Manage your energy

- If you want to be in top shape for facing challenging situations, you must take care of yourself. I don't know about you, but my self talk and general perspective tends to be a lot gloomier when I'm not feeling 100% well physically. Just like athletes who attend to every detail when preparing themselves for a competition, I want you to take care of yourself, so that you can face upcoming setbacks. Here are some things to think about. Are you at your best first thing in the morning, midday, or late afternoon? Do you prefer to tackle projects after you've had a chance to get in the rhythm of the day? Do you feel better or more productive at a certain time? Does it take you a while to get into the groove at work? Why do I ask you all this? Because being aware of your daily energy flow can help you be better prepared for challenging situations. If you can control the time you take a tough call where you have a confrontational meeting, be mindful and schedule it when you have the most energy. If you can't, then develop a strategy or plan for dealing with the situation. In either case, your highest energy times of the day will help you think more clearly and stay optimistic. Anticipate cyclical rough periods. Every organization has a busy period of the week, the month, or the quarter. When all the balls are in the air, you can predict when one is more likely to fall. If you're going to be more resilient, you can anticipate these cyclical rough patches and try to do any forward planning possible. Stay energized. Paying attention to your level of energy during the day is just not enough. Challenging situations, especially when they come as a surprise like an unexpected announcement at work or an unexpected injury, they drain us of our energy. To maintain a high resilience threshold, we have to be sure we're always well rested, nourished, and hydrated. When stress hits and we're depleted of energy, it's easier to be negative and unclear in our thinking. Restore appropriately. You probably know how you best restore your energy. You either get it from people around you, something extroverts do, or you prefer to have quiet alone time in order to restore, something introverts do. However you restore your energy, be sure that you practice this important routine during potentially challenging times. You will be better equipped to manage stress if your energy tank is on full load.