Category Archives: Wellness

Mindful eating

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If you are like me, the New Year’s resolutions have come and gone. So now is the time for more sane and realistic goals to take center stage. Being effective in all realms of life requires a healthy mind and body, so I’m focusing on mindful eating.

It’s said you should treat your body as a temple. If so, mine’s a really over-stuffed temple on most days. A strategy I’m employing to keep my temple fed properly is mindful eating. It’s not difficult. I’m simply being more aware of the food I eat. How? By focusing on three baby steps:

Give thanks. Most of us in the Western world are disconnected from the sources of our food. Because food is easy to get, we don’t stop to consider the people (and animals) that were part of the process. Each meal, I give thanks for the nourishment that is available and the ways that food provides a means for connecting with others.

Enjoy. Before I start eating, I appreciate how the food looks and smells. As I take the first bite, I notice the texture and taste. It’s odd that really focusing on the yummy-ness of food helps you eat less, not more.

Slow down. If I don’t think about it, I go through whole meals shoveling food into my mouth, pausing only to minimally chew what I am consuming. To counteract that tendency, my goal is to intentionally pause three times during a meal or snack.

Launda Wheatley, Humanergy’s mindfulness expert, incorporates mindful eating in her wellness sessions. She says, “At its most basic level, eating is a pleasure that most people miss because they hurry through it. Simply slowing down turns this mundane routine into something special.”

More tips for mindful eating can be found in the New York Times article, “Mindful Eating as Food for Thought.”

What other simple joys are you missing because you’re rushing or trying to do three things at once? Even that staff meeting will be more pleasant if you tune into what you like about your team and the work you do together. Remember the words of Emily Dickinson: “Forever is composed of nows.”

Need to find ways to be more centered about focused? Contact Humanergy.

Photo from stockxchng.


Miracle of mindfulness

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You may be wondering why a leadership blog would focus so often on stress relief. We focus on stress because we live in a chaotic, fast-paced world that naturally creates stress. No one can be a great performer with a stomach in knots, a racing heart and little sleep. Even the most knowledgeable and well-intentioned person will falter under extreme stress.

You owe it to yourself and your people to take action.

Many companies recognize the impact of stress and are teaching techniques to manage it. A recent Wall Street Journal post profiles Dow Chemical and Union Pacific as two examples of organizations that are helping their people chill out:

“…meditation techniques like breathing and bringing thoughts back when they wander, says Diana Kamila, a senior teacher at the university’s Center for Mindfulness. Participants also learn stretching, yoga and “body scans”—noticing their responses to stress, softening their muscles through breathing and tuning in to the feelings and sensations of the moment.

Employees learn to practice periodic “check-ins” while working, walking, driving or eating. And they are encouraged to blend the techniques into their daily routines, at their desks, in meetings or during talks with colleagues.”

Forbes posted about the best workplace stress relievers, including:

  • Adjust work hours, if possible, to suit your personal body clock. Not a morning person? Try to adjust your hours so you can come in later and work when your brain is most ready.
  • Plan for delays when traveling. If your flight is delayed or cancelled, take a long walk around the airport or work out at the nearest gym.
  • Keep perspective by asking, “Will I care about this in ten years?”

How can you help your organization manage the stress that is part of the job? A disciplined focus on wellness, including managing stress productively, ensures that your people get a handle on stress and bring their best selves to the job at hand. Make it clear that you value people who take care of themselves on their off hours as well. “We must have a pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie (David Mamet).” 

 

Need to manage stress and remain productive? Contact Humanergy.

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Breathing for (really intense) stress relief

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You might think you’ve got the whole breathing thing down. Maybe you’ve even tried the relaxation breathing technique posted on our blog. There are times, however, when cleansing breaths are not sufficient. During times of intense stress, try these techniques:

Ujjayi breathing. When done properly, Ujjayi (translated as “victorious”) breathing should be both energizing and relaxing. Breathe deeply in the belly, through the nose only for both the inhale and the exhale. The sound of Ujjayi is created by gently constricting the opening of the throat to create some resistance to the passage of air. Gently pulling the breath in on inhalation and gently pushing the breath out on exhalation against this resistance creates a well-modulated and soothing sound—something like the sound of ocean waves rolling in and out.

Alternative nostril breathing. Breathing through your left nostril is calming, while breathing through the right is energizing. Really! So, 1) Sit in a comfortable position, with your spine straight and shoulders relaxed. 2) Close the right nostril with your right thumb. Inhale through the left nostril then close the left nostril with the right pinky and exhale through the right side. 3) Repeat with the opposite side (close left nostril with left thumb, inhale; close right nostril with left pink and exhale). 4) Continue for 2 or 3 minutes minimum, alternating between left and right nostril.

