How simple ideas can resolve stress, and how questions can help you discover those ideas.
He was sitting in my office: tense, tired, stressed and depressed. He lost pleasure in the small stuff of life. There were plenty of complex interpretations that could be the source of his depression. I wondered if I would dive into them, but decided not to. I decided to look for more simple solutions to break the vicious circle. How to find out? Asking questions, simple questions, often help. So i gave it a try …
- “When exactly do you feel most stressed? What happens at that specific moment?
- “Well, phone calls are happening all day long and I do feel overwhelmed and not prepared to answer”. (He works in the financial sector and get phone calls from anxious clients who are worried about their investments during this financial crisis.)
- “How many of the phone calls you receive are from this type of overstressed clients?”
- “About six of them”
- “Are those mostly the same six clients calling you?”
- “Yes!” , he replied.
- “Ok, and how many of them are really important clients that you cannot afford to lose?”
- “Two, and they call me almost every single day”.
- “How much time would it take you to study their file as your first job when you enter the office in order to prepare your answer to their questions?”
- “I guess about 5 minutes for each of them, that means 10 minutes all together”
- “Would it make a difference to you if you prepare as your very first job in the morning their file and call them yourself before they call you?” , was my next question.
He smiled and said “Yes, of course. I would feel much better. I would not be afraid to be overwhelmed by their calls any more!”
