Stressed out? Try mentoring a junior colleague. Seriously

Research shows that the process of mentoring helps relieve some of the anxiety and stress among mentors.

It's no workplace secret that good, efficient mentoring results in a bench of solid, career-focused mentees who can take on the mantle as and when the need arises. The organisation benefits from the ambition and yearning of these waiting-in-the-wings middle-management aides who are positively anxious to prove themselves worthy of the next step in the hierarchical ladder. A good mentoring programme fosters a positive work environment, promotes the spirit of cooperation, and sends a message to the industry that the said organisation is prepared to invest in its employees.
While these benefits are well known, there are specific and unambiguous benefits to the mentor, too, which go beyond the feel-good reaction when one's mentee achieves significant success or attains a position of influence. For starters, a budding mentee can get the mentor up-to-date in all things young, including technology and current issues - things a seasoned professional may have lost touch with. It can also improve the communications skills of the mentor, and bring in a whole lot of other psychological enhancements, including better mental health. Yes, while unprecedented stress and burnout are unavoidable realities in today's workplace, research shows that the process of mentoring helps relieve some of the anxiety and stress among mentors.
According to a recent study titled Mentoring for mental health which assessed the benefits of formal mentoring programmes in the English police force, "mentoring relationships provide a unique context for mentors to discuss and normalise their concerns, to share ideas for managing anxieties, and to find more meaning in their work." The study is as relevant to the personnel of the English police force as it is to a bank employee, a healthcare professional or one in any other line of business. A mentor-mentee relationship humanises the experience, allows the mentor to start 'listening' again, and encourages the senior colleague to share her/his knowledge, feeling less anxious about their role in the organisation. While a good mentorship programme is an excellent tool to groom the next batch of potential CXOs, organisations may find that it also works wonderfully well to re-energise the mentors' careers.