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Today’s 24/7 almost, 365-day business world of increased demands; appears to have become the “new normal.” Changes one on top of the other often compound and go unnoticed in the name of getting what needs to be done, completed. Maintaining a competitive edge, secured employment and financial solvency is of primary importance for most professionals. There are risks associated with both keeping up and not keeping up with the high pace.

Human energy is not, however, without limits. Social Psychologist, Roy Baumeister  author of the book Willpower, likens behavioral control to a muscle that can fatigue if overused. He posits that exercising willpower, but also making decisions and choices and taking initiative takes energy – physical and mental. He notes that these active processes all seem to draw on the same well of energy. Our health status and strength of our immune system has significant bearing on our ability to exercise control of our behavior.

Bauermeister indicates that when willpower becomes depleted – glucose can revive it. Getting a good night’s sleep and eating healthy – protein- rich nutrient dense foods as fuel is important in preserving the constraint and focus needed to maintain willpower. Balance in lifestyle is paramount in maintaining and replenishing energy.

When the work environment becomes overwhelming with unmanageable workloads, absence of support and direction, lack of role clarity, ongoing job insecurity, and unpleasant  or poor working conditions, it is only a matter of time until a professional will become burned out and less effective. There will be a higher likelihood of a behavioral or health crisis.

Consider this hypothetical situation as an example:

Your Vice President of Information Technology who has a flawless track record of enterprise management begins to demonstrate angry outbursts and explosive behavior – While he has always been highly organized and focused, he becomes overly critical and controlling. His direct reports fear him and avoid interacting with him on projects and deliverables. He makes reactive, unilateral decisions, over -communicates and overworks.

His direct reports receive demanding emails in the late hours of the night and weekends – Some decide to leave. Recently, a key implementation was delayed due to miscommunication of time sensitive information and the loss of a key staff member. You consult with him, and he is defensive and deflects all accountability.

High functioning – high performing professionals often minimize their stress levels and the impact of their distress and or impairments on others in the work environment.   Their intelligence, focus, and determination while beneficial as high performers can in turn serve as liabilities, because their strengths can work against them. When it comes time to put on the brakes and downshift in order to regroup and get clear about how to move forward more productively, it becomes more difficult. Determination and drive can become obstacles as exhaustion sets in and health and behavioral control deteriorates.

The high performing IT executive that all of the sudden turns intense, controlling and angry is more than likely suffering from burn-out and moving into exhaustion. His work life balance is more than likely nonexistent, impacting his marriage and home life. Marital stress and constant fears about losing his job and having kids in college weigh on him heavily. Caught in a cycle of control, silently and unknowingly suffering underlying depression, he has become depleted of energy, exhausted and too afraid to stop because he may not be able to restart. He becomes highly impulsive and compulsive.

Chronic compounded stress over the long-term can result in vital exhaustion. Vital exhaustion (VE) is real and very serious. It is a syndrome of chronic psychological stress and burnout resulting from a breakdown in adaptation with:

–   Feelings of excessive fatigue and low energy

–   Increased irritability

–   Feelings of demoralization

Vital exhaustion is often due to ongoing overwork or problems at work that have not been able to be solved – And or the employee experiences a real or symbolic loss of his or her  life – control over one’s life and is completely overwhelmed and hopeless.

According to the American Heart Association, vital exhaustion can be an extreme threat to a person’s health because of a very high increase in the chance for sudden cardiac death. For these reasons, it has been suggested that VE is a state of mind that people arrive at when their resources for adapting to stress have broken down – Adaptation is key to survival.

By the time a person reaches the point of exhaustion; the situation has often taken on the velocity of a runaway train. A crisis will require stronger efforts to put the brakes on, and the stakes are higher – damages can result.

As experienced evaluators, we at Integrated Treatment Solutions know how delicate such situations can be. We know that the presenting issue is often only “the tip of the iceberg” and that no matter how thorough and productive an assessment may be it is only as good as what follows. Providing feedback, collaborating on treatment planning and focused implementation must happen to gain optimum results.

Debriefing and educating evaluation participants and the referring organization on findings and what they mean is essential to the process. Everyone involved needs help.

Where there is communication and commitment, there is always hope, possibilities and new choices.