Lion’s breath. To open the lungs and maximize breathing capacity while lowering stress, try the lion’s breath. Deeply inhale and exhale deeply with your tongue out, producing a loud roaring “ha” sound. Stretch your mouth wide open and extend your tongue as far as it will go.

“There is no need to go to India or anywhere else to find peace. You will find that deep place of silence right in your room, your garden or even your bathtub” (Elisabeth Kubler-Ross).

If you don’t mind looking a little silly, you might find that peace right at your desk. Perhaps you can share this blog with your office mates, so you’ll all be able to serenely imagine that the ocean or African jungle are nearby.

 

Want more ideas for kicking stress to the curb? Contact Humanergy.

Photo from istockphoto.


The wrong time might be the perfect time

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I was up to my eyeballs in alligators. Looming deadlines for crucial proposals were haunting me, and I was working in overdrive. Then I remembered the scheduled team retreat. Months earlier, we had decided to take half a day to unwind, de-stress and learn mindful practices from our resident expert, Launda Wheatley.

I can’t do this, I thought. As the date approached, my panic grew. I told a coworker that there was no way that I could attend. She wisely replied, “That’s exactly why you need to be there.” (She’s such a smarty pants sometimes.)

Fast forward to the afternoon after the retreat. Calm, focused and thinking clearly, I whipped through those proposals in record time. And they rocked. (No, they weren’t perfect, but they reflected a clarity that I had spent days trying to achieve pre-retreat.)

The moral is, sometimes you need to stop and do something GREAT for yourself, especially when you think you “can’t.”

One of the most profound things Launda shared that day was, “Stress is like living with garbage everywhere, but you don’t see it anymore. It has become your second skin.” The payoff for me for shedding that heavy, dead skin was:

Clarity. Before the retreat, my thinking was hazy. Post-retreat, it felt like the fog had lifted. I made connections more easily and zeroed in on what was important.

Renewed energy to tackle real problems. Pre-retreat my energy level was abysmal. I wasn’t sleeping well, and caffeine was my lifeline. (Sound familiar?) When I returned to the office after the morning of de-stressing, I was jazzed and ready to go. That night, I slept like a baby.

Remembering what calm is like. At one point during the session with Launda I thought, “Oh, I remember this feeling. It’s calm.” It was perhaps the most enduring lesson from the experience. If I start to think that frantic is normal, I need to stop and recharge.

Stress is a necessary part of life, and it can be a great motivator. As Willa Sibert Cather said, “There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm.” What I’ve discovered is that I am capable of driving through the storms that will surely pop up, but a state of calm is where I do my best work.

Want to find calm in the midst of your storm? Contact Humanergy.

Photo from istockphoto


Stress relief at your desk

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(This post is part of our series on managing stress. Many thanks to Launda Wheatley, a Humanergy associate who helps clients live calm, centered work and home lives.)

Don’t have time to head to the gym? While activity is probably the best stress buster, you can de-stress without a trip to the fitness center.

A simple, brief head and neck stretch can help you calm down, reduce muscle tightness and relieve pain.

CAUTION: As with any form of exercise or stretching, be careful. Don’t make rapid movements, and stop if you feel any pain. Consult your doctor before doing any type of movement if you have medical issues.

1. Close your eyes and breathe deeply through this entire stretch.

2. Roll your head in a gentle circle, with your shoulders down and relaxed. Slowly rotate your head again, this time in the opposite direction.

3. Lean your head gently to the right until you feel a gentle stretch. Hold for 5 seconds.

4. Bring your head back to center, and lean it gently to the left, feeling a gentle stretch. Hold for 5 seconds, breathing slowly and deeply.

5. Let your head dip forward until it feels heavy and relaxed. Hold for five seconds.

6. Now allow your head to tip back, just a little to open your throat, continuing to breathe slowly for 5 seconds.

7. Allow your head to dip forward, breathe deeply and open your eyes.

If you’re ready for the advanced course, try Men’s Health’s 7 Easy Stretches to Do at Work. Most can be done at your desk, and all are easy to complete at the office.

Another resource is Reader’s Digest office-friendly Stretching Exercises for Stress Relief, complete with helpful photos. My personal favorite is the finger stretch, which can be done anywhere and is remarkably soothing.

Even if you’re feeling cool and collected, you may be surprised by the changes after doing one minute of stretching at your desk. Your body and your brain will thank you.

 


Stressed? Breathe!

