05 Mar Stress Less by Using Your Strengths More
NB: this article is taken from the Gallup Organisation's site (link below); although it refers to Americans there's evidence that suggests the findings would apply just as much to Australians and, in face, most if not all people anywhere!
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The more hours per day Americans get to use their strengths to do what they do best, the less likely they are to report experiencing worry, stress, anger, sadness, or physical pain "yesterday." Fifty-two percent of Americans who use their strengths for zero to three hours a day are stressed, but this falls to 36% for Americans who use their strengths for 10 hours per day or more.
(see graph)
Twenty-one percent of Americans use their strengths for three hours or fewer per day and are, therefore, carrying a much heavier emotional burden than adults are who use their strengths throughout the day. About one in four adults use their strengths for 10 hours or more per day — meaning that three in four adults are not using their strengths enough hours daily to achieve the maximum emotional benefit.
These findings are based on Gallup Daily tracking interviews with 5,049 American adults on Aug. 23-27, 2012. Respondents were asked, "About how many hours out of the day yesterday were you able to use your strengths to do what you do best?"
Gallup has spent more than a half-century studying human strengths and more than 7.8 million people have taken Gallup's Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment — which tests for 34 specific, unique strengths — since its inception in 1998.
Americans also gain a boost in positive emotions the more they use their strengths. The more hours per day adults believe they use their strengths, the more likely they are to report having ample energy, feeling well-rested, being happy, smiling or laughing a lot, learning something interesting, and being treated with respect.
Particularly important for workplaces is the added energy adults report when they get to use their strengths frequently during the day. Adults who use their strengths for 10 hours or more per day are 22 percentage points more likely to say they have enough energy to get things done than are those who use their strengths for three hours or less…
…to see the full & original article JUST CLICK HERE