A solutions – focused approach is necessary. Both the professional and his or her organization can benefit from the assessment process with each party’s best interest in mind.

Going back to our IT executive; he can receive the help he needs, including stress management, financial and or marital counseling and his depression treated. He can be offered career planning and establish short and long-term goals for himself – A sense of control and optimism restored.

A mutually accountable win-win can happen with a renewed sense of confidence and future plan of action.

Our world is a 24/7 almost 365-day place that is ever evolving and dynamic. Rapid and sudden change has become the “new normal.” These changes sunk in for me last year when I was getting emails on Thanksgiving morning and LinkedIn invitations on Christmas Day. On some level, I found it mildly entertaining and on another quite concerning. Regardless, it became apparent to me that there has been a shift in the way we are navigating life, not to mention the erosion of boundaries that have historically protected out down-time.

There is more, however. We are all aware that our world is in a state of flux. World-wide shift in weather patterns, competitive business climate, mergers, acquisitions, the turbulent economy, and fragile international politics are requiring us to adapt and live differently in order to function.  The problem with that is we just don’t change that quickly.  In fact, did you know that it takes many hundreds of years for humans’ and animals to adapt to a change in their food source? If that’s the case what do, we do in the face of constantly changing conditions in our lives? After all, for some of us getting a new Smart Phone is a big change! Read More

While it can be sad to leave summer behind, autumn brings with it gifts of its’ own; it’s vibrant tapestry of color, comforting foods, soups, chili and pumpkin pie, and the smell of fireplaces burning on a crisp evening.  Autumn, however, can be challenging on a health and energy level for many people.  As the days grow shorter, and there is less daylight, many people start to feel “down”, depressed or depleted of energy.  The transition into the colder months can be especially hard for people with mood problems, addictions, chronic pain and other persistent medical and mental health conditions. I hear this each year from clients and callers in my counseling practice in Chester County and Philadelphia, PA.

While season change can be tough, one doesn’t have to suffer. There are skills that we can use to reduce the likelihood of negative emotions and mood states – To prevent emotions from controlling our thoughts and actions.

Our ability to self-manage plays a key role in our physical and mental well-being; hence self-management skills are very important to our functioning. While some of these skills may seem like common sense or perhaps you are already doing them, you more than likely will find that you need to tend to a couple of them.

I use the Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Emotion Regulation skill for Reducing Emotional Vulnerability in my work with people with depression, anxiety, and other difficulties.

Marsha Linehan, Ph.D. pioneer of DBT uses the acronym of “PLEASE MASTER”  as a way of remembering these skills.

treat PhysicaL illness

balance Eating

avoid mood-Altering drugs

balance Sleep

get Exercise

build M A S T E R y

If we are feeling unwell, hungry and undernourished, fatigued, drinking too much alcohol, don’t move around or get much exercise or aren’t doing something in our day that gives us a sense of mastery or accomplishment, we are more likely to be vulnerable to negative emotions including low energy. We are also more apt to experience or see the negative rather than the positive in situations, less able to cope and manage interactions in a skillful manner.

Tips:

• If you are prescribed medication, take it as directed. Many people don’t. Symptoms tend to resurface under stress including season change. Issues that are persistent require ongoing treatment.
• Stay away from sugar, caffeine, excess carbs and processed foods. Try to eat organic and whole foods. It takes the body a lot of energies to metabolize unnatural foods and to work through the overstimulation and insulin spike ignited by sugars, caffeine and carbs.
• Don’t drink alcohol. Alcohol is a depressant. It also affects sleep.
• Build in an extra half hour of sleep at night – Get to bed earlier.
• Get outside and take a walk each day in the sunshine; even if its’ during lunchtime during the workday. Movement boosts endorphins and vitamin D (from sunlight) is related to mood, outlook and energy.
• Make sure you do something each day that makes you feel competent and in control of your life – Something that feeds your future. Taking care of the business of your life supports self-esteem and confidence.

Everything we do for ourselves counts – A lot. Through taking care of ourselves, we inoculate ourselves from negativity, ill health as well as being non-productive.

