Want to Alleviate Stress at Work? Try a Micro Check-in.
Want to Alleviate Stress at Work? Try a Micro Check-In
March 7, 2023
By Stef Ziegler
You’ve no doubt heard how important it is to manage stress. And you’ve probably armed yourself with a few tools that help with that—like taking 10 minutes to meditate, grabbing a coffee with a colleague, actually taking a lunch break (away from your desk), going on a brisk walk, etc.
But what’s your go-to stress-buster on those days when you can’t break away for ten minutes? Or when your to-do list is so large that you just want to scream—except you can’t, because you’re already late for your next meeting?
Never fear—the solution is here! Introducing the Micro Check-in.
What is a Micro Check-In?
A micro check-in is a 90-second break that allows you to get grounded in your body—so you can get off the roller coaster of stress and emotion and quickly recenter yourself. It’s the perfect tool for busy days when you’re running from meeting to meeting—or whenever stress finds its way into your mental-emotional state.
Here’s how to do a micro check-in:
1. Identify your emotional reactions
This will give you insight into when to practice a micro check-in. You may find this challenging at first. Start off small by paying closer attention to the feelings in your mind and your physical body. For example, any situation that increases your stress, anxiety, or makes you angry.
2. Label the emotion you are experiencing
Are you feeling stressed, annoyed, or anxious? Naming the emotion you are experiencing, makes it easier to practice this mental fitness technique so you can more quickly identify your emotions and begin to process your feelings.
3. Observe your feelings around this emotion
Allow your feelings to come and go without judging yourself or trying to change them. This part can be particularly challenging and it’s important to practice bringing awareness to your emotions. This can be uncomfortable at first but remember to keep leaning into observing and accepting whatever is coming up for you.
4. Let it go
This is the key to making the 90-second break work. By allowing yourself to identify, label, and observe your emotions, you can ride the wave of how long a feeling lasts. 90 seconds is how long the chemical process of an emotion lasts in your amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for processing fearful and threatening stimuli, after this amount of time the chemical process of an emotion will dissipate. You now have the choice to either stay in the feeling or let it go, which is where the micro-check-in can help.
Why 90 seconds?
According to Harvard brain scientist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, it only takes ninety seconds to identify an emotion and allow it to dissipate. When you are reacting to something that is stressful, anxiety-inducing, or makes you angry a 90-second chemical process takes place. When you pause for ninety seconds and label your feelings it allows the activity in your amygdala to relax. After this initial response, you can choose to stay in the emotional loop or move on after you’ve identified your emotion and allowed it to dissolve.
Why do I love the Micro Check-in so much?
The point of a micro check-in is to reconnect with your body and the present moment and allow yourself to consciously and physically shift your energy by feeling and processing your emotions. Let’s face it, we don’t have 15-minute blocks to meditate every hour throughout our work day and some days we can’t do all (or any) of the mental fitness practices we know help us.
A micro check-in allows you to hold space for whatever is arising for you at that moment—without being carried away by it.
When should I integrate this?
How about when you…
1. Just got off a heated call with a customer and are headed to another meeting with your boss? Micro check-in.
2. Just had an amazing chat with a colleague and have to deal with an internal meeting you know may be stressful? Micro check-in.
3. Just got off a serious problem-solving call with your fellow engineers and need to bounce to another meeting with your product team addressing a completely different issue? Micro check-in.
4. Need to recenter because your thoughts are spiraling out of control? Micro check-in.
5. Feel like you’re spinning in a million directions and don’t know which task to work on next? Micro check-in.
Next time you feel stressed, try the 90-second Micro Check-in. Practice by integrating 5-time slots where you can do this throughout your day. This can also be used outside of the work place in everyday life when you feel as though your emotions are highjacking you. Pay attention and see what happens when you practice this mental fitness technique!
