I’m sure it’s been brought to your attention in some form the past few weeks that April was National Stress Awareness Month, and May is National Mental Health Awareness Month. While we hesitate to hop onto the carousel of rotating themed months, this is one that we will buckle up for. Undoubtedly, the topic of mental wellness has exploded over the past few years across the country. It’s something that our partners ask us about all the time. We are no strangers to dealing with stress, and mental wellness is something we talk openly about within the ALPs team and keep paramount as a value.
Wellness and stress are some issues that we can’t simply leave at the office at the end of the day. It comes along on our commute and walks through the door with us into our home life. As leaders, we must be aware of our stress levels and how stress manifests itself in other physical symptoms and characteristics, both within ourselves and others. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) states that 1 in 5 adults experience mental illness each year. People with depression have a 40% higher risk of developing cardiovascular and metabolic diseases than the general population.
Stress affects everyone differently, and what works for one person may not work for another. We know we aren’t alone in finding a balance in serving ourselves and others daily. It’s vital as leaders to model rest and self-care. So, here are four strategies that we’ve found help keep us positive and productive:
Rest. A hilarious satirical children’s book was published in 2011 called Go The F*&% To Sleep (GTFTS). For anyone who has kids or has witnessed parents trying to make their little ones go to bed, you can appreciate the laundry list of things kids come up with to delay going to sleep. If you haven’t heard Samuel L. Jackson reading it, let me make your day. It’s a great message for adults too. While we may not give it as much thought as kids do, we find our own reasons to delay going to sleep. Scrolling through Insta reels and Tik Toks? GTFTS. Watching one more Netflix episode? GTFTS. Don’t want to miss out on last call at the bar? GTFTS. Make sleep hygiene a priority of your day, and make your sleep environment as calm and inviting as possible. A resilient person is a well-rested one. Overworking and exhaustion are the opposite of resilience.
Move your body. It’s no secret that compromised mental and emotional health significantly affects our physical bodies. It’s incredible how intrinsically linked our brains and bodies are. Do what you enjoy to get the blood flowing and get the mind revived. Win the morning by getting in some sort of movement before the remainder of your day is taken over by other priorities. Schedule the time on your calendar so your team sees it. Encourage them to do the same, and honor the time if they do. Take some walking meetings; not every meeting requires you to be on video all the time. Or better yet, turn on the video while you soak up the sunshine. Perhaps it will spark internal permission for someone else to do the same. I’ve been known to keep some kettlebells in the doorway of my office so I can bust out some squats, lunges, or shoulder presses on my way to the bathroom or coffee refill (or snack). Choose to walk or take a yoga class during lunch hour and then eat back at the office. Whatever it is, just move.
Set boundaries. How many of you set up the Out of Office response that you are spending time with your family on vacation and won’t respond to emails until you return, only to quickly type a one-handed reply, with a margarita in the other and your toes in the sand? Yep, guilty here too. When you’re away, be away. Let’s get over the “grinding and busyness” of work culture. Understandably, we want to be responsive and supportive of our people in our absence. As leaders, we must set our own boundaries and respect them, or others won’t either. This allows you to foster confidence among your team and allow them to make decisions in your absence. Create other boundaries where it makes sense, like the weekends, or put away the cell phone during family times to fully connect and be with our loved ones. By respecting our own boundaries, we set an example for and remove the pressure from our people when it’s their turn for quality time away. They can trust that we will allow them to be away too.
Recharge - Our lives are made up of so many elements that make us who we ARE, not just the work we DO. We participate in joyful activities that feed our souls, to connect with ourselves, and cultivate self-satisfaction, gratitude, and inner peace. As the Mom of a spunky and precious toddler, self-care sometimes looks like blasting loud music or a podcast in my car as I cruise to run errands alone. Or sitting in carline reading a few pages of a book. Refill your cup with anything from journaling, gardening, knitting, tinkering with mechanical projects and puzzles, volunteering in your community, coffee with a friend, spiritual reflection, or taking a class that interests you. Figure out what your people are into and be their biggest fans in supporting their interests. Turn what you love doing into rituals that intentionally create meaning in your life. We are so much more than our work and jobs.
As leaders, we have to celebrate and nurture WHO our people are, not just WHAT they do. We have to lead by example and honor the same in ourselves. If our teams don’t see us taking breaks, they won’t either. Show up for yourself so that you can show up for others.