Client: FORUM
Deck: Think your work is
stressful? You're right. Long hours, managing client expectations and riding
the ebb and flow of the markets means tension knocks at your door each day. But
you can decide not to answer. It's just a matter of knowing how.
It's 4:30 in the morning and dark
outside as Alan Webster hits the alarm and hauls himself out of bed. An advisor with U-Select Financial &
Insurance Services in Mill Bay, B.C., Webster and his wife throw on clothes,
grab their bags -- and head off to the gym to work out. By 6:30 a.m. the two are
back home and it's business as usual.
This isn't an occasional
occurrence either. Webster says he heads to the gym six times a week, stays
active in sports, and watches what he eats. Not bad for a former two-pack a
day, coffee-drinking, underweight smoker who could barely run around the block.
"Being involved in this industry
with all its highs and lows, if I don't work out, I don't feel right. It helps
me keep level," he says.
"Keeping level" can be difficult
at this time of the year for financial advisors as the mutual fund and RRSP
season hits. And the job is already stressful enough. Financial advisors suffer
the same kind of stress that small business owners experience -- working long
hours and balancing work and family -- but there's more. Financial advisors have
a unique stress that stems from having control over other people's financial
fate. Giving bad news and calming clients' fears during poor economic times can
take their toll. Having this kind of responsibility is one of the key
factors contributing to occupational stress.
And
you're not alone. Stress is a problem for Canadians across the board. Since 1976, there has been a 25 percent increase in the
proportion of Canadian employees working more than 50 hours each week. With
many Canadian employees facing increased workloads and longer hours of work,
their health is of increasing concern. Studies have shown long work hours
are a major contributor to stress, depression, burnout and even cardiovascular
disease including sudden heart attacks.
"We're going in the wrong
direction and that's not a good sign," says Nora Spinks, president of Work-Life
Harmony Enterprises, a consulting firm that deals with work-life balance
issues. She cites a CPRN study that shows half of today's employees are saying
they're overwhelmed by demands. The result? Stress.
There's no quick fix when trying
to alleviate chronic stress, but there are ways to take control when the heat
is on. Exercise. Meditation. Yoga. Massage therapy. Hiring a personal or
business coach. While trying one of these methods may not work, taking multiple
steps and making a commitment to a healthy lifestyle can mean the difference between
stressed-out and blissed-out -- or at least being able to wake up and face the
day.
Ask Jason Gee, director of
Toronto-based Personal Fitness Consulting, if he has to deal with stressed-out
clients, he does one better. He says he can tell within 30 seconds how
stressful their day has been.
"I look at their facial expression
and posture. I can usually tell how many hours of sleep they've had," he says.
Exercise is one of the best ways
to beat the blahs and stay focused, he says. When endorphin hormones kick in
after a good workout, stress usually fades. The problem, however, lies in
staying committed to a workout routine, especially when life gets busy.
Gee says it's common for
over-worked clients to take two or three weeks off from their personal training
appointments because they worry they can't keep commitments. But it is
precisely at times like that that exercise needs to move up the priority chain.
"I know when it's really busy you
don't have a lot of time. But even just 10 or 15 minutes of walking or running
a day tends to help quite a bit," he says.
In fact, the more stressed-out his
clients are, the harder he likes to push them on the treadmill. Sound cruel?
There's actually a method to the madness. By making them work out harder than
usual, Gee says they become more focused on what they're doing and thoughts of
the office slip away.
"It's like a nice little one-hour
vacation away from their life," he says.
You know a trend has made it big
when it lands on the cover of Time
magazine. That's exactly what happened last year with yoga. Although the
practice of stretching mind and body has been in existence for thousands of
years in India, North Americans are finally catching on.
Archa Mati, the director of Archi
Mati's Yoga for Life in Toronto says hatha yoga is a good way to address stress
in the form of physical aches and pains. Although there are many different
types of yoga -- some, like ashtanga, are fast paced and others, like bikram,
are taught in extremely hot rooms to promote deeper stretching, hatha is the
school of yoga beginners often favour. It combines postures and breathing to
promote relaxation and flexibility.
"Breathing is the key," says Mati
who demonstrates the "ocean breath" by inhaling and exhaling once, taking an
astounding 28 seconds to complete it.
"This breath is so powerful. It's
the heart of yoga," she maintains.
Finding a yoga studio is pretty
easy these days, even in smaller communities. People are taking classes everywhere
from Vancouver B.C. to St. Marys Ont. Just look in the yellow pages for
listings.
Clothing is usually loose fitting
and stretchy, but make sure you're warm enough.
