Hire a professional. If you are ready to launch a new project, whatever the project may be, hire a professional. For instance, if you are tackling a new website design and have little or no experience, hire a professional. I have implemented this in my business. When I decided to revamp my business website, I knew I did not have the skills to tackle a project like this. If I had attempted this independently, it would have taken me much longer and caused frustration. Hiring the right person to help was priceless. The professional I hired had a wealth of knowledge and addressed aspects of a new website and branding that I would never have managed on my own.
With all that’s going on in our country, in our economy, in the world, and on social media, it feels like so many of us are under a great deal of stress. We know that chronic stress can be as unhealthy as smoking a quarter of a pack a day. For many of us, our work, our livelihood, is a particular cause of stress. Of course, a bit of stress is just fine, but what are stress management strategies that leaders use to become “Stress-Proof” at work? What are some great tweaks, hacks, and tips that help to reduce or even eliminate stress from work? As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Monique Jose.
Monique profoundly loves helping her clients design their dream life. She combines her passion for energy medicine, 20+ years’ experience in the corporate accounting world, and her 10+ years as an entrepreneur to bridge the gap between where her clients are now and where they strive to be. Leaders, professionals, entrepreneurs, and public figures are astounded by the healing and valuable information Monique provides to help each one uniquely achieve their dream life.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to know how you got from “there to here.” Inspire us with your backstory!
I can remember when I had my first job waiting tables, one of my very first paychecks went to experience a massage. At a young age, I knew I wanted to understand and experiment with natural methods of healing the body. Even though I was a healthy young adult, my curiosity began to bloom, and I have been on the quest for healing modalities ever since. I love studying and learning different approaches to health, wealth, and happiness. Fast forward several years to 2008, when my mom was diagnosed with tongue cancer. In 2010, my mother-in-law was diagnosed with uterine cancer and brain cancer. Witnessing these two powerful women suffer from this dreadful disease put me in overdrive to find more natural healing methods. I knew deep down that I needed to learn more about healing the body and mind. I would learn and do everything I could to keep myself and my family healthy, to avoid the same suffering my mother and mother-in-law experienced.
One afternoon in late 2018, I stumbled upon a Facebook post about the documentary E-motion (featuring Dr. Bradley Nelson). Within the first few minutes, I knew the information in this documentary was what I had been on the hunt for. The documentary explained that everything we struggled with or suffered from was most likely due to trapped emotions. I was thrilled to find the Emotion Code and Body Code modalities to release the trapped energies of the past and help me (and others) move forward. I couldn’t wait to try it! When I did, I loved it so much that I decided to become a certified practitioner myself. The studying, experimenting, and curiosity about healing and energy medicine continue today. There is much to learn and educate ourselves on as we strive to achieve and heal more. I have a fantastic time working with individuals of influence from all over the country. Witnessing their lives improving in all aspects is humbling.
What lessons would you share with yourself if you had the opportunity to meet your younger self?
Even when you are going through the most challenging times, there is a reason for it. There is a purpose in all of it.
I can recall that at the tender age of 9, my parents divorced. It was the single most impactful event in my life. A divorce can be earth-shattering for any family, even if it is the best decision for those involved. I genuinely wish I could communicate that to my younger self. Since I was the oldest of three girls, I fell into a “parental” role. It was very challenging, and many times felt conflicted, but I kept going. How does a school-aged child balance helping mom with the household duties and still be a little girl? Without a doubt, it’s a challenge. As an adult, I can understand with clarity that our lives were better off with this change in dynamic even though life was filled with heartache and we could not envision the future. I hold this lesson close and can apply it to any situation. Growing up quickly in a single-parent household has allowed me to mature and create lifelong skills that continue to benefit me. Many of those close to me are amazed at how I flow through my days in a productive, graceful, and skillful way. I can truly appreciate who I am and the experiences that have shaped me.
None of us can experience success without support along the way. Is there a particular person for whom you are grateful because of the support they gave you to grow you from “there to here?” Can you share that story and why you are grateful for them?
That would be my mom. She is the most loving, supportive, and impressive woman I know. I am fortunate to come from a lineage of strong women, but my mom amazes me and her abilities. No matter what it is, she has always offered me unconditional support and love. She continues to have the utmost confidence in me, and I am sincerely grateful for her guidance and leadership. While she battled cancer, she maintained an attitude of perseverance, and that is precisely what she did. She has been in remission for many years now. She inspires me and those close to her on so many levels.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think it might help people?
Yes, I am! Right now, I am toying with several book ideas. I have several books in me, but I am currently mapping these out. Whatever projects I work on, each one will have the goal of helping others. Everyone has different experiences and will have a different path to be fulfilled and live out their purpose in this life.
Ok, thank you for sharing your inspired life. Let’s now talk about stress. How would you define stress?
