stress management

How to Be “Mentally Tough” at Work

By in Living Well Tags: ,

Mentally_Tough

Work can sometimes be really stressful. And in many cases, the stress can be caused by things that you simply can’t control, such as a demanding client, a difficult coworker, or a tight deadline. But there are still things you can do to alleviate your stress. For instance, you can work on developing your “mental toughness.”

According to Lin et al. (2017), mental toughness helps people to cope with difficulties. People who are mentally tough are able to keep moving forward, despite the obstacles that they encounter. They’re resilient. They adapt to changing situations. And they don’t let stress get the better of them.

Mental toughness isn’t an innate quality. It’s something that can be learned and enhanced. So even if you don’t feel very tough right now, you can get stronger! Here are a few things you can do to develop your mental toughness:

  • Stay focused – Try to stay focused on your goal or the task that you need to complete. Try NOT to be distracted by the negative things that might happen as you work towards your goal. For instance, if you try a certain approach and it fails, you should brush yourself off and move on. This can sometimes be easier said than done, but if you practice, you can get better at maintaining your focus and always moving forward.
  • Create milestones – Sometimes a project can seem large and overwhelming. But you can make it more manageable by breaking it down into a series of smaller tasks. Instead of focusing on the overall goal (which can be stressful and intimidating), you should focus on achieving each successive task. As you complete each task, you’ll make steady progress, and you’ll feel more confident in your abilities.
  • Get feedback – Sometimes a job can be stressful because you may not fully understand what’s expected from you. Make sure to ask for regular feedback from your manager and coworkers. Receiving honest feedback from others will help you to alleviate feelings of confusion and uncertainty, and will help you to produce higher-quality work.
  • Embrace change – The workplace is always changing. New people get hired, new software is adopted, and new processes are implemented. Unfortunately change can sometimes be upsetting and stressful. But try to be flexible and embrace those changes. Remember that change can often be a good thing. And trying to fight it is usually frustrating, stressful, and futile.    
  • Learn from your mistakes – Everyone makes mistakes. So don’t torture yourself if you make a misstep. Mistakes give you an opportunity to learn. They’ll help you to get stronger, better, and more resilient.

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6 ways to develop mental toughness at work, according to Harvard (2019, March 4). Workfront. Retrieved from: https://www.workfront.com/blog/mental-toughness-at-work-harvard

Lin, Y., Mutz, J., Clough, P. J., & Papageorgiou, K. A. (2017, August 11). Mental toughness and individual differences in learning, educational and work performance, psychological well-being, and personality: A systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology. Retrieved from: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01345/full

How to Feel Happier at Work

By in Living Well Tags: , ,

Feeling_Happier

Even if you enjoy your job, there are going to be days when you don’t feel happy. Tight deadlines, stress, communication difficulties, and project setbacks can cause anyone to feel upset and discouraged. But according to research, there are simple things you can do to make yourself feel a little happier. Here are a few ideas:

  • Start things right – When you get up in the morning, don’t jump right into your work. Take some time to have a cup of coffee, watch the news, or cuddle with your cat. Do whatever you enjoy doing. And then spend a few minutes identifying the tasks you’d like to accomplish during the day. Starting the morning off in a positive way will help you to be more productive and effective, and make you feel a little better.
  • Move around – Don’t sit in front of your computer all day. Taking breaks is important for your physical and mental health. So stand up, stretch, and get a little exercise. Even a short walk around the block can help to make you feel a little more upbeat and energetic.
  • Avoid multitasking – Multitasking drains you of energy and creativity, and actually makes you less productive. If you can, try to focus on one task at a time.
  • Help out your coworkers – Researchers have found that people who are kind to their coworkers and assist them when they can tend to feel happier and more satisfied at work. And by helping out your coworkers, you’ll also be creating a kinder workplace that’s more effective, engaging, productive, and rewarding for everyone.
  • Recognize and appreciate your accomplishments – Try not to focus on the negatives. Instead, take some time to think about all of the great things that you’ve accomplished at work and appreciate what you’ve done.  
  • Identify one good thing – At the end of every workday (even the terrible ones), try to think of one good thing that happened. You might even want to write it down in a notebook. That way, you can look at your list of good things whenever you’re feeling down. And hopefully, it will make you feel a little better.   

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Chowdhury, M. R. (2020, January 9). Happiness at work: 10 tips for how to be happy at work. PositivePsychology.com. Retrieved from: https://positivepsychology.com/happiness-at-work/

Rampton, J. (2014, December 1). 15 proven tips to be happy at work. Inc. Retrieved from: https://www.inc.com/john-rampton/15-proven-tips-to-be-happy-at-work.html

The Importance of Taking Breaks When You’re Working From Home

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Hammock

When you’re working from home, it sometimes starts to feel like you’re always on the clock. The division between your work life and home life can start to get blurry.

