Stress Less on Your Business Trip
Does your career require you to travel? Whether you love or hate it, it doesn’t have be a dreaded journey of indigestion, poor sleep, stress and anxiety.
Is it possible to adopt a “spa retreat” state of mind along the way, so your cortisol isn’t sky high? With a bit of planning and intention, there are things you can do to stay more relaxed and calm amidst the hectic pace.
Physical and Psychological Management of Stress on the Road
- Stretch and/or Massage – release those tight muscles with a stretch. Massage increases the “feel good” hormone oxytocin by 30% and lowers the “stress” hormone cortisol. Hop on the 15 minute chair massage at the airport, or have a quick visit to the local spa.
- Support your body – maintain your energy levels and immune system with nutritional supplements, especially with B vitamins.
- Eat well – bring healthy snacks from home, such as protein or super greens powder for smoothies on the run. At restaurants, choose salads and slow burning complex carbohydrates, which will sustain you better than a muffin, and will keep your blood sugar levels normal.
- Exercise – bring workout or walking clothes; it will burn off stress, raise serotonin and endorphin levels, and help you sleep.
- Hydrate – drink plenty as dehydration hits quickly on planes and in stuffy offices, leading to fatigue and foggy thinking. Take a water bottle with you everywhere.
- Sleep – bow out on the 10:00pm cocktail and honor your body’s need to rest. Have a bath, bring earplugs and a good book to help you doze off.
- Meditate – calm racing negative thoughts and visualize positive outcomes.
- Listen – travel with your iPod or MP3 and fill it with relaxing music
- Breathe – practice mindful, deep belly breathing
- Go with the flow – don’t worry about circumstances you have no control over
- Bring a “stress ball” – squeeze it to release anxiety
- Practice gratitude – be grateful for all the gifts in your life; it will lift your mood and shift your perspective.
Enjoy your next business trip!
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