The Month

If you haven’t looked up lately, you may not realize that you are in the midst of National Stress Awareness Month. How appropriate. Being a high-performer, you are no stranger to long hours, a heavy workload and looming due dates, that can add up to increased pressure and exhaustion. They named a month for you!

The Message

About 18 months ago, we wrote a Message that emphasized the importance of cooling down after an intense period, similar to what athletes do after a workout or event. Professional competitors know that cooling down slowly after a grueling experience is necessary to bounce back. In fact, it is viewed as the last phase of the race or event. If you missed it, you can read it here.

Like athletes, you must learn how to quickly recover from difficulty, overwhelm or intensity. This skill, known as resilience – or the capacity to bounce back from stress and adversity – can help you better cope with whatever challenges that work throws at you. Much has been espoused about developing resilience; and rightly so. It is what allows you to recover and continue in the profession.

The Necessity

One essential aspect of strengthening resilience is recovery. It is a necessity when developing mental toughness. There are times when you have to power through exhaustion, as you well know. But don’t dismiss the need for recovery. Make your cool down routine the last phase of your busy season, not the due date.

Your Routine

Since your “event” has ended and you are entering into the last phase of your busy season cycle, what is your cool down routine? How do you intend to recover? Have you planned how to recuperate in healthy ways? From the Message mentioned above, make sure you are recovering in ways that build your resilience. Don’t enter your cool-down period willy nilly, no more than professional athletes leave their cooldown routine to chance. Make it the last phase of any busy period.