FEELING THE BURNOUT

Raf Simons’ decision to leave Dior late last year left a collective hole in the hearts and wardrobes of fashion lovers. But his reported reason—creative burnout from producing six collections a year (that’s like Yeezy dropping a new album every three months)—is easy to relate to: Of the more than 25 percent of Canadians who say they are highly stressed, six out of 10 cite work as the main cause. We asked the experts how to make it better.

Play nice with co-workers. “The social ambience of the work group comes down to little exchanges: When you say ‘Good morning,’ do they say ‘Good morning’ back?” says Michael Leiter, an organizational psychologist at Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S. “Be responsive and express appreciation for one another.” Schedule daydreaming. “If you always have huge demands, deadlines and pressures to be creative, it won’t work,” says Dr. Mel Borins, author of A Doctor’s Guide to Alternative Medicine. “Creativity comes from time to contemplate, time to look inside.” Try power posing. Place your hands on your hips and thrust out your chest. “The way we carry our bodies shapes the way we interact with the world,” says Amy Cuddy, a social psychologist and the author of Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges. “If we carry ourselves with a sense of fear, we are exhausted because we feel like we’re constantly fighting things off.”