If you don't have and hour or two
to dedicate to a class, even five minutes of breathing and stretching can help.
Mati recommends taking a couple of minutes between clients to sit, relax and
breathe deeply, paying specific attention to how you breathe out.
"It's the exhalation that helps
the release of stress," she says.
Meditation and yoga often go
hand-in-hand. That's why Mati also teaches students how to meditate to relieve
stress and feel renewed energy to face the day.
"We can be running in our mind and
have too many thoughts to handle," she says. "With meditation, people find they
can learn to contact that place where they feel peaceful, centered and
clear-minded."
Being clear-minded is one of the
most beneficial aspects to practicing meditation especially when work stress
peaks. Studies have shown that increased stress can lead to poor concentration
and mistakes in the workplace. By taking some time each day to clear the mind,
it's easier to go back to work with a sense of calm and control.
But meditation takes practice.
Just try thinking about absolutely nothing for even two minutes, and you'll see
how difficult it is.
Of course there are as many
different ways to meditate as there are people who do it. Some need silence,
others chant -- basically just repeating the same phrase over and over to have
something mindless to focus on -- and others prefer music or an instructor to
guide them.
To find out how to do it, try
contacting your local yoga studio. There are also many books on the subject,
but as a beginner, it's usually best to find a teacher you like and get some
first-hand experience.
"You've got to take time to be
healthy, or you have to take time to be sick. It's one or the other," says
Richard Jaunzemis, director of public communications for the Ontario Massage
Therapy Association. He's also a registered massage therapist in Listowell,
Ont.
Over the past seven years since he
started his massage therapy practice, he says he's seen an increase in clients
who walk through his door. Some are there because they're being proactive -- but
many more show up with a long list of aches and pains that need help pronto.
So what's causing this rise in
attendance?
"People have a tendency to -- as I
call it -- kiss their computer screen," he says. People sit hunched over their
computer keyboards, looking at a screen for far too many hours of the day,
rarely taking time out to take a short break. Headaches, neck and shoulder
pain, and even repetitive strain injuries result. "All this because you're
holding your mouse wrong," he finishes.
Take a break to roll your head or
shake your shoulders. Elevate your screen and make sure you have an ergonomic
chair. But if all else fails and your body often feels like it has been hit
with a Mac truck, get some help.
Finding a good massage therapist
can take some work, but asking family and friends whom they use usually gets
results. You can also contact the local massage therapy association or college.
All registered massage therapists are licensed and are covered under company
medical plans.
Some massage therapists specialize
in full body relaxation massages while others focus on specific problem areas.
"Eventually you'll find a
therapist who gels with your personality," says Jaunzemis.
Personal and career coaches are
also seeing a lot more business these days. In basic terms, these coaches spend
face-to-face time or time with clients over the phone helping them reach their
personal goals. They act as a sympathetic ear, a cheerleader and a giver of
advice.
Nigel Brown is both a financial advisor
and a business coach for other financial advisors and clients. And he actually
walks his own talk. About eight years ago he gave up life in the big city to
move out to Salmon Pond, a small community in B.C., so he could spend more time
with his family.
"By making that move I saved at
least 300 hours a year," he says now. He also bought a boat, using it to
entertain clients and get some much needed relaxation after 23 years in the
financial advising business.
"My whole style of work week
changed dramatically. If I was in a line-up of three cars, that was considered
heavy traffic," Brown says, laughing.
Learning from his own experience
with a full life change, he decided to help other advisers reach the same level
of work-life balance. His secret?
"Stress doesn't come from having
too much to do. It comes from not keeping agreements we've made with
ourselves," he says.
Learning how to say no is a good
start. And understand that you're doing yourself no favours by agreeing to -- or
creating -- unrealistic timelines for projects such as clients' financial plans.
Another tip for living stress
free? Decide what you like to do -- then delegate the rest.
Taking time out to decompress is
particularly important when stress levels are high. But it's not as simple as
doing a couple of deep knee bends of taking a few deep breaths. Dedication to
your health means making it a daily goal. That way when the busy times happen
it's already part of your daily routine.
Webster says he exercises not
necessarily for its health benefits, but for how it makes him feel afterwards --
and to keep stress at bay.
"Working out in the morning gets
me feeling good about me and if I'm feeling good about me, then the rest of the
day falls into place," he says.
Prolonged stress and tension can
lead to more serious health problems such as clinical depression, anxiety,
ulcers and heart disease. Try some of these coping mechanisms to lower the
stress wattage in your life:
-- Source: The Canadian Mental
Health Association