Is Holiday Pressure High? Science Suggests A Coffee Break And Then Do This

Summary: Fourth quarter is looming in front of you—bonuses at work, gifts for family and friends at home, — overthinking everything. The benefits of putting your career on hold, even for a brief time, are essential. It’s equally important to do something positive.

Dear Dr. Sylvia,

I don’t have time to stop. Even taking time to write this is barely possible.

For example, every day, I drink my coffee, munch on my protein bar, finish the report or make the next call, all at the same time.

Most importantly, once in a while, I look at the clock, put my computer on sleep mode, and walk away from my desk.

However, I need to rethink those few minutes of break time to stay more focused and even make better decisions.

Stress management programs for leaders are needed now more than ever.

Moreover, you always have some odd and interesting ideas on what to do to stay healthy and happy.

Now is your chance to make me a better person.

Signed,

Smart and Ready

Dear Smart and Ready,

Above all, your question is vital for keeping your calm, balanced, and cheerful disposition during this era of constant change.

Furthermore, I have an insightful program you can do online; it’s a stress management program for leaders.

Above all, I believe all of us, whether at the front of a team, a newbie who is just learning, or those ready to retire, need to have the best methods for, as I like to say, learning to practice safe stress.

Learn to “practice safe stress” to stay healthy (maybe even wealthy).

Back to taking a coffee, tea, chai, or water break during the day.

Here is a significant benefit that research shows can happen when you change your thinking about the importance of taking that much-needed break.   

In her Harvard Business Review article (May 2012), Charlotte Fritz found that coffee breaks don’t boost productivity.

Surprised?

Here is the important part: That break is worthless unless you acknowledge a colleague.

See, I told you science says to take that break and tells you what to do to feel good. Yup, say something nice to someone, and you are the beneficiary.

When you feel good after doing something positive for someone else, you feel better. Here’s why.

It’s called “the helper’s high.”

You know, or at least you have been told, how great people feel when they master a run of two or three miles.

Sweaty and smiling, they have developed the “runner’s high.”

The helper’s high, like a runner’s high, starts to flood your body with endorphins, and yes, you feel, well… high!

Interesting that taking time to think about and appreciate someone else can make you faster and wiser in your work.

Guess what you were told as a kid about being kind and respectful and acknowledging someone else makes a difference, not just to them. You also become a recipient of goodwill.

Do you agree?

Yet, you ask, “Hey, what if I’m in “the zone” do I just stop to sip some java and call someone to tell them they are great?”

The answer is yes.

Stress management programs for leaders offer ways to transform outdated behavior patterns.

You know that nothing lasts forever. When you’re in the groove, it feels so good. Your proposal or project looks like the gold standard, and thinking is easy. Then suddenly, all the great ideas seem to fade away. Why?

Ultimately, you can blame it on your brain.

Over the eons, our ancestors learned to focus on survival. However, there was a need to track all types of information simultaneously. Where is the bear, where is the food, where is the storm headed, and where are the kids? It was always hard to focus on one thing, and guess what? It still is.

As a result, they couldn’t, and you can’t sustain focus on only one thing for a long time.

Please work with your brain; treat it like a colleague.

Work with your brain, see it as your friend, and give it what it needs. There is the focused mode (paying attention to making sure the numbers add up) and the diffused mode (staring out the window and daydreaming).

Both have their place. And when you need to take that break also, do something else.

Reach out and touch someone with your kind words.

It is important to remember, reach out and touch someone. Do this with a kind word, a high five, or a fist bump.

In conclusion, research shows you should take breaks every ninety minutes. Think about all the quick notes of acknowledgment you can do in a day, a week or a month. Your popularity will go to incredible heights.

And by the way, don’t forget to call your mother!

Here’s to your success,

Sylvia Lafair

PS. Want more tips and tools for less stress? Watch the Stress Mastery Masterclass. I hope it will intrigue you enough to join the 4 module online program that includes coaching. Now, as I suggest, call your mother, father, sister, brother, or someone who matters to you.