is your Mission? Will your response to the stress advance them? Check in with your PLN to see who has done this and can help.

Stress is normal in life. The increased level of stress is the new normal. We can live in the fear it causes or start seeing it as an adventure. And look for ways to welcome others on the adventure by helping your teachers see stress in a new way. They need the help as well – and it will build your relationships.