From the race track to the office: health advice from an Olympic athlete applied to the workplace

Hélène Parisot: Thank you. To be honest, I feel like I've been through a washing machine. The event was very intense and so was the emotional descent that followed. But otherwise I feel fine, I'm starting to realise what happened.

We regularly carry out satisfaction surveys among our employees. We wanted to combine questions on satisfaction with questions on potential stress levels, and the JSA fully meets these needs. The tool is easy to use and enables us to compare different aspects.

We also appreciate the fact that it is accredited by Promotion Santé Suisse and that we can benchmark ourselves against the Swiss average. The costs are reasonable and transparent, so there are no surprises.

In addition, Lise Grangier-Théoduloz was a great help to us in making this choice, as she is familiar with our organisation and the banking sector. We were in regular contact with her, in particular to discuss the issues we wanted to focus on. We really appreciated her help and immediately felt confident.

Thanks to the various professionals who work with me, I use a number of tried and tested methods: visualisation, hypnosis, neurofeedback, cardiac coherence, mindfulness and disconnection from screens. By practising these techniques regularly, my body is gradually reconditioning itself. For example, if my mind wanders before the start of a race, thanks to the techniques I've learnt, my brain is able to refocus in a matter of seconds. And yet, at the beginning, I was very sceptical!

Of course you can! What's more, some of them are very easy to apply at any time. For example, cardiac coherence, i.e. breathing regularly (six breaths per minute for five minutes) can be practised anywhere, since it's not visible, even during a meeting if necessary. There are various applications and techniques, and in my opinion the best thing is to try out several and see which ones work and speak to you the most.

Obviously, there are techniques to prepare for a race and eating a suitable diet, but for me another very important factor is sleep. Getting enough sleep, even during the day, gives my body the resources it needs for the big day.

In my opinion, yes. More and more companies are offering rest areas. Even if not everyone is comfortable entering a rest room in front of colleagues, I advise those who can to try out the benefits of a power nap (maximum 20 minutes). If this isn't possible in the workplace, one solution might be to isolate yourself in your car.

It happens sometimes. If these thoughts distract me from the race, first of all I accept them, it can happen, and then I apply the mental techniques that allow me to come back to the present moment. What also helps me is knowing that, even if I'm alone in the starting blocks, I have my family and friends behind me. It's important to create what I call a circle of trust. At work, for example, this could be your colleagues, your boss, someone you trust, Human Resources, etc.

Physically, we're lucky enough to have physiotherapists with us who can give us massages, and we can also take a cold bath to restore the heart rate to normal.

Absolutely. In fact, we sometimes forget to plan ahead. As far as possible, I advise people to set aside time to recover in the evening or the day after the intense event. This could be after an event in their private life or after a great performance at work. Expressing yourself, both by talking and by exercising, helps the body to reduce cortisol levels. Finally, sleep is once again a key element in my physical and mental recovery.

On reflection, I'd say that in both cases, you have to keep things in perspective. If you don't perform as well in sport or have a problem at work, it's important to remember that there will always be a solution and that you're not alone.