After Hours
STRESS- BUSTING TIP OF THE MONTH
Bond with your bros
RECENT RESEARCH at the University of California, Berkeley, suggests that male bonding activities may have similar health benefits to those seen in romantic relationships, especially when it comes to handling stress. Researchers studying male rats in the
same cage found that mild stress led to more physical contact such as touching and hugging and increased levels of the hormone oxytocin in the brain. In humans, oxytocin was also found to promote bonding and social interaction, resulting in an increased resilience to stress and allowing a healthier and longer life. — Agnes Borowik
How I Find Balance
Nicole Watson, 37, senior manager, tax, at KPMG, Kelowna, BC YOU HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU WANT AS YOUR WORK/LIFE BALANCE, and then schedule it. For me, it’s [become] even more difficult as I’ve grown in my career, as it has gotten a lot busier, and when the kids came along that added extra pressures. Any given day I could get a call from school to [take them] home because they’re sick. I truly believe it’s about what I take on. A lot of us in this career are competi-
tive; we like challenges — that’s why we’re here — so we take on that extra work and then we find we’re in a struggle with the work/life balance. But at the end of the day, a lot of it is really self-driven. If I want certain things, I have to make time. It’s always a juggle but I don’t think anyone can ever do it 100%. What relieves my stress is exercise, probably because I was really active as a kid (I was a gymnast), so that’s what I have to set aside time for. I usually exercise at five in the morning, knowing that at least I have that time to myself no matter what happens the rest of the day. I also play soccer. Instead of feeling like I’m taking [time] away from the
family, where possible, I like to bring my kids [ages 11, 8 and 7] to the game. It shows them that being active is part of a lifestyle, and they can be a part of it. Usually for the warm-up they come out and kick the ball with me. At different times of the year I try to get out to school field trips. I can’t go
to every field trip there is — in March it’s pretty difficult to get away — but [when I go] I make up my time later on that day because I have commitments that I want to finish, or maybe I’ll take a vacation day. — As told to Alex Mlynek
60 | CPA MAGAZINE | JUNE/JULY 2016 Bad boss benefit
DO YOU HAVE A BOSS who always behaves badly? Compared to those with a mercurial manager, you may be lucky, according to research from Michigan State University. In a three-week study, researchers tested
workers and supervisors from 95 employers. Employees with managers whose conduct was unpredictable were more prone to stress, job dissatisfaction and emotional turmoil than those with a consistently horrible boss. To fix the problem, researchers suggest employing personality and integrity tests to determine a manager’s ability to treat employees fairly on a consistent basis. — AB
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