You no longer leave your work at the office at the end of the day. Your home is your office. And your work is always just a few steps away.

I know you’re probably very thankful to be able to work from home. And you’re probably working longer and harder than you used to. You want to do a good job and be productive while working from a distance.

But it’s also important to look after your mental health. And that’s why taking breaks is so essential. According to psychologist Jen Hartstein, people need to take breaks in order to feel rejuvenated, energized, and engaged.

Before you started working from home, you most likely took breaks during your workday. You might have enjoyed a little downtime when commuting to and from the office. You probably spent some time each day chatting with your coworkers or taking the occasional coffee break. And you were probably more likely to use your vacation days.

Now we’re no longer doing these things. And this can be detrimental to our mental and physical health.

It is possible, however, to turn things around! Hartstein recommends that we make the effort to consciously incorporate breaks into our day by doing the following:

  • Take advantage of the time that you previously used to commute to work – If you used to spend 20-30 minutes getting to and from work every day, use that time to do something for yourself. Read a newspaper, listen to an interesting podcast, or take a walk. It will help you to gear yourself up at the beginning of the workday, and unwind at the end of it.
  • Schedule break times – Just because you’re working from home, you don’t need to feel guilty about taking an occasional break. It’s good and healthy for you to step away from your computer now and then. Taking short breaks throughout the day will help to keep you focused and energized.
  • Use your vacation days – You might not have anywhere to go for vacation. But having a “staycation” at home can be really relaxing and rewarding! Try to plan fun activities. Get involved in a hobby that you haven’t had time for, try cooking an elaborate meal, or watch an old movie that you’ve always loved. The time off will rejuvenate you, and help you to be more engaged and productive when you return to work.

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Cosgrove, J. (2020, August 3). A psychologist explains why people shouldn’t feel guilty taking time off from work during the pandemic. Yahoo Life. Retrieved from: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/why-taking-time-off-work-vacation-201532675.html

A New Way to Manage Stress at Work

By in Learning Tags: ,

Cafe Digital Communication Connection Concept

I’ve written a few articles about stress management in the past. Researchers have found that you can ease the pain of a stressful day in a variety of ways, including watching a cat video, striking a power pose, or looking at trees.

But if cats, power poses, and trees aren’t you’re thing, now you have another option! A recent study suggests that one of the best ways to manage stress at work is to learn something new.

Study participants who learned something new at work reported feeling less stress and anxiety. The act of learning also improved their mood. They felt more positive and encouraged. Feelings of frustration and disappointment were reduced.

Learning something new can help you to become more skilled, confident, and ready to take on the challenges of the workplace. It can keep your mind active while still giving you a necessary break from the work that’s causing you stress.

So the next time you’re feeling stressed at work, try learning something new about a topic that interests you. You’ll not only become more knowledgeable and skilled – you’ll also feel a little bit better about your difficult day.

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Niemiec, R. (2018, March 9). Surprising new finding on how to manage stress at work. Psychology Today. Retrieved from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/what-matters-most/201803/surprising-new-finding-how-manage-stress-work

How to Manage Unreasonable Requests

By in Communication Tags: ,

Unhappy_Woman

You want your manager to think highly of you. You want to be seen as competent, efficient, and reliable. So how do you respond when your manager asks you to take on a project that (for one reason or another) is impossible for you to do? How can you voice your objection without coming across as whiny or lazy?

It’s a challenging situation, that’s for sure. But according to author Kat Boogaard, it’s possible to push back without angering your manager or making yourself look bad. Here are her suggestions:

If the deadline is unreasonable, say this…

  • I realize this project is important.
  • But I’ve reviewed the project details, and unfortunately, I just can’t produce this amount of work by the deadline.
  • Is it possible to push the deadline back? Or could you assign additional people to this project?

If you’re asked to take on a project that is not even remotely related to what you do, say this…

  • I’d really like to help out with this project.
  • But it’s outside my area of expertise. And I’m really busy with these other tasks that I know are a priority.
  • I need to dedicate all of my time to them.

If you’re asked to take on a project and you’re already overloaded with work, say this…

  • It’s great that you have confidence in my ability to do this project.
  • But I already have a lot of projects that need to get done.
  • Which one is the highest priority? I’ll work on that one first.

If your boss expects you to be available at all hours of the day, say this…

  • When I’m away from the office, it’s important for me to relax and recharge.
  • So I make a point of not checking my work email.
  • But if an issue arises, I will certainly take care of it right away, once I’m back in the office.

 

Boogaard, K. (n.d.). What you should (and shouldn’t!) say when your boss has unreasonable expectations. The Muse. Retrieved from: https://www.themuse.com/advice/what-to-say-to-unreasonable-expectations-from-boss