Men's Health: Work-Related Stress
Dec. 22, 2000 -- You think you're under a lot of pressure? Try running the world's only superpower. Here's great stress-busting advice for our new commander in chief ...and you.
MEMO
TO: The New President
FROM: Men';s Health stress advisory team
RE: Your new gig
Dear Mr. President:
Congratulations on your recent victory. Piece of cake, huh?'But if you thought the 2000 election was nerve-wracking, steady yourself. An even bigger triumph will be keeping the pressures of your new office from eating you alive. As a service to you, the country, and our own dreams of landing a really, really sweet ambassadorship, we';ve put together the following Oval Office stress plan. Take our advice and you';ll veto stress whenever it comes across your desk.
Oval Office stressor #1: STARTING A NEW JOBNo matter how confident you sounded campaigning for your new position, it';s only natural to feel anxious now that you actually have the job. Even President Clinton recently admitted there was a huge learning curve to running the country.
How to handle it:
Personalize your workspace. The Oval Office has been the scene of lots of historic action—some of it even involving the government. To feel less intimidated, decorate the space with a few personal items—books you love, family photos, souvenirs from your swings through Florida. “It will give you a sense of place and a feeling of security and ownership,” says Peter Juanpere, an architect who designs executive offices for Intec Group.
Also, create separate spaces for working, holding meetings, and reading. And talk to the secretary of the navy about installing an aquarium—water is soothing.
Wait 90 days before prosecuting or pardoning President Clinton. Making controversial decisions during your first 90 days will not only raise your stress levels, but could also cost you in the long run, says Jean Erickson Walker, Ed.D., author of The Age Advantage: Making the Most of Your Mid-Life Career Transition. “First impressions are important. Too many executives start off making dramatic changes and turn people off permanently.” Our official advice: Spend 3 months waffling.
Oval Office stressor #2: MAINTAINING YOUR LOOKS
Presidents ripen like prunes. For the next 4 years, your body will naturally crank out cortisol, a stress hormone that can make your skin lose elasticity, your body lose muscle, and your hair lose color, says Ron Klatz, M.D., president of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine.
How to handle it:
Appoint a White House masseuse and nominate your wife as secretary of sex. To cut cortisol production, put your brain on auto-pilot for a few minutes every day. The best strategy: Get a daily massage, and schedule lots of bedroom debriefings with the First Lady. Simply lying down slows brain activ-ity, and total-body relaxation distracts the brain from making that wrinkle-inducing cortisol. (George Bush the elder tried to have a massage every day he was in office, and he aged better than most.)
Be your own drug czar. Sam Donaldson';s questions—and hairline—making you irritated? Take a B-complex vitamin and an aspirin. Both will lower cortisol production.
Schedule wake-up calls for 7:22 a.m. People who wake up earlier have higher levels of cortisol all day, according to researchers at Westminster University in London. The early risers complained of worse moods and more headaches than the late wakers. So sleep in; the country can wait.
Oval Office stressor #3: DECISIONS, DECISIONSPresident Harry Truman said it best: The buck stops at your desk. Every day you';ll make judgments that affect billions of people all around the world.
God help us.
How to handle it:
Declare Monday a decision-making holiday. Making tough judgments after a weekend of relaxation is not only bad policy—Monday is the least productive day of the work week—but it';s also risky, since Monday is when you';re statistically most likely to have a heart attack. Push off the big decisions until Tuesday—your brain will be sharper and your body better able to cope with the stress.
Act quickly. When you';re faced with a decision, don';t stew about it all day. “Those who are slow to make important decisions are quick to create more stress for themselves,” says Filomena Warihay, Ph.D., a management consultant in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. Wrap up big issues in the morning and you';ll work more efficiently the rest of the day.
Put a notepad on the presidential nightstand. Use it to write down all your worries, problems, and ideas before you turn in—you';ll sleep better.
Oval Office stressor #4: ALL THOSE SPEECHESNo matter how many times you';ve done it, public speaking can be scary. How do we know? We';ve seen you speak.
How to handle it:
Invite more of the opposition to your speeches. Appearing in front of a totally supportive audience can hurt your performance, say researchers at Case Western Reserve University. Speakers in their study made fewer mistakes and were less self-conscious in front of a neutral audience than they were in front of supporters. The reason: People you know have a stronger desire to see you succeed and higher expectations of you than strangers do, so their presence adds pressure.
Add warmth to your tone. Keep a glass of lukewarm water behind the podium. Ice water constricts your throat and makes your voice sound tense; warm water soothes the cords.
