A CBT Based Self-Help Guide
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is ‘big’ these days. Focusing on how we think and how we behave, it provides us with very useful, practical tools which help change our negative thought patterns into more useful coping strategies and mechanisms through self-reflection and awareness.
This book is a CBT approach to helping educate and equip readers to deal with workplace stress. Focusing on three parts, the book offers a diagnostic as to how to spot occupational stress and its consequences; many tools and interventions for occupational stress and a very effective last section focused on pulling all of the material together.
Written for the lay person primarily, it is however useful in that it deals with topics like assertiveness, anxiety, decision making and applied healthy lifestyle assessment. When combined well and in balance, these add up to a significant opportunity to address not just the causes, but help signpost potential solutions to currently stressful situations in the workplace.
I particularly like the way Bamber treats the idea that stress is normal and inevitable. Interventions are not aimed at ‘removing’ stress but instead focused on our triggers and strategies for coping. He makes a distinction between positive stress and negative stress and demonstrates ways in which optimal stress provide us just the right balance to keep us productive and yet safe and well simultaneously.
Perhaps one of the most practical sections is on time management. Bamber suggests the following to help us reduce stress and cope better at work;
- Plan ahead – identify your goals and ring-fence these from distraction; Manage your diary effectively; Create some ‘prime time’ for yourself; Prepare for meetings and Choose the best time to tackle difficult tasks
- Overcome procrastination
- Learn to delegate
- Stay focused
- Prioritise
- Be organised
He finishes with a practical tool to develop a time management action plan which can integrate all of the above into a very usable tool for day-to-day stress reduction.
Mike Hackett PMP ARCHTI MIACP
Consultant, Lecturer & Psychotherapist.
