| |
les Stress
-> Questions & Answers
<< return
to previous page
REAL MEN TAKE BREAKS
Les,
You mentioned in a couple of archived questions that taking breaks is a good way to relieve stress. I agree, but my problem is resisting an unspoken belief in my office that taking breaks means you’re a weak and lazy wimp—and you know what happens to the weakest link. This situation even makes you think twice about taking vacation and sick days which is really sick when you think about it. I’d like to be able to take guilt-free breaks—do you have any ideas for how I might achieve yet another benchmark?
Dear Asker,
Yes, you could start by believing that true strength is resisting that powerful groupthink, and respecting yourself enough to take a walk around the block, five days in Tahiti, or ten-minutes on the toilet if that’s what you need. Real strength also means holding your head high and going against the norm in the name of self-preservation. Doing so demonstrates real leadership as you blaze a trail for your colleagues to the lunchroom or employee lounge.
All this nonstop toil actually weakens work quality and health. Not surprisingly, a 2005 study published by the Families and Work Institute found that overworked staffers are more likely to make mistakes, resent their employers, neglect themselves and experience symptoms of depression. By the way, stress reducing and energy boosting benefits can come from brief time-outs, not only time away. Our bodies crave and always work toward a biological comfort zone called homeostasis, and like a NASCAR pit stop, just a few minutes off the road can get you balanced, back on track and to the finish line in one piece.
There’s a lot of pressure to perform professionally thanks to global competition and downsizing, not to mention all the technology that boosts both the opportunity and expectation for anytime, anywhere communication. But this work-a-thon mindset is also fueled by our ambition, fears that our offices will fall apart without us, and tying our self-worth to the number of hours we spend on the job. And despite all the complaining about needing breaks, one in five of us ends up doing some work while on vacation, according to the same study cited earlier. When you go for a jog in the park or park your butt on a beach, can you leave your Blackberry behind?
Feel any less guilty? Here’s hoping that these suggestions, stats and questions will give you and your co-workers some things to consider and correct if or when you take your next break.
Les
5/07
|
|
|