Appoint Harry Potter press secretary. If you';ve been criticized for putting audiences to sleep with your monotone droning—and let';s face it, sir, you have—practice by reading children';s books out loud. Kids are more demanding and ask tougher questions than the press corps, so it';s a quick lesson in looking energetic.
Oval Office stressor #5: ALL THAT TRAVEL
Even though you';re burdened by jet lag, culture shock, and fear of throwing up at a state dinner, you';re expected to work just as efficiently and effectively on the road as you would back in the Oval Office.
How to handle it:
Schedule an early departure. Air Force One will have the clearest sailing first thing in the morning. According to the Department of Transportation, planes leaving between 6 and 7 a.m. have the fewest delays. Can';t swing that? Log on to www.bts.gov/ntda/oai for an hour-by-hour rating of times to fly domestically.
Enforce Eastern Standard Time throughout the United States. If you';re traveling within the States for only a few days, maintain your normal sleeping schedule—you won';t have to readjust your body';s internal clock. Going overseas? Arrive in the morning—seeing the sun will help you reset your body clock to local time.
Oval Office stressor #6: ALL THOSE WOMEN
Seeing what happened to your predecessor should be enough to keep you away from the interns, but it';s tough when you';re fighting natural instincts. “We';re innately programmed to go after partners we think will provide us with healthy offspring,” says Willard Harley Jr., Ph.D., a marriage counselor at Marriage Builders in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. As men hunt the young and healthy, women pursue successful, powerful providers. And as leader of the free world, you get top billing.
How to handle it:
Don';t lie under oath. Be brutally honest with the First Lady. You can';t have an affair without maintaining a secret, second life. When you recognize you';re interested in another woman, figure out why. What';s attractive about her is probably what was attractive about your wife when you first met her. Get the missus to fill the void.
Schedule closed-door sessions. Couples need to spend a minimum of 15 hours a week together to prevent growing apart, says Harley. Take your wife with you on official trips, and when you';re at home, eat at least one meal with each other daily. President and Mrs. Reagan ate breakfast together every morning, and she usually joined him for dinner in his study, where they ate off TV trays.
Oval Office stressor #7: KEEPING YOUR POLL NUMBERS STRONG
Let';s face it, sir, the country wasn';t exactly unanimous in electing you to office. To govern effectively, you';ll have to improve your approval ratings. Here';s how to woo the half of the country that voted for the other guy.
How to handle it:
Fool all of the people all of the time. Being assertive and consistent scores more points than being honest. Turns out the men we respect most are ones who were the least straightforward. Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy were known to trick and flatter to get what they wanted, says Steve Rubenzer, Ph.D., author of The Personality and the President Project. “In this case it';s not necessarily a bad thing to be overbearing, forceful, and a little manipulative. People expect a leader to set high goals and to do what it takes to achieve them.” People aren';t impressed with leaders who are worried about impressing others.
Oval Office stressor #8: KEEPING THE PEACE
Put on your cape. As commander of the world';s most powerful nation, you';re responsible for restoring order and preserving democracy wherever it';s threatened—be it in the Middle East, in the Oval Office, or around the dinner table.
How to handle it:
Let angry people have their tantrums. Whether it';s your daughter, your chief of staff, or Vladimir Putin, let angry parties voice their frustration without interruption. Once they';ve aired their concerns, they';ll be easier to deal with.
Be Switzerland. You may already know the outcome you want, but to get it, you must gain the trust of both sides in a disagreement. When you meet, tell them you haven';t yet had a chance to hear all the details of the dispute. Let both parties explain their sides as if it';s the first time you';re hearing any of it, says Roger Dawson, author of Secrets of Power Negotiating.
Blame a higher authority. That';s tough when you';re the authority, but when a harsh demand or refusal of an offer sounds as if it';s coming from somewhere else, it shifts the pressure off you. Feed them a line like “The American people would never approve.”
Sign peace agreements after a game of horseshoes. Middle East leaders coming to town? Forget the Oval Office. Take them out for some recreation. Having a business discussion over a game of golf or some other activity is a good idea. It gives you a cushion so you';re not having a head-to-head debate.
Oval Office stressor #9: YOU';RE A TEMP
Even if Tim Russert declares you the greatest commander in chief in history, you have a nonnegotiable contract. And that';s stressful. Researchers from the University of Helsinki determined that job insecurity has a negative impact on employees'; job performance, health, and social relationships.
How to handle it:
Have a Plan B. Figure out what you want for your next career and plan for it now. If you want to write your memoirs, start a journal. If you want to be a college professor, hands off the interns. If you ruin your reputation and credibility in this job, the slate will never be clean.