How to stay awake and stop yawning during important meetings
Meetings are often terrible, stressful, boring, or somehow all of the above. But they’re also a necessary part of doing business — some things just can’t be communicated otherwise.
In my old Product Management life, I had to run and participate in a regular hour-long status meeting that was easily one of the most exhausting hours of my week, and often a boring rehash for me, but critical for the teams that I worked with. And when it wasn’t a boring rehash, I was spending a stressful hour getting grilled by the CEO. I hated it, but I got it done, because that’s what the business needed.
Enough ink has been spilled about how to make meetings more efficient and effective (or in ideal circumstances, nonexistent); but since most of us have to participate in them we might as well be as good as possible to ourselves while we’re there. If you’re spending vast amounts of your week stressed out or bored, your mental health and physical health are going to suffer — and your performance is going to suffer too.
And it’s not only about being good to yourself; it’s also about being good to the people you’re in the meeting with. I’m sure you’ve experienced this: you’re in a boring status meeting and your energy is dropping. You feel a yawn coming on, you just can’t avoid it…. and boom. Someone was making a good point, and everyone’s forgotten it because of the rude person who’s over there almost falling asleep.
Even worse is when you’re dealing with a stressful or intense situation AND THEN you yawn. You weren’t even tired, so why did you yawn and make the situation even worse somehow?
The good news here is that it isn’t your fault, exactly: you’re yawning because a big ol’ yawn is the best way for your body to cool down, get more oxygen, and get rid of the carbon dioxide in your bloodstream. When you’re bored, you’re slouching and breathing shallowly. When you’re stressed, your brain and your heart are going double time, and they’re two of the most oxygen-demanding organs in your body.
If you need more oxygen, the answer is simple: BREATHE. Sit up straight, breathe deeply, and fill your lungs with air. My favorite way to do this is to use what the Navy SEALs call ‘Combat Tactical Breathing”.
Tactical Breathing
- Inhale for a four count, tapping out the seconds on your thigh. 1–2–3–4.
- Hold your breath for a four count, again tapping out each second. 1–2–3–4.
- Exhale slowly on a four count, tapping 1–2–3–4.
(You don’t actually have to tap your leg, feel free to just count in your head, but I find it helps as a way to focus on the breath.)
Whenever you’re feeling bored or stressed, do this for 3–5 breaths. You’ll feel more energized, alert, and focused, and getting through those meetings will be easier than ever.
When it comes to health and fitness advice, it’s a lot easier to read it than it is to put it in practice. That’s why I wrote a little booklet to help you get to the gym and follow through on your goals:
If this helped you, do me a favor and hit the 💚 below so it can help other people too.