Stress! To me, stress is a state of overwhelm. When we experience stress, we often feel there isn’t enough time in the day to accomplish all we want. Our task list can go on for days, and prioritizing seems to be an impossible task.
In the Western world, humans typically have their shelter, food, and survival needs met. So what has led to this chronic stress? Why are so many of us always stressed out?
Interestingly, some or most of the stress we experience can be from events from our past. Stressful and challenging situations we have experienced are likely energetically lingering in our bodies, causing us to feel worried, stressed, overwhelmed, nervous, anxious, and so on. Any experience could trigger energetic baggage that negatively impacts us regarding relationships, money, our careers, or health. If we can address and release this stale, emotional energy, our lives will begin to shift in ways you could have never thought imaginable.
What are some of the physical manifestations of being under a lot of stress? How does the human body react to stress?
Stress can manifest itself in the body in countless ways. For example, you can experience tightness in the chest, headaches, an upset stomach, skin reactions, pain in the neck and shoulders, and of course, in highly stressful situations, you can suffer from many significant symptoms such as heart attacks, cancer, and other diseases.
Is stress necessarily a bad thing? Can stress ever be good for us?
Stress is another data point used by our bodies to communicate with us. Listening to our body when it begins to respond with one or more symptoms can be beneficial. Finding the source of stress and digging into what is causing these uncomfortable feelings allows us to do phenomenal, life-changing healing.
On the other hand, if our body sends us signals and we ignore the messages, the negative impact on our body and mind will only continue to grow.
Is there a difference between being in a short-term stressful situation versus ongoing stress? Are there long term ramifications to living in a constant state of stress?
Absolutely! There is absolutely a difference. Both short-term and long-term situations have a negative impact on the body. Another thing to consider is the pre-existing trauma. For example, two individuals may experience a minor fender-bender but respond differently. One could respond with gratitude that the car accident was minor and have the mindset that the vehicle can be repaired and move past this event quite gracefully. In contrast, the other person could respond with rage, anger, panic, or worry. So much of how we react to challenging situations is what is underlying, what we have experienced before that is triggering us in the current case.
Ultimately, the severity and duration of a stressful situation will have a varying impact from person to person. However, the more time and energy you have put forth to deal with and heal from past traumas, you will be able to respond in a much more resilient manner. Essentially, working to wipe the slate clean on an energetic level gives you the opportunity and ability to respond with clarity instead of reacting from a place filled with negative emotions, trauma, and energetic imbalance.
Is it even possible to eliminate stress?
It’s difficult to say that you can eliminate stress, but you can, without a doubt, get to a place where stress is mild and brief. Speaking from experience and having done years of work on myself, I am in a position where stress is infrequent. I am very aware of it and implement mindfulness techniques around the situation when it appears. I remind myself that life always works out for the best, even if I don’t know how things will play out. If I can keep that in the forefront, the stressful emotions always subside! Mindful techniques that I teach my clients as we work together so they, too, can improve their stress responses.
In your opinion, is this something that we should be raising more awareness about, or is it a relatively small issue? Please explain what you mean.
Society is always looking for ways to reduce stress, but how can you truly let it go if you don’t know where it stems from? Many are suffering from their past and causing stress on others because they don’t know what is truly driving their behavior and actions. Individuals need to understand that any challenge they face very likely has energetic roots. When we release and let go of the imbalances that have impacted us for years, we begin to feel better and feel much lighter in an emotional sense.
This type of work and healing is critical in shifting how we move forward as a human race.
Let’s talk about stress at work. Numerous studies show that job stress is the major source of stress for American adults and that it has escalated progressively over the past few decades. For you personally, if you are feeling that overall, work is going well, do you feel calm and peaceful, or is there always an underlying feeling of stress? Can you explain what you mean?
If work is going well, I feel calm and peaceful. Even before I began using energy medicine, I would always set a boundary and not allow work-related worry to creep into my time and time with my family. As time goes on and I work on myself more and more, every aspect of my life is more peaceful and flows smoothly. There is hope if you are not where you want to be in any part of your life. I love to empower my clients to find what works for them.
Okay, fantastic. Here is the main question of our interview: Can you share with our readers your “5 stress management strategies that busy leaders can use to become “Stress-Proof” at Work?” Please share a story or example for each.
Many allow their personal life to flow over into their work life and vice versa, so it is vital to alleviate the overwhelm and the tasks from whichever part of life they might be impacting. My vantage point is that I am a wife, a mother, an accounting professional, and an entrepreneur; I’ve had to learn to compartmentalize tasks to alleviate feeling overwhelmed.
