Emotional Roadwork

Roadwork has long been a conditioning strategy used by boxers to fuel recovery and build an aerobic base.

Despite the popularity of CrossFit's high-intensity workouts, college and professional Strength and Conditioning coaches all use long duration, steady-state cardio (some call it Zone 2) to create an aerobic base for their athletes to draw on even if their sport is more anaerobic.

Why would this be of interest to anyone here?

Because a new kind of fatigue is in the air: emotional.

We have been hearing about and directly experiencing Zoom fatigue for the last two years: sitting for eight to ten hours, staring at a camera, trying to pay attention, reading what little body language cues we could get was exhausting.

Now we are getting back to the office and, whew, back to the normal ways of working together.

Not quite yet.

With back-to-back Zoom meetings, you could sometimes at least turn your camera off and just listen to the conversation while you made coffee or sat outside on your deck. This allowed for a bit of a recharge.

Now, back in the office, you are "on" all the time, interacting all the time, smiling all the time, focusing on other(s) all the time. You can't just decide to start playing Candy Crush while you are listening to someone talk to you in your office or the break room.

Offsites are especially fraught. All day interactions, then dinner, then the bar...most of us have not been this engaged for two years and many are finding it overwhelming.

I just finished facilitating an in person offsite. I noticed a diminished capacity by the end of the day myself. One guy at the offsite said it was like going back to the gym after two years of not working out: you are totally out of shape.

And he and I are both extroverts!

According to Susan Cain's popular TED talk on The Power of Introverts (30MM views), extroverts generally draw energy and are switched on from social interactions and lots of stimulation. I have to imagine that introverts, who according to Ms Cain are at their best in quieter, lower key environments, are having an especially difficult time with this return to work.

For those returning to the gym after a long lay off, if you try to "go at it" like you used to, you could easily get hurt.

When you go back to the gym, it is wise to go slow: build a base of general physical preparedness and cardio, pay attention to your fatigue levels and soreness, and ensure adequate time for recovery.

Ditto for the return to the office:

1. Don't go right "back to normal" and start working in the office all week. Start with a couple days a week and adapt to that. Ramp it up from there.
2. Set aside more "no meeting" blocks. People have always blocked time on their calendars for think time and getting actual work done. But now those blocks are also needed to help you recharge your emotional battery from all the engaging you are doing.
3. Listen to your body. If you are struggling to engage or pay attention, your cup is probably full and you might need a day of working from home or a day with more "no meeting" blocks.
4. Know what recharges you. What calms you down and centers you? Is it time with friends and family? Walks? Time in Nature? Reading? Meditation? Know what those resources/outlets are and make sure these things don't fall by the wayside in the return to the office.

Getting back together with your colleagues is going to be great, really great.

But doing your emotional roadwork as you return will help ensure you have something left in the tank when you inevitably find yourself "on the ropes."

Dennis Adsit, Ph.D. is President of Adsum Insights, an organizational consulting and executive coaching firm, and also the designer of The First 100 Days and Beyond, a coaching service for organizations and leaders in transition who have to rapidly build trust and momentum in a new job.