Health & wellbeing
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Navigating constant change without burning out
A FORMER MONK, PANDIT DESA, SAYS‘ CLOSING THE APPS IN YOUR HEAD’ CAN HELP BUILD RESILIENCE AND CALMNESS TO THRIVE UNDER PRESSURE
F or international meeting
planners, change isn’ t occasional. It’ s constant. Time zones shift, client expectations evolve, speakers cancel, flights get delayed, and global uncertainty can reshape an event overnight. You’ re not just managing logistics. You’ re managing pressure, people, and unpredictability in real time.
And while you’ re busy creating seamless experiences for others, your own wellness often gets pushed to the bottom of the list.
When something changes, whether it’ s a last-minute agenda update or a major event pivot, your mind can go into overdrive. You start thinking about backup plans, attendee experience, client expectations, and everything that could go wrong. That’ s where stress builds quickly.
One of the most important skills in these moments is learning how to“ close the apps” in your head. Just like too many open apps drain your phone battery, too many open mental loops drain your energy. It’ s important to close the apps in our head to stay calm, present, and productive, especially in high-pressure environments like live events.
Before I started working with organisations, I spent years in a monastic environment. One of the biggest things I learned is that calm isn’ t something you find only in quiet places. It’ s a skill you can use anywhere, even in the middle of chaos, backstage, on a show floor, or between sessions. Here are a few simple ways to protect your wellness when everything around you feels unpredictable: 1. Reset in real time You don’ t need a long break. When something goes wrong, and it will, pause and take three slow breaths. It sounds simple, but it helps you reset so you can respond instead of react. 2. Focus on what you can control You can’ t control a delayed speaker or a venue issue. But you can control how you communicate, how you show up, and how you support your team. Focusing on that brings your stress level down. 3. Build small routines into your day When your schedule spans multiple time zones, routines help ground you. It could be your morning coffee, a quick walk, or even a few quiet minutes between sessions. Small things like this make a big difference. 4. Don’ t ignore mental maintenance In this industry, it’ s easy to focus only on physical stamina, getting enough sleep, staying hydrated, and keeping your energy up. But if we only take care of our physical health and ignore our mental health, it’ s like taking your car to the car wash but not the mechanic. Both matter. 5. Make wellness non-negotiable It’ s easy to say you’ ll rest after the event. But if we don’ t make time for our wellness, we’ ll need to make time for our illness. Taking care of yourself during the process is what allows you to keep showing up at a high level.
At the end of the day, your ability to create great experiences for others comes down to how well you manage your own internal state. The environment will always be unpredictable, but your response doesn’ t have to be.
And in an industry that never really slows down, learning how to stay steady might be your biggest advantage. n
n Website: panditdasa. com
42 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / ISSUE 142