The Highlight Issue 12 'Brighter Days Ahead'

LF LOCKER ROOM “I try to use stress as a positive” mix of physical and psychological symptoms that commonly include exhaustion, feeling increasingly distant or cynical about one’s job, and reduced professional efficacy.” “Stress is positive. [It] drives working every evening and at least one day during the weekend,” he recalls. “I had to become stricter about it as I started to have children.” Oliver concurs: “A key aspect to separating work and personal life is boundaries. It performance, growth, happiness,” he says. “However, when stress is prolonged and overwhelms us, we move into distress. Excessive stress alters mood stability, energy, immune system functioning, sleep quality, strategic thinking, creativity and more. These physical and psychological symptoms do not stop at the workplace door.” Simon’s rapidly accelerating career meant that setting boundaries between his work and personal life became essential. “I found myself is prudent to draw physical and psychological boundaries around the home environment. This may involve practical steps like showering and changing clothes after work. A hard stop on reviewing emails and accepting calls is critical.” For Simon, maintaining a work/life balance meant letting go of perfectionism: “I have learnt to focus on the most important things,” he explains. “There’s a temptation to try to make everything perfect. You don’t need to do that.”