Reduce Stress to Work Smarter, Not Harder

Stress can literally destroy your body and your life, so the development of a work-life balance for today’s on-the-go, constantly plugged in, tuned-in executive is a must. When equilibrium is the goal, the entire company may eventually benefit from the highest tier to entry level staff. Not to mention partners, potential clients, vendors, your board of directors, trustees, investors and other entities who work with your company. Learning how to manage stress is a lifelong commitment, but one that is rewarding on a personal and professional level. It’s something that people who work with you sense and your ease puts them at ease.

We often talk about the flow of business, or funnels, or paths—what happens when issues and unforeseen things occur, and your wheels stop spinning? When your plane is late? You miss an important family event because of work? You feel like your professional and personal resources are completely drained, but you have two weeks of an important project coming up? Your team isn’t performing up to snuff? Stress management can help you tap into an unlimited source of potential wherever you are, any time of day or night, in the middle of an important meeting or during the most demanding sweat-pouring deadline of your life.

Boston Corporate Coach helps busy executives and their teams arrive on time, comfortable, relaxed, and with all the amenities they need during their ground transportation experience.

Even so, we see many execs and their employees in need of a breather. We have put together some simple breathing and meditation exercises for you to try in the comfort of your office or our coaches, limos, or other fleet options. Check out the celebrity executive relaxation tips at the end of the article! Please note: Always check with your doctor before starting breathing or meditation exercises.

Breathing Techniques
Deep breathing reduces anxiety and stress, while building up metabolic rate and increasing cardio-respiratory endurance and stamina. It also helps improve your circulation and digestion. After taking in fresh oxygen, your body will feel revitalized and relaxed. These are very easy to do in our vehicles!

Deep Belly Breathing

• Close your eyes
• Relax your mind and body.
• Sit with your back and head straight and then tuck your chin into your neck by rolling it down slowly.
• Inhale slowly through your nose and expand your stomach.
• Exhale and gently pull your stomach in.
• Repeat 5 times.

Deep Lung Breathing

• Close your eyes
• Relax your mind and body.
• Inhale deeply through your and expand your chest, hold the air in for few seconds then exhale completely through your nose.
• Repeat 5 times.

 Natural Awareness Counting Breathing

• Close your eyes
• Relax your mind and body.
• Slowly inhale and exhale through your nose.
• Count five seconds on the inhale and five seconds on the exhale.
• Practice 10 times.

Meditation Exercises

Meditation has been practiced around the world for thousands of years. This ancient science of relaxation is very popular with our corporate clients. Many of our execs and company travelers meditate on their way to meetings and other company events when they have a few minutes of downtime. Try these simple exercises:

Lunch Meditation

You may laugh at the title, but lunch is your break time and even if you are eating at your desk, this is an opportunity to be mindful. Don’t rush through your meal, slow down. What are you eating? How does it actually taste? Can you relax for a few minutes and enjoy it? Be present, nourish your body and relax. If you are on the go, take a couple of seconds before you eat to close your eyes and completely let go of your morning. Can you destress before you eat your meal to reset for the second part of the day?

Positive Visualization

Visualization is a very powerful tool. You can project your intention for a business outcome, sales goal or the implementation of a strategy. Sit down in a quiet space or close the door of your office for a few minutes if you can. Close your eyes and visualize a positive outcome or result of your well thought out and expertly-planned efforts. Visualization can also be used simply for relaxation. Imagine yourself in a green forest or near a quiet pond or stream.  Picture a leaf floating on the wind or on the water, watch the scene take place and calm your breath and your body. Many studies show that just five or ten minutes of meditation equals an hour or longer nap!

Walking Meditation

Have a few minutes to walk outside? Need a break from your workout routine? Take a mindful walk near your office. Even in large urban centers like Manhattan, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, or Chicago, stillness and ease may be found, because you can train yourself to find that within you! Watch for traffic and other pedestrians but walk slowly and at observe as if you’ve never walked around the area before. Explore different avenues or alleys. Don’t buy anything or sit down, what is the weather like? Observe the people around you. Can you find three things you have never noticed before? Walking meditations can bring a much-needed fresh perspective to your day.

Need some additional inspiration? Try these Celebrity Executive Stress Reduction Suggestions*:

• Find a quiet place. When feeling the heat, retreat … to the bathroom? Hey, it works for Oprah Winfrey.
• Get more sleep. An effective day at work actually begins the night before, according to Arianna Huffington, so make sleep a priority.
• Move away from the desk. Take a page from Jack Dorsey and incorporate morning workouts and out-of-office walks into your daily routine. The co-founder of Twitter and Square wakes up at 5:30 a.m. for meditation and a six-mile jog, and takes breaks during office hours to stroll outside.
• Sweat it out. Give stress a physical release through exercise, as Michelle Obama
• Play games. Remember the toys you used to play with in childhood? Try recasting a stressful problem as a Lego project, and take it one brick and a time. Hey, it works for Brad Pitt.
• Find equilibrium. For Indiegogo founder Slava Rubin, countering stress with spirituality means more than just engaging in meditation. “The entrepreneurial life is super hectic. Super unknown. Lots of crazy ups and downs. I think it’s helpful to find some grounding. So that while your startup, while every startup has its roller coaster experience, you’re able to stay grounded,” he told the Observer, speaking about how his Jewish faith shapes his day-to-day.
• Plan ahead. If Mondays come around and you feel as if you’re drowning, try getting a jump start on the work week. You’ll be in good company — Apple CEO Tim Cook schedules staff phone calls for Sunday nights, according to Success Magazine.
• Set deadlines. Streamline stress by putting organization techniques in place. That’s Birchbox co-founder Katia Beauchamp’s approach: “I insist people on the Birchbox team indicate when they need a response in all emails. It makes prioritization so much faster,” she told Lifehacker.

*Reprinted from: http://fortune.com/2016/08/30/12-business-leaders-on-how-they-handle-stress/