For many of us at this time, we are dealing with increased stress, frequent change and complex challenges. Whilst there is no magic formula for building resilience in a work context, understanding what makes a resilient employee allows us to recognise what we need to focus on. Building your resilience at work is all about making small changes in a number of everyday routines, that take place both at work and outside of it.
1. Keep up your energy levels
It’s important to keep up your diet, exercise and sleep routines so you can maximise your body rhythms. Try scheduling the harder work for the times of the day when you feel more energised.
2. Make a plan and take back some control
Our daily workplace stressors can either be a positive challenge or a road to burnout. To take back control and drive which path it will go down, try writing down the top three issues causing you stress at work then focus on shifting your thinking around these to make them a positive experience.
3. Get perspective around your worries
Focus on what you can control and leave the other stuff behind. Change your thinking to a positive thought. For example, ‘I’ve had enough of that person/job’ can be reframed to ‘That’s the only thing that bothers me about that person/job’.
4. Establish self-care routines
The busier you are…the less time you spend on yourself, right? It’s crucial to put boundaries around work and what’s important to you in your home life (more so than ever when you’re working from home). So try things like building mini-reflection time into your day, taking the stairs, booking in 45-minute meetings instead of the full hour and taking that extra 15 minutes for some quality ‘me’ time.
5. Maximise your support
Everyone needs support. It’s not a sign of weakness but rather a philosophy of ‘working smarter, not harder’. Think about who is in your support network and how do you offer support in return. E.g. who can you go to when you need practical backup, technical advice, or even help with home duties so you can focus on what’s most important to you.
6. Work to your strengths
Leveraging from your strengths can assist your resilience as you focus on what you’re good at, what you’re drawn to and what you enjoy doing. Think about how you can do more of these activities and consider trading others for a win-win solution.
7. Recognise non-sustainability
Blind optimism in the face of reality is not a good idea. Make every effort to improve how you manage your job but recognise when the personal cost is not worth it.
Contact us for more tips on Building your Resilience. We have a team of qualified Resilience at Work (R@W) facilitators that can come to your workplace and workshop these with your team.
