How are you holding up this year?
(Join me on Facebook live Oct. 1 as we discuss this topic – 1 p.m. Mountain time)
Some people are doing ok; others, not so well. Kelly Taylor, a worker in the Geotech industry had this to say: “The fact that I don’t interact with anybody at all is difficult. Even as an introvert, it gets really old being inside my head all the time.” She went on to say, “I feel isolated and like nobody cares about me or even gives me enough thought to care.” Well, all I can say is, “Kelly, I bet you’re not alone.” In fact, here’s some interesting research I found about mental health burnout, published by Martec Corp.
This study found 4 groups in various stages of burnout:
1. Thriving – 16% of workers in this category – primarily females in mid 20’s to mid 50’s and those who described themselves as introverts
2. Hopeful – 25%. – Satisfied with employers but struggle with mental health and productivity issues
3. Discouraged – 26% - Significant decline in mental health and job satisfaction
4. Trapped – 33% - Suffered the biggest decline in mental health and in company satisfaction – missed out the most - interacting with colleagues. Miserable at home and anxious to return to how things were before.
People in categories 3 and 4 were primarily extraverts – that makes sense, doesn’t it? They’re the ones most in need of energy-rechargers like people, noise, and lots of things going on!
Where do you find yourself? Obviously, we all want to be in the “Thriving” Category, but those results showed only 16% -- What are those folks doing to thrive?
Resiliency is the big winner – that ability to adapt, to recover quickly from difficulties, toughness. Just like Mortimer the Cat here tells us, “you don’t throw someone out just because they’ve been dinged up a bit.” People with resiliency may get dinged up a bit, but they will make it – to that “thriving” category.
How can you become more resilient? Here are 10 ways:
1. Don’t try to solve problems with the same thinking that created them. If you keep wishing for “the good old days before COVID,” that won’t help.
2. Master your emotions before they manage you. Remember you’ve overcome setbacks before and you can do it again.
3. Stay tough – Face your fears and focus on possibilities.
4. Keep growing – Life is not what happens to us, but what happens in us.
5. Stay prepared – Don’t get “analysis paralysis.”
6. Pick yourself up, as many times as it takes. Never give up!
7. Reward the small wins. Believe in yourself
8. Keep giving – Don’t stop your tithing; find ways to care for others
9. Build relationships, both personal and professional
10. Create your own meaning – a personal “why.”
Remember the choices we make every day determine how resilient we can be when things go wrong.
I encourage you to be one of the 16% who’s thriving – even in this year of I-can’t-believe-this-is-happening! Even if you can identify with Mortimer the Cat - dinged up but still hanging in there!
And if you need some help in moving into that category, please e-mail me for a counseling appointment – and remember to join me each Thursday at 1 p.m. Mountain time on Facebook when I’ll share my “Therapy Thursday’s”.
