Suck it up princess! That was the advice I received early in my career regarding dealing with any emotional problems at work. Thankfully attitudes have changed significantly since then, and continue to do so.
In a recent article Harvey Deutschendorf (read it here) notes that Millennials are much more likely than boomers to be engaged with therapy and self-improvement processes, and workplaces need to adapt to this. To assist, Deutschendorf provides a list of 7 self-care habits that we can develop at work. In summary these are:
- Be aware of your stressors – is it your workload, other people, deadlines etc.? Know what sets you off.
- Learn to say no – it is essential to let people know you are at your limit, and not try to take on any more.
- Set and keep boundaries – we need to set boundaries and let others know where those boundaries are.
- Protect your energy – avoid “energy vampires” whose attitude and negativity get in the way of your looking after yourself emotionally.
- Ask for help when you need it – there I no benefit to being a hero or a martyr
- Accept all your emotions, but choose which you will focus on – instead of wasting energy trying to suppress negative emotions, ride them out, but don’t keep focusing on them.
- Go easy on yourself when things don’t work out as planned – when you have given your best effort and things don’t go a s planned, practice being gentle on yourself.
The article expands on each of these points, and is well worth the read. And remember to take care of yourself.
Dr Warrick Long, Senior Lecturer and
Leadership Postgraduate Studies Coordinator.