When you start to feel overwhelmed, or that things are moving out of your control, it’s common to get some physical reactions. You get that all-too-familiar tingling sensation, or rapid breathing, or general nervousness, or whatever is normal for you. That can often lead you to take an action that might not be best, simply to get your body to stop feeling what it’s feeling. An alternative would be to instead deal with the symptoms first, and THEN deal with the underlying problem once you have a clear head. So how do you deal with those symptoms?

Not all solutions come from a business textbook, and this may be one of those times when you look beyond leadership texts toward something else. Marathon runners have learned how to get their minds to fool their bodies into becoming more comfortable during a long-distance run, and you might find these techniques to be just as useful in a stressful work situation. Your job really should be more of a marathon than a sprint, a long run toward a goal rather than just bursts of energy toward something short-term. Consider how marathon runners help themselves stay focused on their goal despite immediate physical obstacles, and you might find a way to help calm yourself under stress and then make the choices that will keep you moving forward.

And I’m not just saying that because I ran the Berlin Marathon yesterday.