How Barack Obama handles job stress

WE CAN all agree that Barack Obama has a pretty stressful job.

In any given week, he has to deal with a belligerent congress, backstabbing politicians, global diplomatic dramas, terrorism, environmental disasters and 352 other problems. So it’s safe to say that his job is probably a tad more stressful than yours.

But he always seems so chilled. It could be that he’s just incredibly polished when there’s a camera trained on him, or it could be that he has some pretty effective stress alleviation techniques. What’s his secret?

One thing you probably can’t replicate, according to an interview with The Huffington Post, is his Hawaiian heritage. “The truth is that I’m lucky, by inclination and temperament, to be fairly steady. [My Hawaiian roots] are probably what it is — the good weather and beaches. So I don’t get too high and I don’t get too low.”

So if you can’t be Hawaiian, what you can follow from Obama’s routine is morning exercise, which the President said he’s been “very consistent” with. Get those endorphins flowing.

But what Obama finds most important to keep him level is his family. “I think the most important thing is that I’ve been consistent about spending time with family. And when you have dinner with your daughters, particularly teenage daughters, is they’ll keep you in your place and they’ll teach you something about perspective. It’s important to take the long view on things.”

Obama lamented that in the current 24/7 news cycle world, a lot of things are branded as doomsday for his presidency. He named challenges such as the gulf oil spill and Ebola as experiences that remind him that his job is to keep an eye on the ball and stay focused.

“As long as I stay focused on those north stars (priorities and values) then I tend not to get too rattled.”

However, he implied that he’s looking forward to being able to relax more when his two terms as the world’s most powerful man is over. “I will say that when people leave the administration and I see them six months later, they have the post-administration glow. I’m hoping the same thing happens to me.”