How to Understand and Ease Your Stress with DISC

Our work routines often bring to mind thoughts of productivity, meeting goals, counting inventory, making sales, and finally, stress. In addition, some of us have the luxury, or the unfortunate situation, of working from home (depending on the perspective), and the work-life balance at home may create a different kind of stress than working in the office. If you’re not used to working remotely, being at home going from days to weeks to months, can feel like every day is Groundhog’s Day. Whether you’re alone, at home with kids, significant others, or your pack of fur children, stress is bound to appear.

How can we manage our work stress, but also balance our home stress in this situation? Taking a DISC Assessment will not only enable you to understand yourself and how you deal with stress but will also help you to understand the other people (fur children not included) around you. With this knowledge, you can understand triggers and implement a plan.

Let’s look at some stress management options for each DISC Style. These can be used for dealing with stressors at home, work, or both.

Start a new project

"D" styles are direct, decisive, and task-oriented. Avoid micromanaging everything or doing everything yourself, as this will raise your frustration level. Get yourself involved in a new project or think of new ways to optimize and delegate some of your workflow and processes. For a full detachment from work stress, consider whether your yard could use a makeover. Get the ball rolling and create a task list for each family member to get them involved in helping too.

Have a virtual party

"I" styles are outgoing and social. It’s a great time to brush up on all the ins and outs of Microsoft Teams or Zoom for work. Don’t be surprised if you get random video calls from your "I" co-worker when they have a few minutes just to say, “Hi.” Download the HouseParty app. With this app, you can connect to all your friends, family members, and neighbors by just sending them an invitation. The next best thing to an in-person party is a virtual Friday night social with the ones you love.

Schedule “One-on-one” time

"S" styles are supportive and steady. They may have a hard time managing their routine right now, but routine is what is going to keep some stability and normalcy. They will also want to connect with their co-workers they haven’t seen lately. Schedule some one-on-one projects with friends or co-workers to get back in your comfort zone. When was the last time you have received a handwritten letter from a friend, or written one yourself? Get out some stationery and a pen, and send a friend a thoughtful letter through faithful snail mail.

Get organized

"C" styles are conscious and detail-oriented. Do you have some older PowerPoint or Excel spreadsheets that could benefit from being reformatted? Now is the time to do it. "C" styles don’t mind working independently, whether it be at home or in the office. They have their eye on the prize, and their goals must be fulfilled. Organize that closet. Upgrade your closet with a new storage shelf, matching cube bins, and color-code those t-shirts. The "C" will feel better than ever after completing these tasks.

These suggestions for stress management may sound simple, but with all the stress in our heads, they can be overlooked. How else do you manage your stress? Comment below!