Mireille Guiliano's all important anchors of what it takes to support a work life balance:
- Maintain Good health
- Have a functional social network of friends and family
- Have a solid employment situation
- Make time space principles and policies for yourself
Mireille believes you need to make five to 10 "life adjustments," depending on their order of magnitude, are enough to claim victory in stress reduction. You can also jot down the triggers of your stress and anxieties, and don't make it a mental list, formalize it by taking notes.
Mireille's stress busters...
When it comes to travel... pack smart and make some of your clothes do double duty! Also, FedEx your heavy stuff like shoes and books to your destination so that they don't weigh you down…and then snail mail them back to you so it's less expensive.
When it comes to clothes... Before going to bed decide mentally or physically what you are going to wear to work tomorrow so it doesn't stress you out. Also, swear off the 100 percent role for closet capacity, which is if you have not worn something in a year, you need to get rid of it.
When it comes to sleep... Sleep in a dark, quiet, cool room with a crack of fresh air, and follow one or two rituals that help you wind down and prepare for sleep, such as the systematic cleansing of your face or drinking a warm cup of herb tea, and then go to bed the same time each night.
When it comes to eating... Breakfast is a must, even if is something little, it will prevent binge eating later. Also, sitting down and eating a balanced meal in the evening is a surefire way to support a balanced lifestyle.
Reduce portion sizes as you get older... Practice the 50 percent solution: serve yourself half of what you think you want and need, and then if you really want and need more food, feed yourself only 50 percent more of what you want, and then reassess.
When it comes to breathing... Close your eyes and breathe in deeply from your diaphragm for a count of say five and breathe out for a count of ten. Focus on your breathing and ban all other extraneous thought. Repeat a half dozen times. Visualize the tension in your body-in your head, neck and back dissipating. Do it at your desk and you can do it a couple times a day or as often as possible.
How to Manage Expectations and how that plays into your stress and your place in the world
Don't get too caught up in long-term expectations, tackle manageable short-term goals and benchmarks. If you focus on long term expectations you will only get frustrated, depressed, or worse. Focus on the job you have and the next one you want, not the ultimate one you want. Always remember balance and life.
Do not promise too much. Do not promise too little. Mireille's recommendation: Learn to identify and commit to aggressive but realistically achievable goals. Mireille's definition of success in business is meeting or exceeding your goals.
About Mireille Guiliano:
Internationally bestselling author Mireille Guiliano was for over 20 years a spokesperson for Champagne Veuve Clicquot and a senior executive at LVMH as well as CEO of Clicquot, Inc., the US firm she helped found in 1984. Her first book, French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating for Pleasure, became a runaway best seller around the globe in 2005. She followed up in fall 2006 with French Women for All Seasons: A Year of Secrets, Recipes and Pleasure. In both, through her personal stories and illustrations, she espouses living life to the fullest by embracing quality, sensitivity, seasonality, and pleasure while maintaining a healthy equilibrium.
A native of France, she grew up amidst cooks, chefs, and restaurateurs in provincial France and was educated in Paris, where she studied French and English literature at the Sorbonne and languages at the Institut Supérieur d'Interprétariat et de Traduction. Mireille holds the French equivalent of a master's degree in English and German and a certification as a translator/interpreter. She also has a command of Italian and several other languages. She currently resides in Manhattan with her husband, Edward, president and CEO of New York Institute of Technology, and makes frequent trips to their homes in Paris and Provence for business and pleasure ... always pleasure.
Join Mireille on Wednesday, October 28th at 6:00 p.m. at a talk at the Commonwealth Club, 595 Market Street, San Francisco