To combat stress and burnout, employers are increasingly offering benefits such as virtual mental health support, spontaneous days or even weeks off, non-meeting days, and work schedules. flexible. Despite these efforts and the growing number of employees recognizing the importance of wellness, the effort is wasted if you don’t actually recover. So if you’re feeling exhausted, what works when it comes to recovering from stress? The authors discuss the “recovery paradox” – that when our bodies and minds need to recover and reset the most, we are the least likely and least able to do so – and present five strategies based on research to recover from stress at work. .
To combat stress and burnout, employers are increasingly offering benefits such as virtual mental health support, spontaneous days or even weeks off, non-meeting days, and work schedules. flexible. Despite these efforts and the growing number of employees recognizing the importance of wellness, the effort is wasted if you don’t actually recover. So if you’re feeling exhausted, what works when it comes to recovering from stress? The authors discuss the “recovery paradox” – that when our bodies and minds need to recover and reset the most, we are the least likely and least able to do so – and present five strategies based on research to recover from stress at work. .
The workforce is tired. While sustainable work performance requires us to thrive at work, only 32% of employees worldwide say they thrive. With 43% reporting high levels of daily stress, it’s no surprise that many employees feel on the verge of burnout, with some reports suggesting that up to 61% of professionals Americans feel like they are burning out all the time. instant in time. Those who feel tense or stressed during the workday are more than three times more likely to seek employment elsewhere.
Because of this, employees are increasingly asking for mental health support, and more and more employers have responded by offering benefits such as virtual mental health support, days or even weeks of spontaneous leaves, days without meetings and flexible working hours. Despite these efforts and the growing number of employees recognizing the importance of wellness, the effort is wasted if you don’t actually recover. So if you’re feeling exhausted, what works when it comes to recovering from stress?
Understanding stress recovery
Recovery is the process of restoring the symptoms of work stress (anxiety, exhaustion and high levels of cortisol, the stress hormone) to pre-stress levels. We call recovery a skill because knowing how and when you can best recover from stress takes both knowledge (of what works for you) and practice (actually doing it).
The skill of recovery is well known in fields that require performance under extreme pressure or are characterized by the need for prolonged periods of intense concentration, where mistakes can be costly or even fatal. Consider a mission-critical pilot or an athlete whose entire career hinges on a single performance. To see also : I’m A Lifestyle Editor And Here Are 8 Early Prime Day Deals I’m Watching Right Now. These individuals quickly learn that physical and mental recovery is crucial to achieving and maintaining high performance under pressure. Pilots are even officially required to recover for set periods during and between duties to maintain safety standards, and there is plenty of research exploring the best way for athletes to recover.
Importantly, recovery in these areas doesn’t just happen when individuals feel exhausted or exhausted – it’s a critical part of training and performance strategy. Effectively recovering from periods of stress, performance, or focus is important for emotions, moods, energy, learning integration and growth, and ultimately performance, mental and physical health, and relationships.
The paradox of recovery
The recovery process introduces a paradox. Research shows that when our bodies and minds need to recover and reset the most (i.e. when we’re most exhausted), we’re least likely – and able – to do something about it. this subject. For example, when work is demanding and we feel overwhelmed, we quickly slip into a negative cycle of working longer hours and taking fewer breaks. During these times of stress, we also tend to eat less healthily, although adequate nutrition and hydration are important for replenishing energy levels. Even more exhausted, we have less energy and motivation to take time to relax or exercise, leading to poor recovery and, in turn, further exhaustion the next day. Rinse and repeat. Organizational cultures that celebrate working with little sleep or working in a constant state of urgency can exacerbate this, because despite your body begging to recover, there’s an underlying assumption that you can (and should) pass through.
To overcome this paradox, you must learn what works best for you and design a recovery plan. It’s important to note that what actually works for stress recovery isn’t always as intuitive as you might think. On the same subject : Is it a good time to visit Europe? Heat waves, Attacks, Deletion — But Cost Is a Case, Restrictions. Here are five ways to make recovery work for you based on industry insights and research.
1. Detach psychologically from work.
“It sounds silly, but after a long and intense surgery, what I do to relax is play video games to disconnect before I go home,” described an orthopedic surgeon attending a course for stress management frameworks. Whatever your favorite recovery activity (reading, running, video games, cooking, etc.), it’s important that you mentally disconnect or “turn off” your thoughts of work (or the particular stressor at hand). hand). Work stress builds up throughout the day, which means we ruminate on work until late in the evening. This may interest you : # 389: Investing everywhere: Should I invest in long-distance real estate?. You may be physically present at an exercise class, but your mind is replaying the events of a previous meeting with a client. Research shows that even thinking about work hurts your ability to recover from it, and the mere presence of your cell phone distracts you, preventing you from detaching yourself from the “desk”.
As recovery can only occur when our mind returns to pre-stress levels, we need to facilitate this process by cognitively withdrawing from working thoughts, which essentially gives our mind a break. Detachment leads to better recovery and even improvements in work-related outcomes, such as performance and engagement. This goes against the idea that more time spent working leads to better performance.
To harness this principle, set aside a fixed (and if necessary, short) time each day when you can devote yourself fully to a non-work-related activity. Even starting with a few minutes will reap recovery benefits. Practicing mindfulness as an additional activity helps with this – over time, you train your brain (and its tendency to ruminate) to focus on the present moment. Find out what triggers prevent you from detaching yourself psychologically from work. If, for example, the presence of your phone prompts you to check your work emails during off-peak hours or breaks, turn it off or temporarily disable notifications.
