well-being. That includes sleep, nutrition, movement, wisdom,
wonder, purpose, giving, creativity and productivity.
P: How can these wellness categories help someone with
their personal wellness journey?
H: When you prioritize all these core elements, your well-being
will improve across the board—both at work and outside of
work. In our wellness journey, we don’t leave our humanity
behind when we leave for work. It’s not about balance. Thrive
Global is based on the truth that work and life, well-being and
productivity, are not on opposite sides—so they don’t need to
be balanced. They’re on the same side, and rise in tandem.
Increase one and you increase the other, which is what the
science clearly shows.
P: Technology can be both a huge asset and a burden on
our wellness. How do you recommend finding balance in
our ever-connected world?
H: Technology is definitely a factor in our culture of burnout.
We’re at an inflection point in history where technology accel-
erated the pace of life beyond our capacity to cope. We’re being
controlled by something we should be controlling. And it
consumes our attention and cripples our ability to focus, think,
be present, and truly connect with the world around us and
ourselves. The answer isn’t to get rid of technology and go
backwards, but we do have to be deliberate about finding time
to disconnect. There are also increasing new technologies that
can help us do that. One tip you can start with is not reaching
for your phone first thing in the morning, but instead using ten
minutes to breathe and set your intention for the day. Another
is to set aside specific times in the day to disconnect – like
leaving our phone at work when you go out for lunch.
P: How can spa industry leaders work to combat high
stress in the workplace?
H: One study found that employees who feel burned out are 31
percent more likely to consider seeking another job than those
who don’t feel burned out. And often what’s needed is a major
culture change. Even the best wellness plans won’t be
maximized if there’s not buy-in from senior management to
change the incentive structure. So, it’s not just about
awareness, but top to bottom culture and behavior change. n
FAST FIVE
Burnout at work, whether you’re in an office or
the spa, can create a slew of problems for both
your personal wellness and your company’s
overall culture. Arianna Huffington
has the cure. Here are her
five tips for avoiding
burnout.
Get seven to
nine hours of
sleep. Sleep is
the bedrock of well-being
and without that firm
foundation, we’re much more
susceptible to burnout.
1.
Make time to
disconnect
periodically
throughout the day.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Move – try to
take breaks and
build regular
movement into your day.
Take real time off.
When you go on
vacation, really
go on vacation.
Naps – they’re
the world’s
best
performance-enhancing
secret.
INTERESTED
in learning more about the
science behind Thrive’s principles? Click here
to learn more.
June 2017
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