Stress Management & The 2-Chair Technique

If you’re reading this newsletter, you’re likely in the high achiever cohort, i.e., you’re achievement oriented and have worked extra hard to get where you are. It’s also very likely that you’re in a leadership position of some sort.  

This can be stressful, and it’s easy to lose the life balance that makes you happy and motivated and that makes all your efforts seem worthwhile. So, what do you do when you find yourself overly stressed and in an emotional and motivational “funk”?

One of the most effective ways to deal with this situation is role playing the “2-Chair Technique.” You imagine there are two chairs in a room. You’re sitting in one chair, and your ideal inspirational and encouraging coach is sitting in the other. You play both parts (with two actual chairs, or just in writing), and a problem-solving conversation between the two people in the room might go something like this:

·         You: “Wow, I’m in a funk. I feel tired and overwhelmed, and I’m having trouble making decisions and meeting the goals I’ve set for myself.”

·         Coach: “I’m sorry to hear that. What’s causing you to feel this way?”

·         You: “I’ve got a lot of exciting things in the works, but I just feel like I don’t have enough time and energy to achieve them all.”

·         Coach: “I sure would like to see you happier. What options can you think of to fix this problem?”

·         You: “Well, I could delegate some of this responsibility, or I could make changes to some of my goals.”

·         Coach: “Those sound like good ideas. Which one of the options do you think will get you the best results?”

·         You: “I think that I probably have too many strategic initiatives going on, that I’m stretched too thin, and that I need to focus my efforts better.”

·         Coach: “Excellent, now you can write out your action steps and timeline to fix the problem. That was some great work!”  

Don’t be a stranger. (770) 993-1129. tdockery@TheResolveFirm.com