Please take care of yourself and strive to be healthy. Whether you are already at the top or are working your way up the organizational ladder, you will find that increased professional responsibility also means increased stress. I’ve had a colleague, Dr. Amir Rashidian, change my mind regarding stress. I no longer view all stress as bad. There is in fact good stress. However, whether it is good or bad, stress does take a toll on your body and mind.
It is too easy to fall into bad lifestyle habits when you are stressed out, but this is the time to intentionally do the opposite. Your ability to manage stress is related to your fitness level, what you eat and drink, how much sleep you get, the state/strength of your closest relationships, how centered you are spiritually, and whether you have positive outlets for your emotional energy. I’ve seen and heard too many stories of people who succumbed to bad lifestyle choices during periods of intense stress and suffered the consequences (sometimes even fatally). Don’t let this be you!
You don’t become fit, healthy, and well-adjusted overnight. It takes concerted effort and work. Starting today, take stock of where you stand in terms of your lifestyle behaviors. Where could you use some improvement? What are the most glaring issues? Then, start small and make incremental positive changes every day. Don’t try to do too much at once. Pick one area for improvement and focus on that. Success will beget further success and then you will be able to take on another issue. Think long term! Think healthy! Stress is an inevitable fact of life. Embrace and manage it. Don’t let it overwhelm you and bring you down.
Related articles
- Cutting Stress And Finding Your Health: An Interview With Dr. Alan Bain (zocdoc.com)
- Kristen Houghton: Stress: Inherited and Learned? (huffingtonpost.com)
- Six Myths About Stress (psychologytoday.com)
- Worry, Anger, And Stress (bariatricbeginnings.com)