Making You a Priority
You have been laid off or your position has been made redundant. The stress has taken over and you are feeling overwhelmed with the pandemic, lockdowns, and most of all a depleting savings account. The world of work seems so far-fetched and you have the feeling that there is no way out. So, what do you do? How do you get over this feeling? Where do you begin so that you can assimilate back into the world of work? These are the questions many people are asking these days, as the effects of the pandemic seem to be more of an “I have to live with this” than “when the pandemic is over…”.
There is a vast amount of advice out there for job seekers and many have given tips on the steps to transition back into the world of work. Chief among these, we believe, is the importance of fully preparing your mind and making you a priority.
In every step of your life, your mindset is very important. When change happens, we need to process and in turn start to build a resilient attitude. What do we mean when we say this? We are resilient by nature, we bounce back trial after trial and in more ways than one, we build a new way of thinking. Now, given this, have you ever stopped to think about how you do it each and every time? How do you create a resilient attitude? Perhaps it’s by chance but as HR professionals we want to break it down for you in three ways so that you can do it more purposefully; practising mindfulness, believing in yourself and most of all prioritizing relationships.
Mindfulness
Being mindful is focusing on the moment before us. The past is gone, and the future is yet to come. Focusing on either of the two is what often brings us great stress and anxiety. Therefore, it helps to focus on the present moment. Being mindful is getting up everyday and being grateful for what you have, like a nice cup of tea or hot chocolate. Think about being at peace with what is going on. Processing the job losses, thoughts and actuality of financial loss and lack of financial stability is a hard pill to swallow, but think about these things in an accepting way. Keep in mind it’s a journey and not so much a destination. Process the information without judgement. This allows your mind to refocus and your body to in turn destress in these trying times. What we want is for you to try and develop these three key traits of mindfulness.
- Cultivating a level of awareness- be intentional with how you develop your awareness of what is going on.
- Remember the here and now- be attentive to what is going on at present; observe your thoughts, feelings, and sensations as they arise.
- Positive vibes only- the way you think about everything, your attitude is the driving force to new opportunities.
These three key factors work together to foster positive mindful behaviours.
Always Believe In Yourself
Now that you are focusing on the present, it’s time to believe in yourself. Like we said, you’ve bounced back before. It’s about having faith in your own capabilities. Faith makes things possible. When you believe in yourself and have faith, you overcome those negative thoughts of self doubt and build the confidence to get your personal to-do list completed. The whole notion is generally about self -motivation and trust. There are ways that you get motivated to really get back in the working groove. We want you to first say these words to yourself, “I can and I will” and sometimes say it out loud so that the people in the back of the room hear it too. Make these words your mantra for getting things done. In the end, your strong self confidence will allow you to recognise your ability to achieve your goals, generate positive levels of optimism, be kind to yourself, be more motivated to get things done and again have faith no matter what arises.
Prioritizing Relationships
You have created your peaceful mindset and started to really believe in yourself, now let’s prioritize the relationships in your life. We often find ourselves living for others. In knowing the difficult nature of these times, it’s important to know which relationships need to be in your front and centre and which need to take the back burner. Your relationships keep you grounded and prioritising them will add to your newfound sense of relaxation. It will allow you to become more disciplined in the way tasks are completed as well as how schedules are planned out. Therefore, your relationship with yourself is the most important one. Do you find yourself putting your plans off to help others, then scramble at the end to meet a deadline? Maybe, you had a spa day and a close friend or family member needed something done or a ride somewhere. You overlook me-time and assist, right? It may not happen every time, but it happens most of the time. When you don’t prioritise yourself regarding your mental health and well-being, what do you think will happen when you focus on your professional life; very little. Essentially there is one important thing to take from this “You cannot pour from an empty cup.”
So, to recap, when focusing on your mental well-being and building your resilience always remember:
- Be mindful, it transforms how we relate to events and experiences.
- Always believe in yourself; believe in your ability to figure it all out.
- Your relationship with yourself, helps to foster great relationships with others.
With these tips you are starting the successful process of bouncing right back.
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