What does the year ahead hold for you? In reality we don’t know what the future holds. But one thing we can do is start to make plans for the next break from your working routine. Breaks, holidays and anniversaries assist us to navigate our way through difficulties and challenges.
Significant personal and professional pressures can accumulate if we don’t take stock and put in place strategies that will ensure our well-being. This is especially relevant when the pace of work has increased and when trying to juggle all elements in your life is a challenge.
Resilience is a term often used these days to describe a quality that demonstrates the ability to keep a fresh perspective when things go awry, which is not always easy. Some suggestions that may help include; working out what we need to do in challenging times, and making a personal inventory by listing the things that cause us pressure as well as the things that inspire us. This gives us the ability to identify what we can control and what we cannot. Making a commitment to following through on what we can change will help build resilience.
Stress is another term we wrangle with in trying to apply theoretical ideas to our own personal circumstances. We need to take care of our physical and emotional well-being, which might mean exercising instead of resting and on other days doing the opposite i.e. having an early night! Identifying habitual behaviours that haven’t worked in previous stressful times and learning to communicate in different ways becomes much easier when discussing with another person. Managing stress is therefore part of developing resilience
The beginning of the new year is a great time to begin planning ahead before your calendar is filled. We need to book in times when we are able to reflect on how things are going. So look for significant dates, both professional and personal, and mark them in the calendar before the pressure builds in that month. Plan specific times for self-reflection, particularly during very busy times; remember this is counter-intuitive!
Organisational pressure poses a larger threat to individuals, teams and systemic well-being. Taking time to map out groups and sub groups provides insight into the people who make up an organisation. Timelines and workload output need to be discussed where possible. When a team know the road ahead, individual anxiety decreases, making clear communication possible.
Considering what we need in times of stress well before the stress builds is preventative. It may seem there is not enough time to reflect thoughtfully but try to imagine the long term effects of making only short term solutions.
In summary, planning our time as best we can whilst leaving some spaces for our well-being is essential. Facing challenges and managing stress with fresh eyes is the path to resilience.
If you find yourself feeling uncertain in any of these areas please speak with one of our consultants by phoning 0508 664 981 or email Contacting the team at Vitae online.