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(This is part of the stress reduction series co-authored by Launda Wheatley, Humanergy’s resident wellness expert and mind/body guru.)

If you find yourself feeling tense, there is something you can do that is quick, effective and requires no special equipment. If you are like most people, you regularly breathe in short bursts, from the chest up. To reduce stress, the first step is to change the way you’re breathing.

Follow these easy steps for almost-instant stress reduction:

1. Breathe naturally for one minute, focusing only on your breath. If thoughts encroach, note them and go back to focusing on your breathing.

2. Notice how you are sitting, and sit up taller. Let any stiffness or tightness in your body fade away with each exhale.

3. Exhale longer, counting slowly to 6 for each exhale. Breathe in this way for several minutes.

Want a 5-minute guided breathing exercise? Check out this video by the Mayo Clinic.

Breathing deeply pays dividends over time – reducing stress, alleviating pain and improving sleep. It sure beats the method I often use to combat stress – working faster and harder. As Harry Emerson Fosdick said, “No one can get inner peace by pouncing on it.”

 

Need to create a happier work life? Contact Humanergy.

Photo from Raa_Szz on stock xchng

 


Don’t worry, be happy

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I used to be a prolific worrier. Until my mid-thirties, my worries ranged from anxiety about my unreliable car to whether the world was going to implode. As with many people, middle-of-the-night worrying interrupted my sleep, when a cornucopia of real or perceived threats kept me tossing and turning.

Worrying is a tough habit to break, and it’s worth the effort. Why?

Chronic worrying is bad for your health. According to WebMD: Chronic worrying affects your daily life so much that it interferes with your appetite, lifestyle habits, relationships, sleep, and job performance.

It is easy to confuse worrying with problem solving. Worrying doesn’t actually solve anything, and the more time you spend worrying, the more problems (real or imagined) you’ll find. No solutions, just a host of problems that will probably never come to pass.

There is no easy solution for us worry warts, however, there are strategies that can help create a more carefree existence:

Figure out what you worry about. You might need to dig to find the source of “free-floating anxiety.” If you worry most about relationships, for example, you can take steps to improve them. If you worry about everything, you might need some help for generalized anxiety disorder.

Schedule worrying. The Mayo Clinic suggests setting aside a time for worrying. (They suggest this to caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients, but I think it applies to anyone.) Mayo Clinic blogger Angela Lunde suggests, “When worry or other draining emotion begins to consume your thoughts, acknowledge it and then commit that you will give it your full attention during “worry time”. Until then, give yourself permission to put it out of your mind.”

Create a memory jogger. If you really want to break the worrying habit, do something that reminds you that you’re taking a new approach to your troubles. Wear your watch on the other arm, or set your mobile phone alarm to remind yourself periodically to check and reset your thinking.

Replace your worries with new thinking. How did I break the worrying habit? I decided to stop worrying about things outside of my control, and replace those negative internal messages with positive ones. Whenever I found myself worrying about layoffs at work, I would change my thought to, “I will continue to do my best, and ultimately this will all work out.”

Talk and write. Putting your worries into words in and of itself can make you feel better. This can also help you figure out if your problems are real or inflated. Talk with a trusted friend or confidant, and let this person know how they can help (like listen, ask questions or give advice). Writing about your worries allows you to clarify your thoughts and feelings, and gives you a great record of what’s bugging you when and why.

Use worrying to your advantage. A mild amount of disquiet can be motivational. If you’re feeling a little anxious about something at work, use that energy to fuel disciplined action and boost execution.

Sometimes we are dealt a hand that is extremely hard to handle. When this happens, worrying is natural. A brief period of anxiety should be immediately followed by creating a plan and making it happen. “Worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you anywhere” (author unknown).

 


This problem could be killing your leadership

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Pat has a problem that she does not acknowledge. Everyone else can see it, but not Pat. In fact, when asked about this issue, she replies that it is part of the job and not impacting her leadership effectiveness.

Pat’s problem is stress. More and more, extreme levels of stress are accepted as a normal requirement of a leader’s job. Many actually consider this constant mental pressure to be a badge of honor.

This bravado about stress means that leaders often won’t address it as the serious situation it is. A 2007 Center for Creative Leadership Research White Paper titled The Stress of Leadership states:

Eighty-eight percent of leaders told us that work is a primary source of stress in their lives and that having a leadership role increases the level of stress (75 percent agreement). Further, about 65 percent of the sample believes that their stress level is higher than it was five years ago.

