Wellness for Leaders
Leadership can be very demanding. Therefore, it is important to acknowledge that you can be impacted by stress, anxiety and overwhelm during your life as a leader. This is because as a leader you are responsible for the ultimate outcome of your teams even in times of uncertainty when you may not have all the answers. However, during these times, you need to be functioning at your optimal state. It is therefore important to have a wellness plan and good habits in place to ensure you are tip top whatever you are facing on the day today.
This article gives you tips on how to shape your wellness plan. Ideally, we recommend you test several of the wellness ideas out to see which suits you best. We also highly recommend you implement check-in days (and times) to see if your wellness plan is sufficient or if anything can improve to make your well-being better.
The process of checking in on your wellness makes sure you are looking out for yourself BEFORE the burnout kicks in, and you can therefore ramp up self-care before the stress takes over. This is also why it is highly recommended that you master leadership skills quickly with a training programme, coach or mentor such as through Inspirea’s services to avoid running into difficulties down the line that create more intense stress or anxiety.
Download our template Wellness Check-In template for free.
Before we move on, a quick reminder that stress, anxiety, overwhelm, fear and uncertainty impact your behaviours as well as your health which can also have a detrimental impact on your future self, your partners and your family. This is not said to cause guilt or any other such negative feeling but is an adult-to-adult reminder to try to encourage you to take action and responsibility for your well-being even before the stress hits.
Let’s have a quick look at the risks of stress and burnout
[Disclaimer]
This article is not meant to shame or blame behaviours but it is written in a direct way to prompt you to ask questions about your situation so that you can self-reflect and determine what you want to change, add or remove to benefit you. In short, you do you! Your life is yours to live as you choose and rightfully so. Still, if any uncomfortable feelings come up, take a moment to re-centre, and then ask yourself why these feelings have come up. Is it possible you have an issue here?
Also, this article does not provide (nor intend to provide) tips to manage the following areas, as we are not qualified to do so. As mentioned, it is designed to encourage you to reflect on what you may need to manage your wellness effectively and we disclaim any liability or responsibility for actions or decisions you choose to take. The areas we do not support and some suggested paths for you are:
Mental health (e.g., depression, debilitating anxiety* or other concerns): A licensed therapist or your doctor can offer professional support tailored to your needs. *Leadership coaching by Inspirea can help to reduce anxiety around your leadership by implementing strategies you put into action to resolve problems, but anxiety from other aspects of life, trauma-based anxiety or health-based anxiety cannot be addressed through our coaching.
Nutrition (e.g., creating a balanced diet or addressing specific dietary concerns): Your doctor or a qualified nutrition coach can guide you with personalized advice.
Physical health (e.g., chronic pain, illness, or injury): A medical professional or specialist who can help you navigate these challenges safely.
Financial wellness (e.g., managing stress related to finances): A financial advisor or your bank can offer strategies and resources to support you.
If you're experiencing difficulty, please know that we believe in your ability to navigate these challenges. Wishing you strength and all the support you need on your journey toward wellness. Remember, reaching out for help is a powerful and positive step forward.
So what does stress and anxiety impact?
Stress & anxiety impact how you manage your time:
Stress leads us to rush and this can lead to mistakes or a to-do list that is too long to complete making the stress increase so the rushing increases and then the mistakes increase and… oh my! This is awful! This negative cycle is not uncommon and it doesn’t feel good (my heart is racing just thinking about it). Sometimes this is linked to anxiety conditions and other mental health challenges that require support because it isn’t as simple as implementing ‘another blog’s strategy’ to manage it. If this is you we recommend you see a licensed professional. If not here are some tools:
Stop, slow down and re-evaluate what is happening. Ideally answer the question, ‘What is the reality of what is happening right now?’
Using the answer, create a prioritised to-do list that you can definitely complete in 80% of the time you have.
“What?! Less time than I have in my day?!” you say.
Yes, because at the end of that day, you can pull in any critical items that have emerged. To manage this list we also recommend you to:
Use the Eisenhower matrix to understand what to do now, later or delegate. (Simply browser search Eisenhower Matrix.)
Focus on one day at a time and refresh your to-do list at the end of each day. During this process celebrate your wins.
Set up a weekly or bi-weekly wellness check-in to see how you are getting on.
Stress and anxiety impact how you nourish your body:
When we are stressed we may eat more fast food or eat less healthy ingredients at home because the idea of cooking is too exhausting or you may be prone to eat less. Either way, this may impact fitness goals but it definitely could lead to nutrient deficiencies leaving you low on resources to fight the coming day or weeks. Also, if you are prone to eating less in times of stress you will impact your cognitive functions as the brain needs fuel to operate.
As fuel and good nutrition are needed to perform well you should also ask yourself if your diet is supporting your leadership dreams. You should also consider if that diet plan you are looking at is in your interest right now. It might be, but it doesn’t hurt to ask the question if your goal is to excel in a stressful or demanding time in your leadership career or to look a certain way as one can impact the other.
Stress can also lead you to reach for a glass of wine or beer etc. Although drinking is a relaxant and can feel good after a hard day it is important to consider that it will impact your sleep quality [Ref 1] and digestion [Ref 2] thereby impacting your ability at work the next day. It is up to you to determine if this is the case for you or not but it is worth asking the question whether alcohol is hindering you to be in the tip-top position you need to be in.
