Recharge

Background

• Boston College School of Management

• 8+ years executive search and recruitment

• Citigroup Asset Management Institutional Sales Associate

• Certified Executive Life and Career Coach

• 18 years – 40+ Marathons

Energy: the capacity to work.

It comes from 4 major wellsprings:

• Body

• Emotions

• Mind

• Spirit

You are in charge. How do you reclaim & increase your energy?

Walter Mehl (1936 – 2004)

“Don’t tighten up; lighten up!”

Stress Physical response to events that upset your balance.

Hypothalamus, at the base of your brain, sets off an alarm system in your body. This prompts adrenal glands to release a surge of hormones.

* Adrenaline: increases your heart rate, elevates your blood pressure.

* Cortisol: increases glucose in the bloodstream and alters immune system responses. Suppresses the digestive system and the reproductive system.

The body doesn’t distinguish between physical and psychological threats. Heart pounds faster, muscles tighten, blood pressure rises, breath quickens.

Chronic StressOverexposure to cortisol & other stress hormones, puts

you at an increased risk:

• Heart attack • Stroke• Sleep problems• Digestive issues• Obesity• Memory impairment• Contributes to infertility• Speeds up the aging process.• Can even rewire the brain, more vulnerable to anxiety &

depression.

• Fatigue.• Reduced productivity.• Irritability.• Difficulty sleeping.

Signs of the need to recharge

• Stress.• Difficulty concentrating.• Anxiety.• Not eating healthfully.

HUMAN ENERGY CRISIS

© Human Performance Institute, Inc.

PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES

Training 90%

10%Hours worked 4-6/day

8-12/dayCareer span 7-10 years

30+ years

CORPORATE

ATHLETES

© Human Performance Institute, Inc.

Full Engagement requires you to be…

spiritually

mentally

emotionally

physically

aligned

focused

connected

energized

© Human Performance Institute, Inc.

Body

Self Maintenance

• Eat a nutritious diet• Get enough sleep. (The longer, more

continuously, & later at night you work, the less efficient & more mistake prone you become.)

• Be physically active every day• Be with people who energize you• Get support, when needed• Know your limits

Big Rocks

• No time

• Not enough money

• Distracted by family responsibilities

• Focus on others

• Difficulty relaxing

What are some of your barriers?

Common barriers to recharging

Emotions

© Human Performance Institute, Inc.

Create Positive Emotions:

• Do Relaxation Techniques – Meditation, yoga, and muscle relaxation exercises.

• Find Positive Meaning –Reframing adverse events in a

positive light.

• Laugh – Our brains don’t know the difference between a real smile and a fake smile.

Defining Moments• Anything that boosts your confidence, gives you more energy.

• An effective way to build your confidence is to take an inventory of your accomplishments

• Defining Moment: an occasion when you found something in yourself you didn’t know you had or forgot you had, & pulled it out.

• When you said, “Yes I will!” or “No, I won’t!”

• It’s a moment after which you never thought of yourself in quite the same way.

• Be specific, don’t edit yourself. Write about a time when you did something you did not think you could do and you surprised yourself.

• These will become your “greatest hits”, (your abilities, achievements) to reflect upon, before a big meeting or at the start of each day.

Positive Emotional Energy Builds:

• Attention and Focus

• Increase In Creative Thinking

• Better Relationships

• Resilience to Negative Emotions

Mind

Change Your ThoughtsChange Your Perceptions

Be an actor, not a reactor.Don’t let anyone else decide how you’re going to act.

I decide how I will:

Think

Feel

Behave

Cognitive Distortions

Cognitive distortions are logical, but they are not rational. They create real difficulty with your thinking.

ALL-OR-NOTHING THINKING: You see things in black-and-white categories. If your performance falls short of perfect, you see yourself as a total failure.

OVERGENERALIZATION: You see a single negative event as a never-ending pattern of defeat.

MIND READING: You arbitrarily conclude that someone is reacting negatively to you, and you don't bother to check this out.

Faulty storytelling

Multitasking

Biggest barriers:

Spirit

Purpose-driven Commitment Passion

Spiritual Dimension

Energy associated with our deepest values

What legacy do you want to leave behind? How do you want people to describe you? Who do you want to be? Who/what matters most to you?

Self-discovery questions:

Feed Your Spirit

• Find your “play”• Listen to music• Read• Write• Choose hobbies that fit within your

financial, time, and energy limits.• Do nothing. Schedule time for it.

Summary:

• Body (maintenance)

• Emotions (defining moments)

• Mind (observe your thoughts)

• Spirit (“play”)

Questions?

www.annmehl.com