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There is a moment, just when you enter the water, when the cold hits like a shock for the system. It demands your attention and forces you to be present. For leaders in high stress industries such as technology, that moment could be the key to avoiding exhaustion.
Leadership fatigue is real. Long hours, constant decision -making and high stakes create a unleashed cognitive load. I have felt it myself. As a former military officer turned into CEO, I know what it means to push exhaustion. In the army, we learned to endure. In technology, we learn to innovate. But in both, there is the risk of grinding so strong that he loses sight of the biggest image. That’s when Fogakes occur. That’s when fatigue becomes failure.
Related: You can avoid exhaustion by rethinking the 30,000 daily decisions you make, here is how
THE POWER OF NATURE
Recently, I began to swim in the ocean more regularly. At first, it was just a way of clarifying my head. But over time, I realized that I was doing something deeper. The cold, the implacable movement of the waves, the forced approach: the moments of thesis were not only refreshing, they were stressed. I returned to more clear work, more focused and more in control.
It turns out that there is a true science behind this.
A Stanford 2015 study found that the time dedicated to nature, equally only 90 minutes, reduces activity in the subgenual prefrontal cortex of the brain, the region associated with repetitive negative thought patterns.
Meanwhile, a 2021 study published in The Journal of Environmental Psychology He discovered that being close to water, specifically, had an equally higher impact on Loine’s cortisol levels and improving the general mood.
But it is not just relaxation, it is cognitive performance. The army has long understood the importance of recovery, with elite units such as Navy Seal that incorporate activities such as swimming, meditation and outdoor time without structuring in their training to avoid mental fatigue. Not only do they train harder; They train Emarter, balancing high intensity work with intentional recovery.
And this concept is not limited to the military. Studies on high performance executives and entrepreneurs reveal that structured recovery time improves clarity, decision making and leadership effectiveness. Executives who prioritize structured breaks and activities not related to work demonstrate better problem solving and creativity skills, so much or that are critical of promoting innovation in high pressure raises.
Swim in the ocean adds another layer. Force to total presence. The waves do not care about their deadlines, their meetings or their entrance tray. Or you focus or throw you. There are no Beteges.
Physically, immersion in cold water has increased dopamine and norepinephrine levels, which help improve approach and resilience. Just in southern California, where the ocean is not exactly cold, that shock for the system restores its mental state.
Repeated exposure to cold water could help cushion the nervous system against stress. For leaders who handle high -risk projects, this resilience is not just a personal benefit, It It Cascades for the entire team. The clarity and resistance of a leader marked the guideline for the entire organization.
And the ocean brings something else: perspective. It reminds you how small you are, how big is the world. That son of change in the scale can be exactly what he needs when he is too deep in the trenches of a problem.
Related: 6 essential strategies to overcome CEO exhaustion
How to step back when you are caught in a routine
One of the most overlooked challenges in leadership is the inability to go back to work and see the complete image. We immerse ourselves so much in daily fires, high -risk meetings, ascent or broken moments, that we lose the ability to evaluate the battlefield objectively. The ocean, or any intense and immersive activity, provides that critical restart.
But getting away is not just swimming in the ocean. These are rest patterns. Leaders are often trapped in meetings without cycles, fire drills, consecutive called. The constant urgency can deceive it to believe that everything is critical. That is why you need moments that take you out of the daily routine, forcing it to restart before intervening.
This is where intentional recovery becomes a strategic advantage. High performance leaders in industries, from risk capitalists to the founders, the founders, intentionally, forge time for activities that challenge them in different ways. Some take extreme sports, other melas at creative points of sale. What matters is to create a discipline of detachment, a structured habit of restoring the mind so that it can return stronger.
The most effective leaders understand that managing their energy is as important as managing their time. When energy levels are immersed, the cognitive function suffers and decision -making becomes less strategic. That is why companies known for their progressive cultures in the workplace integrate full care practices, outdoor retreats and well -being programs, not as benefits, but as necessary investments in long -term performance.
Not everyone has access to the Pacific like me, but the lesson is applied anywhere. The key is not just exercising or a hobby: it is doing something that requests full presence, something that takes you out of the mental loop of the work. For some, it is surfing or mountain cycling. For others, it is touching an instrument or cooking. What matters is to advance enough for your brain to stop running in the background.
There is also something to say about the incorporation of structured inactivity time. A Harvard business review study found that the “blank space” schedule of high performance in its protected timeline to think, reflect and break its usual decision making. It is not lost time; It is essential to maintain high long -term performance.
Related: Taking breaks does not make you lazy: here are 4 ways in which it really makes you more productive
It’s not about finding a quick solution. It is about recognizing that leadership is a long game. If you are always in red, always at the fullest, you are not leading, you are just reacting. The ocean has a way of stripping everything that matters. Without noise, without distractions, only you and the next wave.
Leaders who take time to restore do not neglect their responsibilities. They make sure they can maintain their long -term performance. The ability to disconnect, creating moments of clarity and emphasizing is not a luxury, it is a necessity.
And that is the key conclusion: longevity in leadership is not a relentless resistance; It is resilience. The best leaders are not those who grind anything. They are the ones who learn to get away, acharge and return stronger than before.
Whether the ocean or something else, find your restart. Because you don’t, work will reject you. And if you are wrong, you can’t lead.
