In the anxiety created by the pandemic some of my clients are working extraordinary hours. They feel a heightened sense of responsibility and are pushing through to get things done. They are exhausted.
To explore resources that are helpful to my clients and to keep abreast of leading edge thinking I participate in many webinars such as the “Mobius Cares” series hosted by Amy Elizabeth Fox. I was particularly interested to learn more about how our brains and bodies respond from Dr Srini Pillay, a neuroscientist and Tony Schwartz of The Energy Project.
Pillay points out that too much focus results in fatigue. We need to build practices into our day for unfocused time. He suggests taking mini-naps and engaging in undemanding activities like walking, gardening, knitting and doodling.
Schwartz reminds us that great athletes generate peak performance by factoring in time to recover. This rest is critical to their success. As Schwartz points out many high achievers confuse rest with “slacking” and tend to avoid it. Perhaps this is also reflected in the language used by Bob Geldorf who describes his experience of lockdown as “enforced indolence”.
What are you doing to manage your energy?
Have you created any rituals to rest and recover?
If you’d like to have a conversation with me about how you might improve your energy and vitality as a leader, leave a reply below, call me on London +44 (0) 7952 068133 or send a note to sylvana@sylvanacaloni.com
