Working long, stressful hours requires us to take meticulous care of ourselves.
Think about the last time you were stressed out at work. Perhaps you had a big project or a major deadline. Most folks attempt to find extra time by neglecting their own needs. Don’t take that road. During times of high stress, every ounce of available energy must be spent on meeting our own physical needs. Otherwise, we can’t bring the best version of ourselves.
I’m currently in the midst of a 40 day stretch of exceptionally long days and late nights. I have, on average, 2.5 additional hours commuting. I have to be up at 6:30 AM daily to take care of my young men and get them off to school. After subtracting sleep, I have roughly 3 hours to play with. Choosing how to spend this time is critical. My health and well-being depend on it. If I’m not well, I can’t perform well. That outcome is an unacceptable option for me.
So how do I spend my 180 minutes? I start by exercising. From adaa.org:
Exercise is also considered vital for maintaining mental fitness, and it can reduce stress. Studies show that it is very effective at reducing fatigue, improving alertness and concentration, and at enhancing overall cognitive function. This can be especially helpful when stress has depleted your energy or ability to concentrate.
I spend 90 minutes training daily. We can all use the extra boost in concentration, and it helps mitigate the effects of these long days and nights.
I need more than just time with the weights to maximize my output, however. I dedicate another 30 minutes to preparing or obtaining food for the office. Being forced to rely on whatever is available around me because I didn’t take the time to provide nutritionally dense food is a tradeoff I am unwilling to make. My system needs be strong; there’s too much at stake. From NAMI:
Too much stress can drain our bodies of the nutrients we need to function properly. Stress causes us to produce adrenaline, which gives us energy to complete the task at hand. However, by producing adrenaline, our bodies use up the nutrients we need. Stress can also increase our appetite by causing an increase in hormone levels that drive appetite. Stress even affects the way we process and store fat, causing more fat accumulation in the abdominal region.
Ahhh, I roped you in with that last line, didn’t I?
After training and securing healthy food, I’m now down to 60 minutes a day of “me” time. I spend it writing this blog. You just noticed I have no social life, didn’t you? That’s okay for now. My available moments must be devoted to optimizing for health. From theskooloflife.com:
Writing strengthens your immune function. When you write, your breathing slows and you allow more oxygen to go to your brain. Being actively engaged in your work heals the body and encourages it to fight more purposefully against viruses.
I also make sure I take advantage of moments at work. I don’t have much free time, but a few free minutes pop up occasionally. When I find that time, I sneak away to a quiet room and simply breathe. From Harvard Health:
When you’ve got 3 minutes: While sitting down, take a break from whatever you’re doing and check your body for tension. Relax your facial muscles and allow your jaw to fall open slightly. Let your shoulders drop. Let your arms fall to your sides. Allow your hands to loosen so that there are spaces between your fingers. Uncross your legs or ankles. Feel your thighs sink into your chair, letting your legs fall comfortably apart. Feel your shins and calves become heavier and your feet grow roots into the floor. Now breathe in slowly and breathe out slowly. Each time you breathe out, try to relax even more
If strategically planning every waking moment sounds like a boring way to live, it is. However, it’s temporary. There are high leverage periods that require high leverage measures for all of us. Inevitably, there will be times when the world feels calmer. When those times come, I plan to be healthy enough to enjoy them.
“Now get some sleep,” said me to myself.
Kap
Ed H says
I can argue this post is more about generically taking care of yourself vs just when your stressed and overworked. Eating well and staying fit is the best proactive approach to building a strong immune system and staying healthy…
As for being stressed and overworked…. it definitely ups the ante!
Gabe Kapler says
Dig that, Ed.
kbeyazdancer says
Sometimes a power nap is helpful-Said Kelebek to herself 15 minutes before her two conference call.
It really is a challenge to take care of one’s self when their really is not much time. I get up at 5 am everyday just because I hate rushing around in the morning, but that’s the time, I do my yoga and breathing before I hit the lovely New Jersey Turnpike. As much as i love my job, my commute makes me angry but I use that time in the car wisely by listening to some Stanley Clarke, Miles Davis, or empowering Aretha Franklin.
