How to Manage the Stress of Work at a Charity

IN THE TRENCHES

By Alison Stein Wellner

It’s the little things that help keep Janelle Hail on an even keel.

As head of the National Breast Cancer Foundation, in Addison, Tex., she oversees an organization of 10 employees that raises as much as $3-million each year to aid its mission of educating women about a life-threatening illness. But every day, just after lunch, she carves out time for a calming ritual. “I relax and read The Wall Street Journal online and usually spend a few minutes reading a good business or leadership book,” she says. “It relaxes my mind and sets me into a good frame of mind for the afternoon.”

Of all the skills that a person needs to succeed in the nonprofit world, managing stress should probably be near the top of the list. According to a 1999 study by the federal government’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, one-fourth of employees view their jobs as the top source of stress in their lives. The study also found that three-fourths of workers surveyed believe that there is more on-the-job stress than a generation ago. A 2000 study by Statistics Canada, a research company in Ottawa, Ontario, that conducts that nation’s official census, found that people who work at nonprofit organizations are subject to pervasive stress, perhaps even more so than people who work equivalent jobs in the business world.

Charity workers who care for clients in physical or emotional crisis may find themselves particularly vulnerable to stress. Those employees or volunteers who have difficulty setting boundaries between themselves and their work may face burnout or even medical problems brought on by chronic stress.

Although stress can even be a health hazard, it is, unlike other risk factors, impossible to avoid entirely, says David Bronson, an internist at the Cleveland Clinic. The key to managing stress, he says, is managing the reaction to it: “The issue is, can a person find ways to relieve stress that are healthy?”

Many people who have reached the top of the nonprofit world have a set of tried and true stress-relieving techniques upon which they rely. Here are some of the tips they suggest:

Get control. The first step for anyone trying to manage stress is to exert some control over what is causing the stress in the first place, says Richard Weinstein, author of The Stress Effect: Discover the Connection Between Stress and Disease and Reclaim Your Health (Penguin Putnam, 2004, $14.95). “The greatest stress factors are a lack of control and lack of predictability,” he says. “It’s important to manage these factors as best as you can.”

Ms. Hail says she believes that effective organization and time-management skills are key to managing work pressures, including the common pressures for nonprofit workers caused by stretched resources. “Inevitably, stress starts to build during the day, with one crisis after another,” she observes.

To keep on top of the chaos, she has created simple organizational rituals. For example, before she leaves the office at the end of the day, she cleans off her desk — literally. “When I clear off my desk, I give it a few quick swipes with a fragrant cleanser to wipe off fingerprints and ‘work crumbs, ‘” she says. “Early the next morning I am ready to start work with a fresh office. Having everything out of sight helps me focus on important things without getting overwhelmed by a mess.”

Take breaks. Get away for lunch, advises Robert Tufel, executive director of the National Brain Tumor Foundation, in Oakland, Calif. “Take at least a 15-minute lunch break every day and don’t eat at your desk,” he advises. “I find this is essential and encourage my staff to do the same.” Perhaps even squeeze in a nap, suggests Richard Russell, director of development at the Washington Opera, in the nation’s capital. “I take five-minute naps under my desk — hoping that no one will barge in,” he says.

Keep in mind that it is not necessary to leave the desk (or crawl under it) to have a stress-reducing break. Researchers at Kansas State University found last year that women who kept brightly colored cut flowers, such as carnations, or potted plants with colorful flowers, like geraniums or chrysanthemums, within eyeshot of their desks reported less stress than women who had simple green plants without flowers at their desks, or no flowers at all. Eunhee Kim, a horticultural therapist at Kansas State who led the study, theorizes that flowers create a “positive distraction,” so even a quick glance at something beautiful can create a stress-relieving break.

Also, try practicing stress-relieving deep breathing techniques during the workday, says Mr. Weinstein. Try the “trapezius somatic technique”: It’s a long name for a simple move, he says. When people get stressed, they tense up the muscles in their necks and shoulders, he explains. Breathe in, and at the same time, lift shoulders up to the ears. Breathe out, and lower the shoulders back down. Repeat five times in a row or until calm. (For more relaxation exercises, look here, here, and here.)

Have fun after work. Nonprofit leaders who manage stress effectively say their off-hours activities help relax them. “My number-one stress reducer is exercise,” says Mr. Tufel. “No matter what happens, I force myself to do something — go swimming, walking, bike riding. Just going to the gym and putting on my headphones and moving is the best thing for my mental health.” Mr. Tufel also takes yoga class once a week, which he also credits with relieving his stress.

Indeed, exercise is well known for reducing stress, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There’s no need to become an Olympic athlete: Just three brisk, 10-minute walks in a day can lift a person’s mood, according to a 2002 study conducted at the University of Ulster’s Jordanstown campus, in Northern Ireland, and reported in the journal Medical Science Sports Exercise.

To keep stress at bay, it is important to make the time for any favorite activity. This is particularly important when a day’s work is emotionally draining, as is the case at many charities. For example, Bobbi Meyers, operations manager at the Miami/Fort Lauderdale affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, often becomes personally involved with the people with whom she works closely — women with breast cancer who may or may not survive their illness. This emotional connection adds an additional layer of stress to her job. But she has found a coping strategy. “I love to cook, and it really soothes me,” she says. “Trying intricate and different recipes is always a challenge and that relaxes me — even if it’s a disaster.”

Jim Vondracek, vice president of university advancement at Saint Xavier University, in Chicago, goes to a Russian-style bathhouse at least once a month for a dip in a cold pool and a hot sauna. “I’ve been doing it every month for the last year,” he says, “and it’s made a huge difference.”

Get a grip on worries. It’s also important to learn how to manage anxiety, says Mr. Weinstein. “People tend to have worry habits,” he says. “They keep working a problem over and over. It’s almost a way of keeping their mind occupied.” The problem is that when we worry, we actually are provoking a “flight or fight” response in our bodies — creating stress where none need exist. To avoid turning a small dilemma into a full-scale anxiety episode, he says, set aside some time, write down the problem in specific terms, brainstorm possible solutions, and create a concrete plan of action.

Sometimes, though, such efforts don’t banish anxiety. In those cases, it is important to learn to deal with life’s uncertainty, and for some people, getting some perspective can help, Mr. Weinstein has found. “Make a list of five things that are really stressing you out, put it somewhere for 30 days, and then look at it again,” he advises. It’s likely, he says, that big worries today will seem like small worries a month from now.

Remember the organization’s purpose. Stress can slip away when overwhelmed workers reconnect to the larger missions of their charities. “I go to rehearsals to help remember why I’m doing this,” says Mr. Russell, of the Washington Opera. “And yes, I do fall in love with one singer’s performance of an aria and listen to it, loud, over and over!” Reclaiming a sense of passion — or, at the very least, a sense of mission — can go a long way toward reducing feelings of stress.

How do you manage work-related stress? Tell your favorite techniques in the Share Your Brainstorms online forum.