Building Self- resilience in workplace
Harvard
Business Review defines resilience
as “the ability to recover from setbacks, adapt well to change, and keep going
in the face of adversity.” Essentially, it’s our ability to keep calm and carry
on in the face of any adversity life throws.
Resilience is really important.
Why?
Because
there’s only one thing we can control in
life: ourselves. Tough times are inevitable. It’s how to get back up after
being knocked down…. that’s tricky to nail.
Here
sharing seven tips on how to build
resilience workwise-
1.
Seek understanding from setbacks
Sometimes, I feel that my sincere and honest
work gets unnoticed. I am ‘not-buttering’ and ‘no-non-sense type’ which is in
not-in-alignment with the ever going office culture. Succumbing to despair
after being reprimanded (in form of change of undiscussed change in assignment), or getting some unexpected
scathing feedback is easy. I learnt that switching gears in my mind from
reacting to stress to responding to stress, however, is a more objective
approach. It is possible for you to learn from all your mistakes and
challenges. It’s up to you to find out what those lessons are.
2.
Build a strong support network
When I’ve had a particularly crap day, and I’m
trying not to break down in front of my colleagues, I step outside to call/message
my seniors at work (my personalized
mentors at work!!). Oftentimes, talking a problem out with them, or my sister,
partner and friends help me see it from a new perspective. I see my privilege very
clearly in times like this. Mentors and lending ears can come in the shape of
your colleagues, acquaintances – heck even your Twitter network or Instagram.
My learning- Don’t be an island. Reach out for help, and when it’s time
for you to do so, provide that support to others.
3.
Try to
establish a good work/life balance
So, once I understood difference between
urgent work and important work, it helped me to see that there’s just more to
life for me. After all, you can hash out the stress from the day by playing
with your kids, reading a book or dancing on music beat or simply baking your
worries away.
4.
Take care of
health
Since my childhood, waking up 5 am in morning has
been the tradition in our family. And honestly, I did not follow this
tradition….. until now. My work profile gives a fairly ‘sedentary
stare-at-a-screen-for-hours’ lifestyle. At one point this dragged down my
spirit. So I decided to go for a walk every day at work, drink less caffeine
and eat more mindfully. I learnt - Resilience isn’t just about being
able to respond – it’s also about building your overall mental strength. Which
won’t be easy if your immune system keeps kicking you down with new ailment.
5.
Be compassionate to our self
We are
👏
only 👏
human 👏.
You will make mistakes. You will encounter difficulties. Beating ourselves up
for over-reacting or getting emotional will only serve to add to any burdens
currently plaguing us. Take breaks. Take time off. Allow to feel compassionate
for the no. 1 person you need to worry about – you. Being resilient doesn’t
mean you need to be steely-faced in the face of adversity all the time. When
knocked down, boxers still need a recovery period, right? It’s the same here.
6.
Create a responsive comeback plan
For me….Ignoring setbacks and obstacles for
too long isn’t the one, pals. If I can take what have been given and transcend
the troubles, I guess, I’ll truly develop resilience. For example, if my work
has been demeaned by anyone, and this
lead to tick off my controlling manager by accident, work harder (and smarter!)
at my own defined KPIs (key performance indicators) to show him or her what I
am worth.
7.
Keep working at resilience, because it is work in progress
When my previous “well done job” was suddenly
changed, I was a bit of a mess emotionally. Loads of emotions and reactions developed
in my mind and thank God…. I have good people around who made me see things
from different perspective. Fast-forward to now, I feel like I’ve developed
more resilience than ever. I’ve got a long way to go though. It is like growing
a pearl in an oyster – slow and steady, but with each day getting stronger. My learning-
Keep reflecting. Re-drawing comeback plan if it doesn’t work out the way you
want it to.
Stay strong!
Stay Hopeful!!
Source of inspiration
Book - Building resilience at work
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Thanks. Keep reading. And keep sharing