How do you overcome the overwhelm and stress of dealing with the pandemic and the unfolding uncertainty as 2020 sprints towards December end and 2021 is around the corner? Have you experienced supply chain disruption playing havoc on your project completion or bidding? Are you finding yourself exhausted and not able to lead your team as you would like? It’s okay to admit you need help. Getting back on track may simply require a mindset reset or the assistance of a life coach to help you help your company.
Meet Adam Jablin, life coach and author of “Lotsaholic.” The book details Jablin’s’s total transformation from being a “functioning” alcoholic and addict to going to rehab becoming a spiritual leader inside and outside the company. As this relates to the construction industry, Jablin can offer insight into dealing with on-the-job stress, how workers in the field can combat anxiety and stress without turning substances for support, and how loved ones can help those who might need help. Jablin takes his personal experience and expertise to be a mentor for those needing a boost.
Below is a brief Q&A about stress in construction and how to deal with life in a healthy way.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, construction workers have the second-highest rate of substance abuse of all U.S. professions with an abuse rate of 17.3%. In your opinion, as a life coach, what contributes to this rate of abuse for the construction industry?
JABLIN: The demands of the job of the job in the construction injury are much higher than most. The attention to detail is much greater. Without good coping mechanisms and strong spiritual beliefs, it’s easy to use substances to relax, calm down, get loose, go to sleep, and even be more alert. Often amphetamines and uppers are used on the job and at home to be able give everybody more attention. The increase in barbiturates and alcohol is due to enjoying the effect—a sensation of relaxation. But it’s hard to see when it becomes injurious, and one craves more.
What are healthy ways of dealing with job stresses?
JABLIN: Handling stress in a healthy way starts with sharing and asking for help. Share with at least one person what’s really going and how you are feeling. Even write it down. Sharing helps cut the problem in half. A 2011 University of Chicago study, “Writing About Testing Worries Boosts Exam Performance in the Classroom,” proved that students who talked or wrote about their worries immediately before taking an exam performed significantly better on that exam than did those who didn’t unload their anxieties. The same is true in life. Remember to ask for help. Now’s the time. If you have a dependance on a substance—ask for help. If you’re late on credit card payment, call them and—ask for help. If your kids are struggling—ask for help. Nobody knows that your suffering if you don’t ask for help.
As it relates to construction, whether its workers or management, what can be done to combat anxiety and stress without turning to substances for support?
JABLIN: Tackling stress is a combination of exercise, reading positive material, and acts of kindness. Jobs are demanding, but we still all need to exercise. Exercise reduces the levels of the body’s stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. Plus, it stimulates the production of endorphins, chemicals in the brain that are the body’s NATURAL painkillers and mood elevators. Read something uplifting and positive! And, simple things like complimenting a loved one goes a long way. Maybe reach out to old friend and see how they are doing during this stressful time. It’s not all about us. We are not the center of the universe. We are all going through this together. Realize that. This is a human experience.
What can commercial general contractors do as a preventive for their workers and back office personnel?
JABLIN: When I ran my factory—the #1 lace manufacturing business in the world, we would have weekly check-up meetings to see where everyone was at emotionally and talk about the demands of the job and what was going on in our personal lives. I also got a group rate at local gym’s for employees looking to decompress in a healthy way. I ended every meeting with explaining that our company’s insurance could help rehabs and detoxes, and all they had to do was talk to me privately, and I’d make sure they received the proper help. Taking a caring approach to your employees now and always is best practices for employee engagement.
Could you share about your book “Lotsaholic” and how those in construction may benefit from its insight?
My book, “Lotsaholic,” could really help anybody in construction because they would identify with me. You see me trying to keep it together running one of the biggest production factories in the world. Here’s an excerpt from my book…
CLOSING THOUGHT
These are difficult times. We are all going through this pandemic together. If you ever need my help, please reach out to me on my website: www.adamjablin.com. You can also email me at adamjabln@gmail.com. I answer every single email. I’m here to help. May God Bless you all.
For More Information:
Want more from Adam Jablin? He’s offering a program to help you even more. Go to his website and read about THE HERO PROJECT. The Hero Project is his full 90 Day Transformation One on One Coaching Program. It focuses on the full person–mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, and financial.
Modern Contractor Solutions, October 2020
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