Are you often finding yourself stressed out each time you are on a business trip? Would you be glad to know, learn and implement some jaw-dropping ideas that will help you get rid of stress no matter what your business trip throws at you?
If yes, you are encouraged to read on.
Quite reasonably, your boss expects you to focus when you are away on a business trip. But he also expects you to be effective, and that means that you have to make time to relax—to keep your stress level down and your brain cells firing.
Taking time out to recharge your batteries is vitally important to a successful trip, especially if it lasts more than a couple of days.
To help you consistently get rid of stress each time you are on a business trip, here are things you should do.
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Program Your Trip
Don’t be afraid to schedule your downtime. Once you have it in the diary, try to stick to it. Plan the things that are important and really need to happen, and then resist the temptation to fill the rest of the time with more meetings.
It’s important to get enough sleep. Avoid late night meetings followed by early morning ones. A certain amount of socializing in the bar may well be necessary, but don’t be afraid to be one of those people who make their excuses early.
Use Your Location
Not every hotel is situated where it is easy to relax. When you find one that is, make use of what is there.
Some hotels are in a city where there are parks, museums, and cultural centers to visit. Others are near a beautiful beach. Some, like Durban’s Protea Hotel Edward, part of the Marriott South Africa group, are both.
It’s a good idea to use the hotel’s pool and fitness equipment to unwind, but it’s even better to get out for a leisurely stroll or a lounge in the sun. You will be saving yourself so much energy when you do this.
Seek Out the Familiar
We all know how much easier it is to relax with a couple of old friends than in a room full of strangers. If you have any contacts in the vicinity, arrange to meet up with them, if only for an hour or so. You can let your guard down and chat freely, which will really help your blood pressure to ease off.
Similarly, try to go to locations that you know well. There’s a buzz from going to new places and seeing new things, but they do make it harder to unwind. When possible, go to cities you know well and stay in hotels you are familiar with.
Hotel managers that know how to make their guest’s stay a fun-filled one will profit consistently from this. In fact, there’s probably no better way to increase customer satisfaction than this.
Go Easy on Technology
Technology is one of the things that keep us chained to our work, even when we ought to be relaxing.
Be disciplined about the frequency with which you check your texts and emails, but don’t wait until you get back to your room late in the evening before you start to deal with them.
Before you set off, establish ground rules with your office about when and how they can contact you. Nothing weighs a man on a business trip down like getting calls, emails and text messages that demands his immediate attention when he’s not disposed enough to handle them. When engulfed with so much work that you can’t handle at the same time, outsource it to your virtual team.
If you truly want to get rid of stress, first, you must go easy on technology.
Harvard Medical School scientists concur that specific wavelengths of light suppress the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin in the brain. So to ensure you always have a good rest after the business of the day, it’s advisable you avoid screen time immediately before you sleep.
I nearly went blind the last time I violated this principle.
Go Easy on Yourself
Finally, don’t wait until you are about to go away—do it now. Learn how to practice calming down and mindfulness exercises.
Take every opportunity to find a still place within yourself. It will help you stay in the moment and ride any storm your travel brings.
Conclusion
You must know that allowing too much stress to weigh you down while on a business trip can make you burn out, so taking whatever it requires to get rid of it (like we’ve been able to establish here) is worth doing.