“It’s not selfish to love yourself, take care of yourself, and to make your happiness a priority. It’s necessary.” – Mandy Hale

Keeping a pulse on our stress level is always a wise idea. Many of us don’t really know our baseline stress level; therefore we don’t really know where we are and what is manageable for us so we keep doing more. For example, all of a sudden we can find ourselves triggered into anger by an erratic driver on the road and wonder how we went flew off the handle. This is what often happens when stress piles up. We become reactive and, at times, out of control. We can decline quickly.

Many stresses cannot be avoided altogether, but we can support our bodies in being more resilient, as well as reorganize some of our routines to minimize mood and energy problems. To help our bodies, it is important to:

–          Get adequate sleep each night. During seasonal change, more sleep is often needed to sustain the shift. Adding an extra half an hour can be of benefit to you.

–          Decrease sugar and carbohydrate intake. When mood declines you may notice increased food cravings, especially for sweets and carbs as the body is looking for that spike in energy. Focus on eating a balanced diet, including fruits and vegetables.

–          Move your body. Make sure that you are getting some physical exercise daily; a walk, time at the gym, working outside.

–          Take your supplements, including probiotic, Vitamins B, C, D, and fish oil.

–          Attend meditation, yoga, or tai chi classes – especially if you are anxiety-prone or get overwhelmed easily.

Creative thinking is important in learning to help you and may lead to stress-reducing methods, such as delegating work or deleting less important items from your to-do lists. Then you can look for ways to improve your coping ability, such as learning a new, useful skill or spending more time unwinding each day.

Cognitive therapy or skills-based counseling can be helpful in learning how to control the mind and work through thoughts that fuel depression and drain energy. But, working with the mind and body together is necessary in improving or resolving mood issues. After all, the mind and body dwell in the same organism.

To maintain a healthy mind and body, it’s important to engage in the effort to review and assess yourself – and, if need be, consult a professional to help.

Quote:

The higher your energy level, the more efficient your body. The more efficient your body, the better you feel and the more you will use your talent to produce outstanding results.

~ Tony Robbins

For anyone who was around last weekend over July 4th you may have noticed that there wasn’t a soul on the roads – no one around. It was immensely quiet. Perhaps many folks ventured to the shore points or to visit family. Regardless, it was desolate in the Philadelphia area. There was a palpable “hush” that was much like the stillness that settles in later in the night on Christmas Eve.

A friend of mine who is also a healthcare professional routinely comments about how we are communal beings and tend to share a common biorhythm – That we are “plugged into each other.”

We were talking about how eerily quiet it was on the holiday weekend – That people did not seem to migrate to the fireworks until the last minute and that even the local ice cream stand was vacant of patrons until late into the evening.

Why would this be the case? Well, we as living beings are very much affected by our environment. Over the course of the last year, we have endured constant pressure from extreme weather. The winter was relentless with one-snow storm after another with intense cold and ice. The rain storms have been no better. When we anticipate storms, we have come to expect to be left without power for days and or to anticipate damages. This is hard to endure as a steady diet. Perhaps, there is a collective feeling of “burnout” in the atmosphere. Maybe we haven’t recuperated.

We had been desperate for warm weather and the ease of summer, but perhaps the heat and humidity of late has introduced yet another extreme to rally against and accommodate. Extremes zap us of our energy. The intensity of extreme conditions can create distress in our bodies and minds – more than what we would imagine. For instance, over the winter you may have noticed yourself getting more tired, cranky, low energy and impatient as the snow storms continued – Due to being tapped of energy and resilience being worn down. Heat and humidity can be equally as damaging to energy and vitality.

For those who suffer mood problems and chronic illness, such as depression, pain syndromes, ADD, etc., you may find yourself more irritable and cycling or dipping mood-wise unexpectedly despite the sunshine and longer days. Heat can also fuel aggression. Be on the lookout for subtle and not so subtle changes in your thinking, emotions and behavior.

Do make sure to keep hydrated, drinking plenty of water. Eat healthily and veer away from quick unhealthy meals because you may not feel like cooking. Maintain exercise – perhaps swim or take a late night walk after the sun goes down. Overall, maintain structure and routine

Moreover, of course, remember that this too shall pass. Most importantly, bear in mind that the conditions around us are impacting us on a deeper level.