Your Public Best - Lillian Brown [120]
Schedule downtime for yourself when you can do the things you really enjoy. Streamline your wardrobe, workplace, paperwork, and reading material.
Have a hobby or sport that you thoroughly enjoy, be it tennis, golf, fishing, woodworking, gardening, or a collection. Develop a sense of humor, and see changes in your life as a challenge.
In your day-to-day life in the public eye, concentrate on devising ways to ease stress. For example, change the pace of your work or travel schedule by taking mental and physical breaks—anything to bring about a cessation of the constant pressure. Take a series of minivacations rather than waiting for one long one. Take naps whenever possible. Eat your lunch outdoors on a park bench, where the phone does not ring. If an appointment gets canceled unexpectedly, don’t read more memos; instead, get out and visit a museum or do something else that you would enjoy and allow you to recharge your batteries. If you have a difficult problem, set aside a short period of time to lean back and relax, letting your thoughts wander. This is often an effective problem-solving method. Find the relaxations, even the small ones, that restore your sense of well-being and replenish your inner resources.
On the other hand, a certain amount of stress can have positive manifestations. It forces you to perform at peak capacity. It temporarily increases your efficiency. It stimulates you to meet new challenges. For example, responding to the stimulus of alive audience is a positive experience. A manageable amount of stress causes your body to release a hormone which gives you a feeling of mild euphoria, well-being, or exhilaration. You will be more alert and motivated to a higher level of endeavor.
This kind of stress has been termed “good stress.” Some people who love a challenge, competition, or functioning on the edge of danger (race-car drivers or downhill ski racers, for example) seek it out. You may even come to depend on that good stress to enhance your public performances.
TRAVEL FATIGUE
Travel can have its own uniquely stressful situations. When spending long hours in a plane, get up and move around at regular intervals. Use the exercises described above to keep your circulation going and your muscles relaxed.
Unexpected delays, changes in schedules, and unaccustomed situations bring their own frustrations. If you possibly can, arrive at your destination a day early to acclimate yourself to a different climate, different food, and maybe different time zones or altitudes. Similarly, if at all possible, plan to stay an extra day after a particularly strenuous conference in order to rest and recuperate. Allow some leeway in your schedule to meet any unavoidable delay or emergency.
When long, boring delays are inevitable, create your own relaxing environment that will make the time enjoyable. Bring along a good book or some reading material you haven’t had time to enjoy before, and a personal tape player with a good supply of your favorite music; schedule an hour for a professional massage; or select a favorite restaurant and look forward to eating dinner there.
When you cross several time zones, your body clock can become confused. You might forget what time it is, what city you are in, when to sleep, and when to eat. In such situations, a special light diet and a relaxed time schedule can be helpful.
On most airlines, special meals are available to you when ordered in advance. Remember not to become dehydrated—carry a travel cup or plastic bottle and drink water during the trip.
In any case, know how much is too much fatigue, so that your energy level is not dangerously depleted. As much as possible, arrive at your destination as refreshed as you can, so that you will be prepared to participate effectively in the event to which you are committed.
THE BOTTOM LINE
“To thine own self be true.”
Everyone