Take a break: how I learned to relax and reboot

Communications regulator Ofcom released research this month to show that UK adults spend more time on media devices than they do sleeping. An average of eight hours and 41 minutes a day. This “constantly on” approach can mean we never give ourselves time to properly relax, leading to higher stress levels and burnout

I’m an entrepreneur and the momentum of a growing business can be seductive. It doesn’t matter that you are working seven days a week, and never put down your smartphone, if you are having fun and you’ve got the essential ingredients for growth then a new business can be addictive.

When I started my business it was tempting to respond to the fear of no longer having the safety net of an employer by working all hours of the day. I got into a habit of barely sleeping and whilst I got away with functioning fine for many months like this, it eventually became obvious that if I didn’t normalise my sleep then I was going to be too exhausted to take my business to the next stage.

A year ago, and to help me see the wood from the trees, I started working with a brilliant coach. She helped me understand that the stress response is different for everybody, and to work out where my real triggers for stress lie.

For me, stress comes if I feel that I am letting people down, or if I am feeling trapped – my most obvious analogy of leading a growing business is feeling like I’m on a treadmill that is going higher and higher and faster and faster and that I can’t get off.

And then there is the stress of expectation. Many successful people I know are haunted by the a voice in their head warning them that they need to keep slaving away to be better, or risk being not good enough. But the expectations of clients, friends and family are just as powerful, as is the media pressure to constantly compare ourselves to celebrities. To see the lives we could have, if only we worked harder.

So out of necessity, and to afford myself some sleep, I’ve found myself working out how I am going to manage the next year. I’ve started using language like “boundaries” – and even the use of this word brings me out in a cold sweat.

But sometimes enough is enough, and recently I’ve had to really zone in on a few things that can make life better. This is what I’ve learned:

Reboot

Like an over-stretched hard-drive when we take no time off we get pretty cranky and slow. To reboot I’ve had to really think hard about what I love doing and built this into my weekends. I’ve gone back to drawing and painting which I loved as a teenager. To paint well you have to slow right down and focus – it’s great for managing stress.

Don’t internalise problems

In life there will always be things which are not quite good enough. If I’m not careful I take this personally and make them into bigger issues than they are. I’m having to learn to develop a thicker skin that ensures that I deal with problems logically, rather than catastrophizing them emotionally into harmful internal stress.

Use technology wisely

Watching every email exchange, always being reachable by phone makes finding time for peace and quiet hard. Ofcom’s findings about the addictive nature of technology come as no surprise. But technology can free you up as well. Redirect your calls, make good use of the out of office message and set filters and rules for inbound emails so when you’re taking a breather you’re not disturbed unless it really is important.

How many of us would benefit for a psychological reboot? Forcing some down-time can make all the difference.

Michelle Wright is the chief executive of Cause4