WHO has pointed out “stress” as the “global health epidemic of 21st century” and it is estimated that it will cost nearly $300 billion every year to American businesses. OMG! That’s a hell lot of money invested (wasted if we can solve it the other way). Studies clear how important it is to fight stress and make things fantastically work even during tough times. Now, with most of us working at highly demanding, always-on, and constantly connected work cultures, how is it possible to stay resilient and sail against all the odds? Well, it is possible and keep in mind that being resilient is only mantra to succeed in your lives. Remember Thomas Edison who failed 1000 times to invent a bulb, too resilient was he! So, why can’t we and why don’t we stop being so delicate? Bounce back fellas and let others see you shine at your workplace with these 10 effective attitude-reforming pills.
Resilience is not endurance, it is how you bounce back from your situations
Imagine A Boxing Match
Think that you step into a ring and get hit by another boxer. Now, when it’s time-out, you will examine your damage, and think about the measures you should take. You can also take advice from friends and family as if they are your coach. At last, you bounce back with a plan. That’s what resilience is all about. You always bounce back with all your might you can gather.
Practice Alertness
You have to meter your alertness and turn towards ways to improve it. Many companies are on the path to introduce mental training sessions that are related to alertness in their professional preliminaries. Julie Corlis, the executive editor of Harvard Heart Letter shows that practicing mindfulness meditation practices can lower stress rates in employees and enhance resilience and commitment to work. The good news is that many online programmes like Be Mindful Online and Mind The Moment are available to serve the purpose. There are some good books and apps you can refer like:-
Books- Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World, Anti-Stress Dot-to-Dot: Beautiful, calming pictures to complete yourself
Some Apps- Mental Workout (iOS & Android), Simple Habit (iOS & Android), Headspace (iOS & Android)
Have a Positive Mental Attitude (PMA)
Have an optimistic outlook to life to keep you going even when you are down and out. Optimism is not ignoring your problems. Instead, it is thinking that the issues which you are going to face are temporary and you will tackle them with your skills. Believe in yourself and have faith in your instincts when things go wrong. Moreover, realize that the negative things do not last for a long time. This will help you bring back your positivity.
Compartmentalize your Mental Load
Out of 11 million bits of data coming into our brain every second, our conscious mind can only deal with 40 bits per second. Thus, handle your mind like you handle your mailbox. Treat your brain like a mailbox and compartmentalize your mental load. You should categorize your mental tasks like meetings, problem-solving sessions, and emailing. Try to not to switch randomly between jobs and enjoy one job at a time. It will decrease your mental strain.
Embrace your Stress
Yes, embrace your stress. Understand that you can smile or you can cry but you cannot escape from stress. So, relax for sometime and then work upon your stress.
Improve Your Mental Agility
Improving mental agility means improving your quickness to understand the situation. You have to decenter stress to manage the problem effectively. Thus, when you tackle a problem, you will take a pause, observe the situation from a neutral point of view and then come up with a solution.
Develop Compassion
It is very necessary to develop compassion for yourself and for others if you want develop resilience. Greater Good Science Center located at UC Berkeley has researched that being compassionate improves work relationships and enhances collaboration and cooperation at workplace. Developing compassion also decreases stress and increases happiness. It is difficult for an organization, a team or an individual to succeed without compassion.
Applaud yourself for Doing Well
It is a habit which can be practiced everywhere, especially at workplace. Work hard on your bloopers but party harder when you have succeeded. Hence, keep in mind to pat your back for at least a thing you did well at the end of the day. And even if nothing goes right, pat your back for your sincere efforts and learn from your mistakes. It will keep you away from the negative aura.
Be Flexible
It is common to experience change in work environments. Projects you are a part of can get altered or may be even dropped however accepting that things do change and if possible embracing those changes can make you more resilient.
Stay Healthy Always
Now, last but certainly not the least, always stay healthy. Physical fitness is as important as mental fitness. It is easier to handle challenges when you are healthy. Therefore, eat healthy, exercise regularly, avoid drinking and smoking, and get good amount of sleep.
Being resilient will help you cope with stress in the best way possible. Moreover, companies too are benefited from resilient workforces. Hence, cultivating an organizational work culture which backs compassion and promotes resilience training is a wise business step. However, resilience evolves from your daily habits and attitude and needs determined focus which is applied consistently.
