How are you feeling? At work and in life, we’re often asked, “How are you feeling?”
A first answer may be a quick, “fine.” Yet, the truth is, our feelings are often much more complex.
As more professionals in the United States are realizing, mental health is essential for staying inspired, positive, and strong at work.
Let’s look at simple ways to stay fresh and resilient at work.
Investigate
While a short ‘fine’ may work with a stranger, food truck vendor, or simple interaction in your neighborhood, it may not be the whole picture.
Mental health experts at the CDC suggest taking a closer look. Ask yourself how you are truthfully feeling today?
Perhaps beneath the ‘fine’ are other emotions. You might be experiencing sadness, happiness, grief, worry, anger, or stress.
There isn’t a single right-or-wrong answer to what you’re feeling. You might not be sure about your feelings and concerns.
According to experts, this is an important investigation and can help you feel better about your experience.
Start a Conversation
Health experts encourage individuals to start conversations and dialogue.
Keeping everything pent up inside can contribute to feelings of loneliness and isolation. Instead, practice sharing your feelings with loved ones.
Talking can help relieve stress and build a habit of resilience.
Learn More
It’s useful to learn more about mental health and discover how other people are dealing with some of the same feelings you may be having.
For example, read up on mental health and how people are addressing the health crisis for students in college and university.
Find out how other people are investigating emotions, starting conversations, and learning from each other.
Take Action to Reduce Stress
Often, we have a big plan to become more resilient and build our emotional intelligence. This is a powerful start to reducing stress in daily life—at work and home.
Yet, to be successful, it’s important to take big ideas all the way down into practical actions. We can reduce stress by practicing taking specific steps to make stress reduction part of daily work life.
Curious how this works?
Let’s look at reducing stress in the immediate, short term, and long term.
Reduce Stress Right Now
Are you looking to reduce stress—immediately? If so, medical experts at the CDC recommend simple actions. Take a deep breath. Go outside. Stretch. Take a 5-minute pause.
Often, stepping away from a situation helps to reduce stress and open the mind. The CDC offers online information where you can get help in a crisis.
These support lines are places where you can speak confidentially with people who are trained in communication skills.
You will not be criticized or judged for what you are experiencing. Many of the support lines offer assistance in both English and Spanish.
If you don’t know where to turn, reach out to one of the support lines now.
Reduce Stress Short Term
Are you grappling with multiple issues at work? If so, break it down into bite-size chunks and handle each one, one at a time.
For instance, if you’re up to your eyeballs with background check paperwork, stop trying to do it all yourself.
Use a reputable firm employee background service such as Presearch. You can rely on the service to handle employee background checks quickly and efficiently.
Background checks shouldn’t be part of your stress list. While many companies require complex contracts, upfront sign-up fees, and preset numbers of searches, there are affordable alternatives.
You can get complete background checks handled with less stress and more flexibility.
Reduce the stress of having employee checks on your To-Do list. This can free your mind, improve focus, and enable you to do what you do best—running your business.
Take a look at each of the systems in your business that contribute to short-term stress.
Investigate on-demand services for accounting, graphics, and social media to help you slash stress and increase productivity.
Reduce Stress Long Term
Are you facing big issues and considering quitting your job? If so, get the support and help you deserve.
If you have an HR department in your company, talk with an HR representative. Find out options for promotions, alternative work locations, and flexibility for working from home.
If you aren’t getting the support and help you need, keep going.
Talk with a mentor, coach, or professional in your field. Look for community support groups where you can speak confidentially about what you are experiencing
Investigate. Talk. Learn. Take action to reduce stress. With these steps, it’s easier to stay inspired, positive, and strong at work.