Coping with Stress

Nothing is more gratifying when you come back from a holiday than to find it has been raining remorselessly at home. I find I have to be very careful not to put people’s backs up by going on about my week’s scuba-diving in the Red Sea and the baking sunshine. Remind me not to do that.

My tenuous link here is to make the point of how important it is to have regular breaks in business. Many managers in growing companies tend to skimp on their holidays, when these are vital for a healthy business. I’m always amazed at the masochistic one-upmanship of Americans who seem to take pride in having about five hours holiday a year. I’m far more impressed with the high achievers who manage to clock-off religiously at 5.30pm every day and balance work with a great home life.

About the only thing I remember from an expensive education was the Greek concept of ‘kalaskagathos’. My understanding of this (and feel free to correct me here) was that the ideal for the individual was to have a healthy body and a healthy mind. This was achieved by spending half their day working and the other half exercising. Now before I’m flattened by the mad dash to the exit door at work, there are ways to balance this a normal workload.

For a start, being physically fit is a great benefit. It means you can handle stress better, you sleep and eat better and you get a change of scene. We used to have a squash ladder at work (until I lost), there is a pool just up the road, and we have vague plans to do the Caledonian Challenge, if it hasn’t already happened.

It’s important not to work late on a regular basis. There is no way you can be effective all this time. Rather it is a symptom of needing to delegate (or ditch) some of your responsibilities.

But perhaps the most important part is finding some space. I get so close to issues at work that I can’t see obvious solutions. After about 2 hours of lying on the beach, these seem to have paled into insignificance. I’m also more use to other people at work. I recall a six foot five transvestite who took his philosophy in life from an American traffic sign — ‘have space — give space’. When you’ve had a break yourself, you tend to have far more time for those around you.

It’s also sobering to see how little you are missed when away. Apart from finding someone had nicked my mouse, I now just give everyone a good laugh as my tan fades in blotches.