The demands of being a C-level executive can be so overwhelming that you might feel like you're "on call" even on your rare days off. If you're struggling to unplug from your work, perhaps you need to make more purposeful investments of time and energy into your hobbies. Adding some creative relaxation to your routine could help you make three big improvements that could reduce burnout and boost your Return on Life.
1. Better Mood and Stress Management.
The research around art therapy has found that drawing, painting, music, and crafts can have powerful effects on mental and physical health. Making art has been shown to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, which, as you well know, can also help to reduce blood pressure and the risks of serious conditions like heart disease.
Creative activities can also help to turn down the noise from the rest of the day and create a quiet space where you can unwind and focus only on the task at hand. Even if you aren't explicitly journaling about your feelings, art releases our emotions, helps us to process how we're feeling, and puts challenging experiences in cathartic contexts. Let it all out on the page or on a blank canvas, and you'll have more energy to cope with tomorrow's challenges and appreciate your blessings.
2. Sharpen Your Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills.
C-level executives spend a large part of their days engaging their left brain: assessing patients, analyzing clinical data, formulating treatments plans, recording notes, and supervising administrative tasks.
A creative hobby can give the right side of your brain some much-needed stimulation, while also working out your fine motor skills. As you figure out the correct perspective for a painting, memorize dance moves, or work through plot holes in your short story, you’ll be engaging both sides of your brain, which can lead to new perspectives and creative solutions. Getting more comfortable with thinking outside of the box could improve your problem-solving at work as well, whether you’re trying to pin down a tricky diagnosis or looking for ways to connect and empathize with patients so they’ll follow through on what you prescribe.
3. Build Resilience and Provide a Sense of Accomplishment
Very few careers are as demanding as those in medicine. The stakes couldn't be higher. And as the field continues to navigate workplace shortages, the demands on your time have probably never been higher either. Even if you achieve an ideal work-life balance, you're still going to need resilience to get through those truly difficult days that only other busy leaders really understand.
Creative pursuits present their own unique challenges, but in a much lower-stakes environment. Picking up an instrument or a paint brush for the first time will feel unfamiliar. A goal like writing a novel or learning to play your favorite song might feel a little overwhelming. But the process of trial and error that helps you build towards your goal, color by color, word by word, note by note, will deliver countless moments of self-discovery and accomplishment. Overcoming the challenges of learning something new or reawakening a skill you set aside will remind you of how much you're capable of and refuel your drive to achieve in other areas of your life -- including work.
Ironically, there's a very good chance that you've given stressed-out patients some of this very same advice over the years. If you've been neglecting your self-care, then it's time to start taking your own medicine. As a C-level executive you have valuable professional skills and financial resources that many other folks don't. Let's talk about how Life-Centered Financial Planning can help you leverage those resources to keep you on track for long-term personal and professional success.
