Physical and Mental Well-being: A CEO Perspective

‘Perspiration: the best solvent of all for solving your problems’

- Prochnow & Prochnow 

Daily habits such as exercise and meditation have been shown to be an effective treatment for symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression. Having a strategy for improving physical and mental well-being can also enhance cognitive function, energy levels and overall feelings of happiness. 

Yet - many of us can find it difficult to fit in 10 minutes for journalling or 30 minutes for a run. 

One article which resonated with me quite early in my career was the HBR article by Tony Schwartz - The Making of a Corporate Athlete. Within this excellent piece, Schwartz discusses the key to sustainable performance, what he terms the Ideal Performance State or IPS. In summary; to find ourselves in the IPS we need to have a strategy around our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual energy/capacity. Furthermore, Schwartz posits two key pillars we must adopt - the first is the rhythmic movement between energy expenditure (stress) and energy renewal (recovery), which he terms “oscillation.”  

Schwartz adds “In the living laboratory of sports, we learned that the real enemy of high performance is not stress, which, paradoxical as it may seem, is actually the stimulus for growth. Rather, the problem is the absence of disciplined, intermittent recovery.” 

The second component of achieving this IPS is having rituals/habits that promote oscillation; rhythmic stress and recovery. I have been lucky to be currently working with a cohort of individuals, who have managed to both understand and implement these practices very effectively - believe it or not - it is also probably the busiest cohort of all, CEO’s. 

In today’s society it is evident that both physical and mental health are a mainstream topic of conversation. Part of me finds joy in the fact we are now talking about both in a more open and vulnerable manner, but we must not forget that although they are interdependent, our approach to both can differ for a variety of reasons. One can positively impact the other, however, a lack of understanding around the mechanisms of both can create unrealistic expectations. We might believe six weeks of training will provide the body of our dreams or that meditating regularly will keep us permanently calm. When we attach these unrealistic expectations, it is very difficult to remain consistent with our daily practice. We can also avoid addressing one aspect of health by overconsuming the other.

This may present itself as someone who exercises excessively, to distract from unmet needs in their life or a mind ruminating to solve problems, when the answer might be to unplug mentally and stimulate physically. But what can we learn from CEO’s that can help our overall well-being, promote psychological flexibility, and increase our ability to meet the inevitable challenges life throws at us?

CEO’s understand that both physical and mental health are not idealised states:

Positive mental health is not feeling happy all the time or finding ‘perfect’ mental health. Positive mental health is staying attuned to your internal environment and how the external environment may be impacting feelings, emotions, and overall mood. It is being able to explore this dynamic in a non-judgmental, kind and accepting manner. Being grateful for our good moods and graceful in our low moods. It is not about eradicating all sadness and anger but noticing and investigating what has triggered these feelings. 

Physical health operates in a similar fashion, we may reach an optimal level of physical health and fitness based on our age, stage, and life circumstances but this will fluctuate based on internal and external factors. The body by its very nature does not stay static and accepting this fact can offer solace and assist us in avoiding the trap of constant striving. There will be days where no matter how well we care for our physical health we will feel tired, lethargic, and unmotivated. 

Although these may not define us, we must embrace self-compassion and self-acceptance on such days and avoid allowing self-criticism to rule. Our mind and body are a constant process, not fixed but fluid, not defined but naturally evolving. This is something I have noticed through my work with CEOs - that they have developed overtime - not necessarily something that is innate. 

CEO’s focus on the process and accept the outcome:

Have you ever stopped to consider how society’s somewhat flawed definition of success and our very human nature can make us susceptible to chasing the things we don’t even want? We have a propensity to adopt this ideology of success and constantly chase end goals and seek external gratification. We become ‘the dog with the bone.’ This can translate to binary thinking, ‘I am either a success or a failure, there is no in between.’ This myth can invade our mental and physical health. We start to use limiting and judgemental statements such as ‘I am lazy’ or ‘I am not a positive person.’ 

The truth is from time to time we can all be a bit ‘lazy' or even negative in our thinking, this does not define us and should not limit us. Although it can be important to have performance or outcome-based goals (a performance goal might be to run 5k in 30 minutes while an outcome goal could be to become a consistent runner) it is vital we understand that both mental and physical health are not finite. They both work on a spectrum which is influenced by many factors, stress; workload; relationships; nutrition; sleep and the list goes on. The key is to accept this, be honest and caring for yourself and enjoy moving that dial slightly on the process that does define you. CEO’s are flexible with their outcome and performance goals and consistent with their process goals. 

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"

CEO’s bring it back to basics - when they slip. 

As mentioned, both Physical and Mental Health are constant processes, not fixed in nature. We must actively engage in measures which will help us manage, what is to a large degree, an unseen phenomenon. The first step is to not be overly critical of our behaviours, but to become curious. If you currently are negative in your self-talk (which btw is common for us all at times) and it is affecting your mental health by increasing your anxiety, can you sit with this and explore it. Consider if this is a helpful or harmful train of thought - bringing it back to basics - can you identify one positive action/thought which will help boost your mood.  

What about your view of physical health? Is it built on solid, consistent basics or is it directly related to instagram influencer videos and unimaginable exercises? If it is, remember this is fantasy not reality. The research supports moderate intensity exercise, five days a week for 30 minutes to experience the physical and mental benefits of activity. 

CEO’s are excellent at bringing it back to basics. They may fall out of routine from time to time (like us all) - but without (too much) self-judgement they go back to basic strategy. They ask themselves the question; What can I do today to support my body and mind? 

Then they prioritise this and ACT.

These are just a handful of insights I have observed from CEOs, to summarise:

• Being more accepting and supportive of ourselves
• Enjoying life as the process it is and not becoming obsessed with outcomes 
• Going back to basics when we slip or feel lower than normal

All three are an effective way to approach life and promote physical and mental health.

To find out more or to book a free consultation - mark@leadersconnect.ie