Strangle Your Stress

 

 
Leave your work at the door says executive business and lifestyle coach Lesley Colcord.
As hard as that may seem when your head is overcome with the tsunami that is your workload, the best way to hit the wave front on and ride it out is with a clear and relaxed mind.
Business people and entrepreneurs alike can get so caught up in their work life that it begins to dominate them. What people tend to forget is we work to support our chosen lifestyles. Personal life and happiness should always be top priority, Lesley says.
It’s the only way to put your best foot forward come Monday.
If you’ve ever found yourself feeling overwhelmed and overrun by your work take a step back.
Ask yourself what is working well in your life and what needs working on?
This is the first question Lesley will ask each of her clients. The motion of putting it down on paper is “pretty cathartic” and it gives one the ability to evaluate the situation and break the “vicious cycle of overthinking”.
Question whether you are spending enough time with friends and family, are you taking the opportunity to experience the greater things in life?
“Many people don’t take the time to sit down and write out and explore what is on their mind.”
And when stress sets in Lesley says “sadly it is our creativity that leaves the door.”
And more often than not that ‘creativity’ is what is needed to find the solution to issues faced.
One advantage that an entrepreneur may have over a corporate executive, Lesley has found, is that entrepreneurs have often built businesses based on their hobbies and natural strengths. This makes it a lot easier for them to relax in the workplace and for lack of a better term – lighten up.
This makes weekend wonders much more important for those in the corporate world.
It’s not a matter of climbing a mountain every weekend or following the teachings of Buddha, though go ahead if that tickles your fancy, it’s all about finding what works best for you and actually putting it into practice.
“It’s about reconnecting to the things that bring you joy and sense of purpose outside of the office stresses.”
Reconnect, exercise, take up knitting, whatever it may be just don’t let your weekend become a mere extension of your working week. Take time out to enjoy yourself, to reflect and prepare – your following week will thank you for it.
 
By Natalia Rietveld