Mind over matter

Next time you’re feeling aches and pains in your body, it would pay to listen to what is going on in your mind, says Anna-Louise Bouvier, director of Physiocise.

Bouvier, a physiotherapist, sees many executives in her practice with ailments attributed to stressful working conditions.

She says people who operate at an executive level will keep pushing themselves mentally until their mind becomes overloaded, causing their body to shut down with some sort of physical complaint.

“I see clients who suffer from bad backs, bad hips, tension shoulders, headaches,” Bouvier says. “Often this is coinciding with stressful periods at work. What’s going on in their minds begins to manifest physically in their body. Stress is the mind’s inability to control a given situation.”

Financial planner Lachlan St Clair attributes his back pain to spending too many hours sitting at his desk. Although he exercises regularly, he says the long hours and the nature of his job has added to tension in his body.

“I was starting to slouch when sitting at my desk and I found this was becoming more frequent. Being a financial planner in the current markets is very stressful. I started having back pain.”

St Clair also says his back pain made it hard for him to stand tall when talking to clients.

“Posture is really important to me, particularly when I give presentations,” he says. “There’s a noticeable change when you can stand tall, rather than being slumped due to back pain. Standing tall changes your demeanour. You look more positive.”

St Clair engages in a variety of sporting activities such as tennis, water skiing and golf. He says back pain was keeping him away from exercise.

“I was getting to the point where I could not play any sport, yet I know I need to exercise to help me de-stress.”

St Clair sought the help of Bouvier and since that time, he has integrated a series of exercises to help him strengthen his back.

“The trick with these exercises is to do them accurately,” he says. “They involve crouching, ducking and bending at the knees to keep the back straight, and importantly, getting up and moving around rather than sitting for hours at the desk. It’s about learning how to move without putting pressure on my back.”

Bouvier offers three crucial elements to relieving aches and pains in the body.

The first is to exercise at a moderate level three to five times a week.

“You need to burn energy to get energy,” she says. “Most people come home exhausted. They want to lie on the couch and rest. If you go for a walk, you will get more energy. Find time in your day, whether it’s early morning or lunchtime – just get out and move.”

Secondly, she suggests restructuring your office or desk space so you are not sitting for long periods.

“In an executive environment, this may not always be easy. But you could try to stand up when talking on the phone. Instead of a sit-down meeting go for a walk-and-talk meeting, or have a coffee meeting outside of the office. Move photocopiers into common areas so you have to get up and walk.”

The next is to sleep more. Bouvier says our minds have become overstimulated, with not enough time to unwind.

“Too many people sleep with BlackBerrys under their pillow and laptops at the bedside,” she says. “They’re checking emails before they go to bed. The mind is constantly wired and then at 3 am, they’re awake in worry mode.”

Bouvier recommends people get out and physically tire their body with exercise so they’ll have more chance of staying asleep. “Use your body to actually relax your mind.”

From a professional standpoint, Bouvier recommends trying to smile even if you’re feeling drained.

“Eighty-five per cent of communication is non-verbal, and stress and exhaustion will show on your face and body. Look happy and you’ll send a non-verbal message to your colleagues that you are on top of your game.”

BRW

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