There is a screenshot on my desktop that serves as a reminder. Every few months I click on it to remind myself of an important lesson not learned soon enough.
It reads, “If you don’t make time for your wellness, you will be forced to make time for your illness.” Twenty years ago, I was a management consultant working long days with weekly travel. During one stretch, I was away from the office (and from family) from Monday through Thursday, onsite at client headquarters in New Jersey.
When I wasn’t traveling, my commute to work was often an hour or more as a result of living in one of the most congested cities in the country. The stress and hours of the job led to terrible eating and sleeping habits. I’d eat whenever and wherever I could, at whatever hour I manage to take a break.
And because of the schedule, finding time to exercise was close to impossible. If I did have the time, I’d be too exhausted to do anything. As a result of this lifestyle, I gained twenty five pounds, but was in total denial that this was happening. My wife noticed, though, and encouraged me to get a physical. When the doctor told me I needed to drop some weight I was actually offended by the comment.
This period of time in my life is now affectionately referred to by my kids as my “Fat Dad” phase. Being many years removed from it, I can only now see the truth. It wasn’t until my pending fortieth birthday, when a friend suggested we’d celebrate the occasion by running a triathlon, I started to seriously consider the state of my health.
I am sharing this because I know I’m not alone. By your early thirties, you’re often married with young children and in the period of your career where you may have settled into a job or profession. You’re grinding away and focused on trying to make a name for yourself. This new found status of “family provider” often becomes the primary focus and you, in a sense, sacrifice your own wellbeing for that of the family.
So why am I talking about this now, twenty years later? Because yesterday I did something that I would not have done back then in those stress consuming days.
As the expression goes; “As you get older you don’t need to set an alarm because your troubles will wake you”. I awoke thinking of a big presentation only a few hours away. After having my coffee, I left the kitchen, but instead of heading directly up to my office, I went for a run.
During the forty-five minute route around our neighborhood, I organized the presentation in my head and thought of two new slides I needed to create. After showering, I put the finishing touches on the presentation in ten minutes.
Twenty years ago, I would have commuted the hour to my office, stared at my computer for a couple of hours, and tried to figure out how to complete the presentation. As I ran, I thought about how my approach of completing tasks like this has evolved in terms of efficiency, and the impact on my health.
The silver lining of Covid was the ability for employees to work remotely. According to The Association of Psychological Science, that period of time offered a whole host of mental and physical health benefits. Among them, reduced stress levels from not having to commute to the office, along with avoiding toxic co-employees in the workplace.
Another benefit was the ability to have greater control over your time. We can’t avoid Zoom calls, but we can take breaks throughout the day when needed. A chance to walk around the block, get in a workout at the gym and perhaps eat a healthier meal. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, remote workers on average saved 72 minutes daily, which was then redistributed towards work related tasks (40%), leisure time (34%), and childcare (11%).
Now with the return to the office, old habits may also return. Cortisone levels may increase from the stress of the commute and the office environment. Office routines will return, grabbing a bite to eat if/when there is time, from whatever location is convenient. Feeling like there isn’t enough time to accomplish everything we need, may reignite the anxiety of years gone by.
But just because you may be returning to an unhealthy environment doesn’t mean you have to become a victim. Much has changed since COVID, companies have become much more aware of mental wellness and impact of long hours on the well being of their employees. The recent announcement by major investment banks to limit the hours of junior employees is the latest example.
Additionally, there is a slew of apps and wearable devices which can help to combat the routine and bad habits of the typical work day. All of this is great, but it still comes down to you. Acknowledge when you’re feeling overwhelmed.
Be conscientious of creating a balance between stress and stress relief. Take advantage of resources available to you, and don’t be too proud to admit to yourself (or others) that you might not be able to get it all done in a day.
One of the best pieces of advice I was given happened when I was in my late twenties. I was newly married, working full time, and going to grad school at night, totally stressed out. So I asked a colleague who was a single mom and managed close to 200 employees (another 200 kids as she would say) how she was able to do it and she said; “I do as much as I can…and then there’s tomorrow.”