Pat may be cavalier about today’s stress. However, if her stress level increases over time, she may experience Catastrophic Leadership Failure, as described by Dr. Henry L. Thompson in his article, Catastrophic Leadership Failure™: An Overview:

Cognitive ability (IQ) and emotional intelligence (EI) abilities are required for successful leader performance—at all levels. Recent findings combined with my experience and research on leadership, stress, IQ and EI over the last 25 years indicate that when a leader’s stress level is sufficiently elevated— whether on the front line of a manufacturing process, in the emergency room, the Boardroom or on the battlefield—his/her ability to fully and effectively use IQ and EI in tandem to make timely and effective decisions is significantly impaired. This impairment often leads to catastrophic results.

Do you need to get real about stress and its effects? Are you skeptical that there is a solution to stress, given the intense demands on leaders?

We will be writing more about stress management in upcoming posts. In the meantime, check out this for some tips to get you started on your journey to a more calm existence.

Want to figure out how to make work more fun and less stressful? Contact us.

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How do you end your day?

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Much is written about how to start the day. Eat a good breakfast, exercise, revise your to-do list, etc. How you end the day is just as important, if not more so. A good night’s sleep is essential for you to operate at your best. In fact, Margaret Heffernan wrote in Inc., if you lose just one night’s sleep, your cognitive ability is on par with someone who is legally drunk. Too little sleep also promotes the consumption of too much sugar, because your body over-reacts to reduced glucose going to the brain, a by-product of sleep deprivation.

If you don’t want to be chunky and ineffective, try these tips for a better night’s sleep:

Wrap it up with a plan. To begin the end of the day, make sure you know what your priorities for tomorrow will be. Then, to the best of your ability, turn off your work brain.

Unplug. This is always advised, but rarely done. Your final hour before bed should be “sans electronics.” Don’t surf the net or watch TV. Sorry, electronic junkies – between the bright light and the stimulation, these activities don’t promote restful sleep. Try reading, journaling, deep breathing or taking a bath instead.

Focus on the positives. When my daughter was younger, we used to snuggle in bed at night and tell each other about our favorite part of the day. That is a ritual worth recovering. Even if you decide not to share it with some else, you can always repeat Dr. Seuss’ famous words:  Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.

Do something outward-focused. The best part of your day might be the 15 minutes you take to write a note to your mom or to a colleague outlining specifically how much she makes work enjoyable. Doing something nice for someone else gets you out of your own head. Then you can lay your head down on that pillow and have a great snooze.

Sweet dreams.

 

 

 

 


Start a revolution of kindness

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The other day my ten-year-old was pondering the future of her big sister, Shannon, who has graduated from college and is living and working away from home. Little Maggie wondered if Shannon would stay in Grand Rapids and buy a house there. I told her that houses are expensive, and Shannon would have to save for many years before she could buy one. Maggie’s answer? “Well, I’ll have a lemonade stand and give her the money to help out.”

I didn’t dampen Maggie’s enthusiasm by informing her of the microscopic nature of her gift. No act of kindness is meaningless. The interaction did make me think of times when I didn’t do something nice for another person, thinking it would be too little or too late. Have I stopped myself from expressing a kind word, thinking it might be inadequate to the situation? Or, when have I not taken the time to reach out, when it would have made someone’s day better?

What difference does simple kindness make to the quality of our leadership? Thoughtless, selfish leaders may be able to get the job done in the short run. However, they will not create the type of employee loyalty and sense of ownership that are the hallmarks of a resilient, successful organization.

Leaders can and should model generosity of spirit. How can we, as leaders, celebrate and evangelize thoughtfulness at work?

Look around. Tunnel vision abounds; people are maxed out with work and highly focused, and they often don’t notice what is going on with co-workers unless it directly impacts their work. Take time to notice the demeanor of your people. Then you’ll see where a touch of care might be most needed.

Be courteous. Pretty elementary stuff, but manners are incredibly important. In our rush to get things done, we can forget the basics. “Please” and “thanks” go a long way, especially when accompanied by a genuine smile.

Identify greatness. “That report was thorough and concise. Well done.” Specific feedback about what went well feeds the spirit and boosts morale. It also helps people replicate high performance, since they know the qualities and outcomes that made the difference.

Ask questions. Take a break from passing on sage advice, and ask a question or two. I love Michelle Price’s blog post called 12 Most Simple Acts of Kindness as a Leadership Tool. When you ask, “How are you?” make sure you really listen to the answer.

Organizations need people to work together effectively to accomplish goals, overcome problems and create lasting solutions. It is not always fun, and interpersonal friction can create noise that gets in the way. Counteract the ambient negativity with a daily routine of simple, thoughtful actions. Think big by doing small things. It only takes a few seconds each day to start a revolution of kindness.