Another colleague and I recently helped facilitate a workshop on how to deal with stress. It was a group of 13 professionals, so we had ample time for reflection and discussion. Participants shared some of the same concerns that I see popping up in blog comments:
就算只有几级台阶，你也要搭电梯。机场的步行电梯你从来都不会放过。把车停在靠近商场前门的位置，越近越好。起初，这种代步的便捷工具看似对你的日常生活没有多大影响，事实是，它们的影响大着呢。走楼梯的话，平均每层可以消耗15卡路里。如果你每天都走楼梯上下班、进出商场、在家走动的话，那么你每天就能多消耗至少225卡路里。去逛街时，多走几步路去商场门口也能多消耗30卡路里。在机场不走步行电梯的话，还能多消耗100卡路里！只要有机会，就多动动你的身体，别总是坐电梯或坐车，你的身体是用来让你动的。
How do you deal with increasing expectations in an environment of decreasing resources?
How do you deal with bullies, not only at school but also in the workplace?
How do you give your job your all and still have something left?
Here's some of what we talked about:
It's up to you to determine what's crucial for your health and well-being, and how to balance that with responsibilities that are truly "mission-critical." For example, I recently agreed to participate in an early morning meeting I didn't have much interest in it. I had to get up especially early and consequently by the end of the day, I felt like I had the IQ of a zucchini because of fatigue. Not the best use of my time and energy.
You don't have to be a perfectionist in everything you do. For example, if I spend 10 hours to prepare a slide presentation when 8 hours would've done, I've lost two hours. That time won't be noticed by my audience, but it might've been spent on another task or responsibility.
You don't have to allow yourself to be "bullied" by leaders in your organization. One woman shared how she addressed the problem privately over a cup of coffee and came away feeling empowered. She acknowledged that the situation will never be ideal, but she feels that by speaking up she's at least ensured that it won't be so unsettling.
In the end, we all agreed that you have to find a way to take care of yourself physically and mentally, despite the pressures of the workforce. If you let your health deteriorate, your work performance likely will be affected and, thus, your job security.