- Utilize in-home or in-office companies. I genuinely love utilizing services that come to the home or office. We live in an Amazon-world, right? Many of us are familiar with food delivery and grocery delivery. However, various services will come right to your doorstep: Veterinarians, hair stylists for haircuts and other beauty services, massage therapists, oil change services, car washing/detailing, pet grooming services, dry cleaning, wash and fold laundry service. Do you see where I am going with this? There are many fantastic companies, and they usually have apps that will come to you and save you loads of time! And, of course, my all-time favorite — energy healing sessions over the phone! Many of us spend much time commuting or in the car, and this can eat away at our valuable time, so I love being able to save hours in any given week and hire companies to come to me! I always do this; it is one of my secret weapons for being so productive!
- Hire a professional. If you are ready to launch a new project, whatever the project may be, hire a professional. For instance, if you are tackling a new website design and have little or no experience, hire a professional. I have implemented this in my business. When I decided to revamp my business website, I knew I did not have the skills to tackle a project like this. If I had attempted this independently, it would have taken me much longer and caused frustration. Hiring the right person to help was priceless. The professional I hired had a wealth of knowledge and addressed aspects of a new website and branding that I would never have managed on my own.
- Don’t overcommit. Making good use of your calendar is critical. Marking down errands, meetings, appointments, and commitments for your kids and spouse all impact our day and energy. But before you commit to anything, evaluate the impact it will have on you (and your family). If your calendar or schedule brings about stress, it’s time to shuffle things around and cancel plans, personal or professional. For instance, I am very cognizant of the weekend plans for myself and my family. During the week, work and school can be busy and leave us needing time to rest and recuperate. Therefore, I evaluate the entire week before committing to an event or activity. Sometimes, we must cancel plans because following through with a previous commitment wasn’t right. I encourage all to check in with how you are feeling and make the best decisions for yourself and your family. This approach can be applied to the office; if there is an excess of resistance to making something happen, it’s time to reevaluate and decide if this is the right decision for the group or evaluate the timing. Your body constantly communicates with you; we must listen and take appropriate action.
- Protect your energy. We are all energetically connected whether we realize it or not. Another source of stress may be the people you are in close contact with. This stress could be colleagues, coworkers, family members, neighbors, employees, school parents, teachers, or maybe patrons you see at a local coffee shop or restaurant. Here is another opportunity to tune into our body and take note anytime we feel uncomfortable, worried, anxious, and possibly physically ill. You can truly save yourself time, anguish, and negative situations if you pick up on energy or emotions that are not right for you and make a change. Protecting your energy might be setting boundaries, physically leaving and removing yourself from a situation, finding another job, or limiting interactions with people who may be energetically draining you. My husband and I have chosen to distance ourselves from people in our lives because it was the right decision for our family. If spending time with friends or another family causes uneasiness and discomfort for anyone in the family, then you know, collectively, it’s not the right match. Sometimes those decisions are challenging, but in the end, you will be happy you made decisions to protect your energy.
- Don’t take things personally. Another way to live a stress-free life is not to take the actions of others personally. In the book, The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, the author discusses four rules to live by for a happier, more peaceful life. My absolute favorite is the second agreement — Don’t take anything personally. If you can apply this to your life, you will enjoy freedom. Not only does this approach at life help in your personal life, but in your professional life too. For example, suppose you anticipate a promotion that fizzles out or a conversation with a loved one is hurtful. Applying this agreement can release the disappointment and negative emotions that tend to arise in situations like these. In my own life, there have been times when I have felt deserving of a more significant year-end bonus. Can you relate? I am a very dependable, hard worker, and a very loyal employee. We have gone through several immense changes that required much patience and diligence. When large projects come to a close, I am elated that we, as a team, have executed very successfully and will be rewarded with a more significant bonus than in the past. When that doesn’t play out how I had hoped, there can be an initial sting of disappointment. I let that emotion pass quickly, and I turn my energy towards gratitude for the abundance that I already have and focus on not taking things personally. I remind myself that bigger things are at play, and the universe gave me exactly what I needed.
Do you have any favorite books, podcasts, or resources at have inspired you to live with more joy in life?
I love books, so it is hard to select only a few. Here is a short list of a few favorites:
What Happened to You? by Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Bruce Perry
The Emotion Code by Dr. Bradley Nelson
The Body Code by Dr. Bradley Nelson
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
Change Your Schedule, Change Your Life by Dr. Suhas Kshirsagar
Between Death and Life by Dolores Cannon
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I encourage my clients and those around me to make choices and decisions of high vibration. For example, eating clean, fresh foods can dramatically help an individual and profoundly impact others. Since we eat several times daily, eating clean, fresh foods, we allow ourselves to radiate positive energy to those around us. Imagine changing the world by making minor shifts in our eating habits.
What is the best way for our readers to continue to follow your work online?
Instagram: monique.jose
My website: www.moniquejose.com
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent on this. We wish you only continued success.