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

https://www.headsup.org.au/training-and-resources/news