[Date: 13 November 2024]
Stress Management for High Performing Academics - Lessons from Elite Sport
Wellbeing plays a crucial role in professional growth, especially for those navigating high-pressure environments like academia, research, and healthcare, where maintaining peak performance often requires effectively managing stress.
With that perspective, CCR hosted their first Wellbeing seminar to highlight and provide attendees with practical strategies to enhance their wellbeing and performance. The seminar was led by Associate Professor Emily Ortega who is currently the Head of the Psychology Programme at the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS). Drawing on her background as a sports psychologist working with elite athletes, Emily focused on how to manage stress and build resilience - skills highly applicable to academics, researchers, and professionals alike.
Emily introduced the concepts by highlighting the intense physical and mental demands faced by top athletes, from gruelling training schedules to the immense pressure of major competitions. Emily seamlessly transitioned to drawing parallels between the stresses of elite performance and the challenges encountered by researchers and professionals navigating demanding roles.
Key takeaways:
- Elite athletes have highly structured routines to balance intense training and recovery, which academics, researchers and professionals could apply to manage heavy workloads and deadlines. This could involve prioritizing sleep, nutrition, and activities that promote relaxation.
- Practicing resilient thinking by focusing on what you can control, reframing negative situations, and celebrating small wins can help overcome perfectionism and fear of failure.
- Simple techniques like 6-breath per minute diaphragmatic breathing and the physiological sigh (2 quick inhale, 1 long exhale) can quickly activate the parasympathetic nervous system to manage stress.
- It's crucial to intentionally plan recovery periods, whether daily, weekly, or during peak busy times, to avoid burnout.
By sharing evidence-based strategies from sports psychology, she provided a fresh perspective on building individual and organizational resilience. Attendees left the session with actionable tips to enhance their well-being and performance.
This seminar marked a meaningful step in fostering a culture of resilience and mental well-being within the professional community.