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Business News/ Companies / News/  Eat well, exercise and pace yourself to beat stress
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Eat well, exercise and pace yourself to beat stress

Whitney Johnson, author of Disrupt Yourself: Putting the Power of Disruptive Innovation to Work, offers some simple tips and suggestions to keep anxiety at bay

Anxiety isn’t always a bad thing. A bit of anxiety can help you stay alert and focused and can motivate you to work harder. Photo: iStockphotoPremium
Anxiety isn’t always a bad thing. A bit of anxiety can help you stay alert and focused and can motivate you to work harder. Photo: iStockphoto

Does your heart start beating, your hands turn cold and sweaty and you are gripped with panic? Then you are probably having an anxiety attack.

Everyone feels anxious now and then. It’s a normal emotion. You could be anxious when faced with a problem at work, before taking a test, or making an important decision.

Whitney Johnson, author of Disrupt Yourself: Putting the Power of Disruptive Innovation to Work, and a leading management thinker writes succinctly about anxiety in the Harvard Business Review: “Anxiety can feel like a swarm of flies, buzzing inside your head. You’re stuck in traffic. You’re going to miss your flight, and the game-changing meeting at the other end of it. Your presentation is poorly executed; you’re not going to win the new client. There goes the promotion, and maybe worse. You’re a neglectful parent, an unsupportive spouse. You spend too much time at work, and still it’s not enough. You have an impossible deadline to meet. And, even worse, a company dinner. Is there no way out of that? There’s a haggard image in the mirror. Haggard and fat. You eat wrong, sleep wrong, don’t get enough exercise. And are you saving enough for retirement? If only thoughts like these could be swatted away like so many pesky insects."

But anxiety isn’t always a bad thing. A bit of anxiety can help you stay alert and focused and can motivate you to work harder. As Johnson herself says, “Sometimes it’s a whetstone, honing the sharper edge we need to perform well and successfully achieve our goals. But disorder sufferers should seek professional assistance."

Johnson offers some simple tips and suggestions to keep anxiety at bay:

Impose structure: We are uncomfortable—yes, anxious—operating in a void.

Too much disorganized space, including mental space, can feel oddly oppressive. So bring some order to the chaos: make a list. Write down what you need to do, and a plan to get it done. Tackle the distasteful tasks first and get them over with—procrastinating will only increase your anxiety.

If your problem is not too much to do, but too little (which can be worse, in its way), seek out additional activities to stay busy and avoid brooding.

Reduce or eliminate physical stressors: The same behaviours that are generally good for our health also help ward off or control anxiety. Establish a routine for adequate sleep. Drink plenty of water. Reduce or eliminate caffeine and alcohol consumption, both known anxiety aggravators. Eat well. Identify your go-to self-medications: sugar, pizza, chocolate, Diet Coke, and make an effort to avoid them when anxiety hovers on the horizon. Meditation and deep-breathing exercises can also provide relief.

Add exercise to your routine: You may not be a world-class athlete, but exercise is an aid to peak mental performance for everyone, and provides resistance to psychological distress. “Science has also provided some evidence that physically active people have lower rates of anxiety and depression than sedentary people. Exercise may improve mental health by helping the brain cope better with stress. In one study, researchers found that those who got regular vigorous exercise were 25% less likely to develop depression or an anxiety disorder over the next five years." Taking a walk, observing the world outside your office, and breathing some fresh air makes a great midday stress reliever.

Pace yourself: It’s okay to slow down sometimes. There is wisdom in the ancient tale of the Tortoise and the Hare, and old clichés like “It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon." Take a break. Nobody can do everything, so feel liberated to say no to demands on your time or energy that you know you can’t satisfy without undue anxiety. Say yes to activities that help you relax: a meal with people you love, a leisurely shower, listening to music, reading a book. We’re not just working to advance our careers; we’re trying to advance the quality of our lives.

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Published: 20 Jul 2016, 02:12 AM IST
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