Benefiting at work from Brain Based Insights

It’s the season of St. Nicholas Eve, Kwanza, Winter Solstice, Navidades, Hanukkah, Christmas, St. Lucia Day, Boxing Day and New Year's.  Starting on or about the first of November, until the middle of January, it’s also a season of stressful encounters at work. Gifts to buy, parties to attend, year end work to complete, taxes to consider…..

One in five people get more stress than fun from our holidays according to a survey reported at 4Heath. Other researchers warn us that at least 22 stressors hit us on ordinary days, and often more during the holidays.

Regardless of what else you plan at work as you prepare for festive holiday, it helps to create a calm environment well ahead. Help your brain to reboot, before hectic schedules and stressful encounters take their toll. The workplace need not add tension, in spite of demands that come with Christmas. Music, for instance,  wires the brain for calm, acts like a antidepressant, and a few favorite tunes on the drive to or from work,  can shift your brain waves from gloomy to glad within a few beats.

Tactics for Christmas calm work better, if organized ahead - long before people feel the need to decompress after holiday scraps with a sister or hurtful words from a brother–in-law. What plans will you make to ensure your calm at Christmas?