Peter Harrison COMM 1010 Oct.

14, 2013

Interpersonal!Communication Improvement Proposal Submitted By: Peter Harrison Salt Lake Community College COMM 1010 October 14, 2013

Peter Harrison COMM 1010 Oct. 14, 2013

Interpersonal!Communication Improvement Proposal

My emotional intelligence issue is one that deals with stress management. At my work as things become busy I tend to get stressed and am not able to focus on the job. Instead I worry and fret about all that needs to be done. I plan to combat this issue by seeking ways in which I can reduce my stress level in those situations. This will enable me to have a better relationship with the boss and my coworkers.

The issue I have with stress management is that stress is something that disables me from fully functioning at my job. I work at Paradise Bakery & Cafe in Sandy. It is a restaurant and therefor particularly around lunch tends to get very busy and crowded. This busyness becomes a vice for me as I tend to get overwhelmed with everything and cannot seem to focus on the task at hand. My exibility seems to diminish and I become less optimistic. These things lead to a decrease in satisfaction and my communication with my coworkers suffers. An example of this is a situation dealing with a costumer. When I am taking orders and I have another coworker ask me to do them a favor Its hard for me to break away from what Im doing and go help them.

Peter Harrison COMM 1010 Oct. 14, 2013

The resources and constraints I have available to me include my boss, and coworkers, as well as family. Two of the three managers at the restaurant are very approachable and generally very understanding. I am able to ask them questions or relate any concerns I have to them. Most of my past experiences with them have been fairly positive. Another resource I have is my parents and family. My family is a great resource as they know and understand me very well. They are able to give me counsel and advice of things that could help me in managing my stress. One of the few constrains however, is time. In the moment of the busyness Its not really feasible to have a good conversation with my boss as we are both involved in helping costumers. Another constraint would be my coworkers willingness to work with me and help me better understand my stress. If they are not able to do this it can be a hindrance.

The way in which I plan to address and solve this problem is outlined in a step by step process. The rst step is to recognize at moments when I start to become overwhelmed to do something about it. This is something done by myself and personal. An example of doing this is self-renewal. This requires taking responsibility for one's feelings,

Peter Harrison COMM 1010 Oct. 14, 2013 thoughts, and behaviors -- negative or positive -- and an openness to appreciate life's basic gifts. Basic components of self-renewal activities include physical, psychological, mental, social, and spiritual. (1-Creative Stress-Management Techniques For SelfRenewal) To stop and realize the basic good things I have is something that will not allow me to get further into despair. The second step is the process what needs to be done rst and what is most important. An example of this is Paring down your to-do list Analyze your schedule, responsibilities, and daily tasks. If youve got too much on your plate, distinguish between the should and the musts. Drop tasks that arent truly necessary to the bottom of the list or eliminate them entirely. (2- helpguide.org) This will help assess what really needs to be done and what can come secondary. After the level of busyness has gone down I can then talk to my boss and seek to understand better how I myself can deal with the situation and how I can others help me. Another thing I can do while being stressed is breathing exercises. This includes roll breathing, a type of deep breathing. (3- webmd.com). The last step is to evaluate myself and see if there are other things I can change to result in less stress. For example 1) Rest Yourself as regularly as possible. Sleep 7-8 hours a night. 2) Be Aware of Yourself. Be aware of distress signals such as insomnia, headaches, anxiety, upset stomach, lack

Peter Harrison COMM 1010 Oct. 14, 2013 of concentration, colds/u, excessive tiredness, etc. Remember, these can be signs of potentially more serious disorders (i.e., ulcers, hypertension, heart disease). (4scu.edu) These other basic things will help aide in better managing the stress and being able to deal with difcult situations. All these steps outlines will better help me deal with stress and manage it better.

To conclude the the issue I have is in dealing with the stress as a result of my job. When it gets busy and there are a lot of customers I tend to get anxious and worrisome. I am not able to focus on the task at hand. The way in which I will solve this is through physical techniques to combat the stress such as deep breathing or muscle relaxation. I will also strive to look for the positive and let my boss know if I have any problems they could help me with. After the situation I will evaluate and see if there are things in my daily pattern that I could do to elevate some of the stress. These are solutions to my problem of stress management.