#40
Hello đđŒ
Welcome to issue 40 of the Workplace Newsletter. That is 40 straight weeks of clicking âpublishâ every Tuesday no matter what. I am proud of this achievement but prouder that every week, you click open when my email arrives.
Thank you for that.
Hope you had a restful weekend/holiday.
Did you get the chance to rest? Like truly rest.
At the start of my career, I took pride in how little sleep I was running on.
âIn the past 2 days, Iâve not slept more than 3 hoursâ blah blah blah.
Not anymore! As I got older and watched young 20-year-olds drop dead mysteriously, I knew there was no honor in being stressed out. Itâs neither a sign of being a top professional nor is it a sign of âbeing a manâ
Since then, Iâve been trying to rest. The problem is that resting isnât easy in todayâs fast-paced work environment.
Deadlines.
Heavy workloads,
Interpersonal conflicts.
Traffic/long commute time.
Personal development needs
etc. could be sources of stress that would impact your physical and mental wellbeing.
Since we cannot escape stress (itâs actually harmful if we donât occasionally get stressed), we must learn to manage it.
There are 2 types of stress:
eustress- this is known as positive stress. Itâs the type of stress that positively motivates us to push beyond our usual ability levels. We feel this type of stress when facing a task that is slightly beyond us but still within our capacity. For example, when attempting to lift 60kg at the gym from our previous record of, say, 50kg.
distress- when most of us talk about stress, this is what weâre referring to. The effects are negative, cause anxiety and depression, and are usually caused by events we feel are waayyyyy beyond our capabilities.
3 experiments in handling stress
I call it experiments because I have been searching for what works best for me. And like all experiments, I have been rising and falling but these 3 have been the most effective.
Weekly Planning
Every Sunday for the past 6 weeks, Iâd write out the key things I plan to achieve for the work week.
Just high-level items.
To come up with this, I check my calendar, review my notebook, and glance through my email to pick out outstanding tasks/action items.
This activity takes less than 30 minutes but gives me so much clarity and calm going into the new week.
Mindfulness and Meditation
The way I like to put it is that âIâm learning how to breatheâ
For something we do every day, many of us struggle to do it properly. I have read in many places that if we can slow down and control our breathing, we can manage our stress levels.
To get started, I bought these 2 books âJust Breatheâ by Dan BrulĂ© and âHow to Meditateâ by Lawrence LeShan. I just started reading Just Breathe and so far, so good.
I am also trying a few apps like Headspace and Calm.
Letâs see how this goes (this is not my first attempt at meditation and mindfulness đ)
Regular Exercise
During the worst phase of my career, 2013-2014, running saved me.
Since then, it has been one of my best coping mechanisms. This simple act of putting one foot in front of the other and repeating until tired has been one of the best ways I manage stress.
Walking also has similar effects as running when it comes to managing stress. But I havenât felt the same with other sports like playing football. Iâm no medical expert- just sharing a personal observation.
Unfortunately, I havenât run since this year due to a knee injury which Iâm still treating. Hope to be back running again soon.
Engaging in regular exercise releases endorphins, the body's natural mood elevators, which help combat stress and boost overall well-being.
Since we cannot escape stress in our modern-day, professional lives, we must learn to manage it.
How do you cope with stress? Iâd like to hear from you.
Until Next Week,
Azodo.
Welldone
Hej @N. Azodo,
I have always admired your writing prowress...Keep up the good work and thanks for the great insights on handling stress.
FO