From there, I spend 8.5 hours studying all the yummy things that make us sick and how to fight them (very exciting) and then I dance all the stress away during my night classes. That’s the best thing about having two very distinct jobs, I get to use one of them as a sort of therapy to relieve stress from the other.
I use my lunch break to write-A lot!!!
Thank you for using your 60 minutes to connect with us! I certainly do appreciate it.
-Kelebek
Richie Ernst says
NEW JERSEY!!! I agree with Kelebek, thanks for connecting with us. Funny thing, I was wondering how you dealt with your food intake with your commute & set time! I only work 5 minutes from my house, which is a godsend and terrible depending on the day I have. I sometimes wish for a commute home to unwind.
kbeyazdancer says
Richie:
I actually work out of state so I also get to hop on the Turnpike south and on the bridge as well. My commute can be a blessing and a curse (4 hours daily). It can be a blessing because I get time to get mentally prepared for the stress of infectious diseases. It can be a curse because I am stressed and worked up, I tend to stew on things while I’m driving, which of course goes back to what Kap wrote above and that creates more stress. Hence the need for soothing music.
kbeyazdancer says
And as far as food intake goes Richie: despite my busy schedule that goes 7 days a week, I do a lot of food preparation at the beginning of the week for my meals for the remainder of the week. I do enjoy cooking immensely so I do prepare my dinners same day except for the nights that I teach dance or if I have a gig. Sorry I didn’t get to answer this in my first reply hun.
-Kelebek
Gabe Kapler says
Like that y’all are interacting. Thanks for bringing it.
Christian says
Great post. It’s good to know that its possible to live a healthy lifestyle and be incredibly busy all at the same time. In the past as I got more and more busy my overall healthy lifestyle would suffer and before I knew it I was picking up Chipotle at 10 at night, not good. This brings to mind a question, how important do you think it is to eat at certain times of day? or to avoid eating late at night? I’ve done some research and have heard arguments on both sides of the equation so I figured I’d ask your opinion.
Gabe Kapler says
Take a peek, brother. https://kaplifestyle.com/2014/03/late-night-eating
Christian says
Perfect! Thought I had read every post on here… must’ve missed that one. thanks again.
Kevin says
That steak looks delicious
Gabe Kapler says
It tasted better.
MIchelle says
I come for the pictures but always stay for the words.
That meat looks extraordinary
Gabe Kapler says
Something about 1000 words.
Chester says
Interesting choice of seasonings on the grate — bay leaves, pinons & pepitas?
Gabe Kapler says
Bay leaves, garlic, salt and pepper.
kbeyazdancer says
Superb! Nothing fancy just some seasoning and meat. That’s how I like my steaks as well
John Beavers (@HutchBeav) says
I had a job in retail management foe 15 years that required very long days with bizarre hours. The stress at times was almost unbearable. It took its tole on my family as well.
It took me almost losing my family (I let the job rule my attitude) and almost losing my life (got stabbed in the stomach by a stoned kid shoplifting; long story) before I realized I didn’t neneed that stress in my life any longer.
I now work a little over 40 hours a week, between 8 and 530, Monday through Friday. Very little work stress therefore very little home stress. I only wish I wold have done it years ago. Now spend every available minute making up for lost time with my family.
Gabe Kapler says
Wow. Powerful.
P1 Sean says
How long on average do you sleep at night? You can’t say “it varies,” but I’d like to know during an average-busy week when you go to bed and wake up?
Peter Summerville says
Sean,
Gabe actually wrote a great article about this just awhile back about his schedule, here it is: https://kaplifestyle.com/2014/09/optimizing-sleep
Hope that helps!
-Peter
Gabe Kapler says
Peter to the rescue.
Hollie Hamilton says
I today went from having one item on the calendar to having the next three days booked solid. I felt the stress and then I just stopped and relaxed, and now I’m going to work on my novel and go to bed. The next few days I’m going to fit in healthy me time in between all the busy time.
Gabe Kapler says
Love it, HH.