When you are exhausted from work you may also be too tired to workout, or feel too emotionally exhausted to add another goal to the list. However, movement of any kind (even a gentle walk) can boost mood, health and overall well-being meaning if another knock at work comes your way you are a bit more resilient to it. [Ref 3]
Ask yourself: How can you nourish your body through food, drinks and exercise to be fighting fit, more calm, and have better wellbeing?
TIP: If you want to set a goal around food there is a lot of psychology showing that using positive intent rather than negative intent helps to motivate you to achieve the goal. An example of a negative intention is “I won’t eat junk food as it makes me less fighting git”. Whereas a positive intention is “I will nourish my body to fuel my mind so that I will excel at work”. This works because it is a more pleasant thing to achieve and in many ways it is more flexible.
Stress and anxiety impact how you spend your money:
Before we start this section let’s start by saying there is no harm in spending money to manage your stress if that is what you need. This article advocates for a conscious awareness of our behaviours and a considerate view of not just the immediate term but also the big picture of our lives which is especially important when considering our finances.
Stress can lead to lots of indirect symptoms some of which have been mentioned like buying fast food to save time which you wouldn’t normally do (spontaneous or impulsive behaviour not in line with normal character). Stress can also lead to impulse purchases to help you feel you are managing the stressful environment you are in [Ref 4]. You may choose to go on an extra expensive weekend away because “I deserve it” and you need to unwind. You may lose the energy to budget and forget where you are. Etc. etc.
None of these things are inherently bad. If you want to impulse buy a new pair of shoes and go on a weekend to Paris you do it! But,
Ask yourself:
Is the stress in control of how I am spending my money or am I in control?
Would it be better to manage the stress and anxiety at its root cause so you are more in control of these decisions rather than being led by the stress and anxiety?
How, if at all, can I use my money considerately to be less stressed e.g., delegating cleaning duties to a cleaner?
Money back from these impulsive/spontaneous activities is actually part of the ROI to receive coaching and support. Let me explain based on a real-world discussion had by our coach Rosie with a SaaS professional. This individual (living in 2024) was stressed but wasn’t sure what to do about it so on top of what they normally spent stress led them to: eat out 2x a week more than normal at an average £40 a head across restaurants and takeaways (£240), buy a pair of shoes at £120 that month, drink two more bottles of nice wine over the month because they deserved it or it was nice to use to relax, and two more alcoholic drinks a week with friends and work colleagues in a bar (£20 a month), plus a spontaneous weekend away for three nights (£500+) etc.
That’s £880 a month! Ok, the weekend away might have been a one-off, but a £410 or £880 a month extra spend is still quite an eye-opener don’t you think?! In your reality, it might seem too low or too high for your behaviours but this kind of behaviour does creep in. This money could be going towards a course to give you the skills that put you in control now which naturally manages stress let alone allowing you to save to buy that future flat or have skills to add to your CV that help with that pay rise later…
As we say, there is no criticism of these activities. They sound rather nice! But if they are caused by stress you can lose sight of the budget which can lead to bigger real-world impacts like not being able to buy the property you want or not being able to pay for the boiler fix or tax bill that comes out of nowhere.
Ask yourself: how are my finances being impacted by stress and do I want to handle this differently?
What are some tips to managing stress?
If you see one you like we recommend additional research to find out how to implement them.
Practice deep breathing exercises.
Engage in regular physical activity
Maintain a consistent sleep schedule.
Limit caffeine and alcohol intake.
Set realistic goals and prioritize tasks.
Use mindfulness or meditation techniques.
Spend time in nature or outdoors.
Connect with supportive friends or family (highly recommended)
Doing something creative or crafty for relaxation and fun
Take breaks and practice self-care. Self-care activities can include:
At-home facial (or a professional one)
Watching an uplifting film
Making sure your clothes are clean
Baths and warm showers
Lighting a candle
Massages / Facials
Seek professional help if needed (example, a therapist or doctor)
Professional support can also include delegating tasks to business professionals but be mindful that some repetitive tasks like these actually could help your well-being (example, walking your dog adds exercise and gets you into nature). That said, if delegating alleviates stress, why not! Example:
Dry cleaner
Dog walker
Cleaner
Hair-dresser (if you dye or cut your own hair)
Child minder
Personal trainers (or exercise app or free youtube calendar)
Accountant or financial adviser
OR, you can purchase training and coaching support to address the source of stress and anxiety head-on and get on with feeling better, excelling as a credible and competent leader and positively impacting your team, your organization and the wider world.
If you would be interested in what training and coaching is available to new leaders to help you to manage stress, see our Emerging Leaders Development Programme
In conclusion,
Stress has impacts on our lives in many different ways but there are multiple strategies you can use to tackle stress.
Which section resonated with you most? We recommend you start with the checklist questions and reflect on this article. Download our template Wellness Check-In template for free.
REFERENCES
1) Reference for impact to sleep: Alcohol and Sleep (The Sleep Foundation)
2) Reference for malnutrition: Butts M, Sundaram VL, Murughiyan U, Borthakur A, Singh S. The Influence of Alcohol Consumption on Intestinal Nutrient Absorption: A Comprehensive Review. Nutrients. 2023 Mar 24;15(7):1571. doi: 10.3390/nu15071571. PMID: 37049411; PMCID: PMC10096942. Here
3) Reference for exercises impact on mood: Be active for your mental health - Every Mind Matters - NHS
4) The Effect of Stress on Consumer Saving and Spending - Kristina M. Durante, Juliano Laran, 2016