On the edge in a super-connected world? Do you #DaretoDisconnect?

Do you ever feel like you're drowning in an ocean of paperwork? Does your head feel heavy on a Monday morning after waking up from nightmares full of figures and excel sheets? It’s not mere Monday blues, what you’re facing could be corporate stress. This epidemic has reached global proportions; so much so that the World Health Organisation (WHO), in a recent report stated that stress would be the second leading cause of mortality worldwide over the next 20 years.

Mental health is a growing problem even among highly intelligent, highly motivated and high achievers, but it doesn’t have to be this way. The corporate world needs to realise that building an amazing career will be worth it if they are healthy enough to enjoy it.

Break free from the chains of corporate stress

Sipping on 10 cups of coffee won't solve the problem; it will take a lot more than that. According to Quantum Workplace's 2015 Workplace Well-Being Study, employees tend to be 20 percent more engaged when they have a better work-life balance. There are those who come up with the most innovative ideas and solutions under stress, but only some thrive on it, while most fail.

It’s even more difficult when you helm a company, where all eyes are on you. Long working hours, grueling deadlines and huge responsibility may weigh you down, but many manage to cope with it and achieve maximum productivity. So, how do successful people stay successful? Here are mantras some of the well-known CEOs and entrepreneurs follow to manage stress and achieve optimal performance:

• Jeff Bezos, Founder, Amazon believed reducing stress meant taking action. When you feel the pressure of having too much on your plate, prioritising and ticking them off the list helps.
• Steve Jobs, Founder, Apple thought differently. In stressful situations, he would practice a type of mediation that involved being silent and just observing. Mindfulness can sometimes be quite effective when you have to deal with really complex or emotional dilemmas.
• Jack Dorsey, Co-founder, Twitter, had a more disciplined approach. He believed consistency on the schedule or 'rituals', as he calls it would help avoid chaos and minimise unexpected stress.
• Susan Wojcicki, CEO, YouTube believes it's really important to take time off to balance your work and personal life, which will help you get back to work refreshed and recharged. Sometimes a break can help you get great insights too.
• Bill Gates, Founder, Microsoft keeps it simple. When the pressure begins to build and there's too much to handle, he strips it down to focus on the tasks at hand. Boil things down and work first on the tasks that really count; this makes work clearer.
• Atul Singh, Group President, Coca-Cola India doesn't take work home. He de-stresses by watching sports and Bollywood films and spending time with his family.
• Richard Branson, Founder, Virgin Group emphasises on the important things in life when under stress: family and health. Keeping in mind the things that matter most in life helps you understand how trivial work stress can be.

The corporate world is also finally waking up to work stress and many organisations are holding stress management workshops and giving their employees time off to deal with stress.

So, we urge you to take a break from this stress once in a while, while you still can. It can go a long way in positively impacting your work performance!

And if you finally #DareToDisconnect, you can get a chance to chill at Iceland with your better half or be the heroic group of your office by winning an all-expense-paid party by Sennheiser! All you have to do is participate in the Sennheiser #DaretoDisconnect challenge by uploading your video URL to the contest form here . The last day for uploading your videos is October 15, 2018.