It’s really important in times of change, uncertainty and challenge to take care of yourself and to make sure you are looking after your well-being. However, in times of stress we often are so busy focusing on the immediate issues that we’re having to deal with, prioritising fire-fighting and the urgent matters hitting our desks, that we tend not to think of attending to our wellbeing at all.
Nowadays in the business world, and in particular during this COVID-19 crisis, physical and mental wellbeing are talked about a lot. We’re certainly made aware of the need to reflect on how well we are looking after ourselves and others, and how we’re coping with the added stresses brought about by the pandemic. However, how good we are at examining that, especially when it comes to ourselves, is questionable.
One theory on how to look after ourselves looks at four critical factors, or pillars, which can help you to be happier and more productive. The 4 pillars are: nutrition, sleep, exercise and environment.
Nutrition
Looking at nutrition first, it can be difficult to approach this topic because we can see it as a minefield, and something we worry might take up a lot of time or be difficult to do. Maybe we know we need to eat more healthily (and that’s a real step forward for many of us) but we just don’t know exactly what we need to do.
Well, the good news is that nutrition is an area we’re fully in control of - put simply, we can control what we eat, and drink. And as part of this the key thing to look at is our blood sugar level, which affects our stress hormones, and this in turn affects how we feel. Refined carbohydrates such as sugary foods, caffeine and trans fats all increase your blood sugar levels. Sometimes this is a good thing – we need that energy boost - but if overdone it can make you feel sluggish and make it difficult for you to concentrate.
But as I’ve said, we can control this, and simple changes, such as adding protein into your meals, whether it be a handful of raw nuts or eggs at breakfast, or beans and pulses at lunch, can help you to control your blood sugar and make a positive change.
A good way to do this is to plan your diet for the working day at home, and make this plan as important as having read the papers for a critical meeting, or ensuring your ‘phone battery is charged before a series of important calls. Take it seriously.
You may also want to consider the empty calories of alcohol. Whilst it is often relaxing to have a drink, for those who do indulge, we see that people are drinking a lot more under lockdown, and the issue is that alcohol often acts as a depressant. So, thinking through our weekly units and avoiding binge drinking can be very helpful – like the old adage: a little of what you like, but you can get too much of a good thing!
Sleep
Sleep not only helps you to be healthier, feel better, and live longer, but it can also help you to perform better at work. There are five phases to a sleep cycle: in the first three phases of sleep, which are relatively quick, our body recovers from the day – this is the physical recovery part of our sleep. Our muscles, our hair follicles, our bones - they're recovering. During phases four or five, which are our deep phases of sleep, we're flushing toxins from the brain. This is the time that helps us to re-set our brains, in order for us to feel fresh and awake the next day. Some research has even shown that if someone sleeps for less than six hours a night for six nights in a row their stress hormone levels are 10 times the healthy average. 10 times! So, it’s important to ensure that we prioritise sleep and ensure we get enough.
An added thought is to look at our routine before we go to sleep – if we’re on screens all evening this can increase our body’s exposure to blue light which can stop us from sleeping due to overstimulation. So it is so best to leave some time away from work or other screen viewing for some time before going to bed – for example, reading an hour before you go to bed. Again, if this becomes part of a plan, and is given importance, then it will happen, and the results will be there.
If we ignore this and believe that we don’t have the time, then we actually take away time from ourselves ultimately. And taking control of our sleep, as well as eating habits, in itself is helpful – as research shows that in a time of great uncertainty such as now, we humans will feel much better if there remain things we can actually take charge of and make happen.
Exercise
Exercise is the third pillar, and it can be defined as any form of movement. Although a lot of movement is restricted right now, we can and should take time out to move around a bit – whether that’s doing Joe Wicks (a favourite with many of our staff’s children!), walking around the garden or going for a walk/cycle ride/run, - we should all take the time out to do something physical. We need this to develop our cardiovascular health, muscle development and indeed our brain capacity, - as our neural pathways are also improved, a fact that I only learnt recently.
Exercise is also a great way of bringing our stress levels under control and giving us a bit of time for ourselves and, importantly, away from our computers. Even the fact that the government has allowed people one piece of daily exercise outside the home is evidence that this is really important for us – and for those of you with children, you’ll recognise very well the kind of mood they’ll be in if they’ve been watching videos all Saturday morning, versus (in normal times) going out to do some sport or play in the garden, for example. And we’re just the same.
Hopefully this all makes sense, but the trick is again to ensure it’s part of your plan, and then stick to it. I know this is a challenge but once I’d run through the logic, and made a decision to commit, things were easier.
And with exercise there are apps out there and colleagues and friends who you can compare notes with – as we’re often better at sticking with things if we’ve made a commitment to other people, not just ourselves. Even the act of stating out loud our intentions and sharing them with others, be that via social media or on a more personal level, will have a positive impact. And mantras can also help – but no time for that here, though it is worth looking at my strategic podcast series treasurers.org/strategic-insights-podcasts as I have covered this there.
Environment
Environment, being the fourth pillar, can have a significant effect on how we function – not just in terms of physical environment, and here I mean having some work space, being able to take calls without being interrupted, etc - but also in terms of the pastoral environment, for example, how supported you feel at work.
It’s a challenge for sure where you may be working in the same room as a partner or the kids, your internet connection being shared across multiple users and slowing down when you need it most, and you may be experiencing others in the family assuming you should have more time for them now you are ‘working’ from home.
But there are things we can do to make the best of our environment, and again the concept of having something you can control is really important here too.
For further information on well-being look on the well-being section of the ACT Career Hub which includes articles, videos and learning tips. In addition there are articles in The Treasurer, COVID-10 coaching, on the ACT blog site and on the ACT website – which includes the strategic podcast series.
