‘Stressful week makes techies seek adventures on weekends’. Well this was the headline screaming in the newspaper that caught my attention couple of days back. I was surprised with the in-depth story and if true then, yes we are looking at more incidents like the unfortunate incident of Techie Satwik Shastri.
The article goes on to convey “There’s one common point in all these tragic cases: The culture of weekend outings. Psychologists point to ‘cultural overplay’ and say that the increasing number of psychosomatic disorders in the IT industry drives employees to embark on crazy adventures during weekends, even those that are risky. I personally am not surprised since I see many educated well to do people taking extreme risks during the weekend whilst finding solace in working hard during the week.
When I happen to come across people working in the IT sector they have the same issues with respect to not having any time for anything else other than work and travel time. Well this scenario is all too familiar for me and I work with my clients who go through the same vicious circle of work without a work life balance. Some of the key pointers one can follow not to fall prey to a weekend misadventure due to stress at work are:
Never skip Breakfast:
Most of the people who work in some of the biggest organisations start early and generally tend to avoid eating breakfast. This according to me is the biggest mistake one can make and it is a fallacy that not eating in the morning will make a person not put on too much weight. On the contrary it is the opposite. Having a good breakfast even if it is way too early makes sense because hunger pangs ensure that your brain does not get the required nutrients. When I am working with a client on this challenge most of them are surprised when we work on simple yet very efficient breakfast options which will ensure that the day begins with energy and zest. I would also advocate people to be done with the breakfast before they step into their office cabin be it a pit stop in the cafeteria or grabbing something on the way. But the idea is to ensure a healthy breakfast with a balanced portion of carbs/protein and fat.
Be well hydrated:
Another pitfall most of people working in organisations with controlled indoor temperatures are that they not being hydrated enough. The reasoning is that they do not feel thirsty and hence do not drink enough water. One of the funniest reasons I have heard is that they cannot find the time and the energy to visit the rest room if they drink too much water. Well I believe that an adult requires at a minimum of 8-10 big glasses (250-300 ml) of water a day. Well in simple terms what this does is that it ensures all the toxins from the body are removed by the regular visit to – you guessed it “the wash room”. What this does is, it ensures that the complexion of the skin improves due to cells in skin being nourished in spite of the Air con running full time.
Eat healthy and on time:
Nothing can be further from the truth with respect to eating healthy and it having a direct effect on stress and weight management. When I was on a coaching session with a client she was very vocal about not having the time and also a lack of healthy eating options in her office cafeteria which is supposedly one of the top three IT firms in the world. Knowing that she drives her own car my simple question to her was does she not ensure that she keeps her fuel tank filled up regularly whatever the time and situation is? Well surprisingly most of us take extra care on materialistic things rather than our own body. Sounds familiar to many but “Not eating healthy and on Time” is one of the Top three reasons for increase in stress levels and obesity in this era. So now the lady in question and I have worked out an excellent meal plan which is extremely healthy and practical.
Practice meditation:
With the kind of stress each one of us is exposed to it is prudent to ensure that you do hit the De stress button couple of times a day. Even 3-4 sessions of ten minute of meditation will work wonders for stress management. This over a period of time will become an empowering habit and one can use it in different fields and situations. For in depth knowledge on How to meditate do refer my previous Blog article on the same subject.
Follow a regular sleep pattern:
A Regular sleep cycle is critical to ensure a disciplined lifestyle. Most of the people working in high pressure, stressful Jobs tend to follow the logic of letting go during the weekend and this effects the biological clock and also gives rise to many a misadventure .Too much of a variance in sleep patterns affects either way and I advocate similar sleeping patterns for all the 7 days in a week. Of late I have noticed that people under stress find it difficult to sleep and working on all the areas discussed above has bought a great deal of relief to most of them.
Exercise:
With limited time for themselves in a 24 day hour, time will not allow most of the working people to manage a regular fitness regimen. So the best option which is working wonderfully for all my clients’ is to use the office hour to catch up on exercise. Walking as much as possible during an 8 hour shift will ensure one needs not head out to any gym whatsoever. The challenge is how creative you are in ensuring you clock the required Ten thousand steps (A brisk walk of 75 minutes will take you there) you need per day. Remember there are plenty of opportunities in any given day for us to walk around and the only thing which is required is a positive and an open mind set.
I hope this article makes you work on your stress and not get into any misadventures during the weekends either by binge drinking, venturing into forests or for some even working out only during the weekend far too excessively. All these have its own pit falls and doing anything at one go is always stupidity at its height. Anything done in excess is as bad to the system as not done at all (keeping exercise in context). Do let me know your feedback and thoughts on my mail id coach@satishrao.in or on my face book Page www.facebook.com.B.N.Satishrao.