2. Harness the power of micro-breaks during the workday.
“During the work week, I set my phone alarm to ring once every two hours to remind me to step away from my computer, stretch, take a walk, and have a drink. water,” said an executive vice president of a multinational technology company. Contrary to common assumptions that recovery can only occur after work or during long vacations, research shows that micro-breaks – short breaks of around 10 minutes – taken during the workday are surprisingly effective for recover from daily work stress and various work demands. For example, short periods of meditation or relaxation, taking time to eat a nutritious snack, enjoyable social interactions, or activities that require some degree of cognitive attention (such as reading) are strategies that can improve motivation. and focus, shaping your mood and maintaining your energy throughout the day. Additionally, taking longer breaks in combination with more frequent short breaks can provide more energy, motivation, and focus than infrequent short breaks. Interestingly, micro-breaks taken earlier in the workday contribute to better recovery.
It’s important to resist the urge to spend the day assuming it will be easier to recover later, or to “book” your recovery for the weekend or even for vacations that are still months away. To optimize your recovery, make sure you have a recovery plan that you can apply daily through the use of micro-breaks that you can program into your busy workflow with dedicated smartphone apps.
3. Consider your preference for recovery activity.
“I used to partake in my partner’s hobby in my free time so we could spend some quality time together. Then I realized I dreaded going to guitar lessons. Now, we do our own hobbies: I do my gardening while my partner learns the guitar, and we make time to spend together afterwards.
Although having the choice of your recovery activity is common sense, this experience, described by the financial director of a global event company, highlights the challenges of applying this principle. Maybe you felt compelled to go to a group exercise class, or maybe your company organized a group wellness activity over the weekend when you really wanted to be at home. home with your family.
Not having a choice in your own recovery can sometimes do more harm than good. For example, one study showed that when workers wanted to sit down with colleagues and chat during their lunch break, it boosted their stress recovery. On the other hand, when workers were less inclined to socialize during lunch but did it anyway (perhaps due to peer pressure or the norms of the particular company culture), they found their energy very exhausted at the end of the day. The same pattern of exhaustion was also identified for working lunches. For most people, working through lunch is exhausting. Still, if you personally choose to stay in a productive lunchtime workflow (and energize yourself by completing important tasks), there can be recovery benefits. Just keep in mind that relaxing is an important recovery activity that offers benefits, even if it’s not your favorite lunch break activity.
In sum, be careful how you use your lunch breaks. If you feel pressured to socialize or keep working, talk to your manager about how you can get more autonomy over how you plan and use your break. Then spend those free slots doing whatever recovery activities you prefer.
4. Prioritize high-effort recovery activities.
“I may not be rah-rah about this in advance, but there was never a gym session that I regretted afterwards,” proclaimed a senior executive of a multinational company of health. While it may seem like relaxing, watching TV, or other “passive” or “low-effort” activities are best for recovery, on the contrary, research shows that more active activities can be even more effective. for recovery. If you don’t like going to the gym or playing team sports, find a type of exercise you enjoy, such as a brisk walk, hike, or swim.
Beyond exercise, other activities that work well for recovery include engaging in strenuous activities or “mastery experiences.” Mastery experiences require high levels of dedication, focus, and time – resources that typically drain your energy during the workday. While it seems counterintuitive that drawing more from these resources during periods without work is beneficial to your recovery, experiences of mastery such as pursuing a hobby (learning a new language, learning to playing the violin, volunteering, etc.) help you generate new skills and replenish depleted resources that can be reapplied to your work, thus approaching recovery from a different and productive angle.
Beyond “standard” recovery activities like exercise or yoga and meditation, it might be time to add a new tool to your recovery toolkit. Why not sign up for this kickboxing class? Or maybe it’s time to dust off that old guitar.
5. Shape your environment for optimal recovery.
An essential and underestimated part of recovery is your environment. Some companies have understood and are building direct and indirect exposure to natural elements in the workplace. Indeed, research on direct exposure to nature, such as during walks in the park during lunch breaks of the workday, shows that it can improve your recovery from stress in as little as 10 minutes. In addition to the short-term effects, exposure to nature at work contributes positively to your well-being and reduces the risk of burnout. Exposure to daylight and having a view of the window or indoor greenery in the workplace has been shown to have a positive impact on your sleep quality, stress perception, and overall health. Interestingly, indirect exposure to nature (for example, even watching nature scenes on a screen) may also have benefits for recovery. In a nutshell, introducing a bit of nature into your workplace makes you happier and more energized at work.
No need to book a trip to the mountains. You can try to stay in touch with nature at work by using outdoor facilities provided by your employer (such as cafeteria terraces or green spaces at building entrances), regularly opening windows to let in fresh air, taking short walks in a nearby park during your micro-breaks, and even suggesting outdoor walks when possible. If all else fails, try promoting yourself through nature photography or video.
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The benefits of designing and implementing an intentional recovery plan are clear: recovery can maintain your energy, well-being, positive mood and motivation and boost cognitive and physical performance and overall satisfaction. in life. However, when you need to recover the most is when you are least likely to actually engage in recovery activities. By following these recovery strategies, you can better create and implement an intentional recovery plan to help you maintain your energy and performance over time.
