2021 has been a ride, hasn’t it? We’ll spare you the tally of days spent in lockdown and a recap of the highs and lows of the last 12 months; it’s not one we’re ready to relive just yet!

What we do know is that in our practice and personal lives, we’ve noticed a blanket exhaustion settling in people across all industries, sectors, and genders. Many of us are feeling like we’re sliding towards Christmas, and counting down the days until we can say goodbye to 2021. You may remember feeling like this at the end of last year too, and so it is our concern that without proper rest and the right strategies to cope with the ongoing uncertainty, the few weeks off over December and January may not be enough.

To help, we asked our team of expert psychologists for their tips on making the most of the Christmas break. Please share these with anyone you think may also find these useful.

A quick ‘self-check-in’ is a great way to identify how we are coping and feeling at the start of the holiday season.  It enables us to make better decisions about the way we look after ourselves, and how best to plan for self-care activities during the holidays – as we find some down-time, moving away from the normal routine of work and daily living. Self-check-ins allow a gentle monitoring of how we are coping, and promotes greater self-awareness.  

Sarah Alwyn, a registered psychologist with experience in counselling, executive coaching, consulting with organisations, individuals, groups, couples and adolescents.

Give yourself permission to have a real break. At this time of year to have a real reset, it’s imperative to get out of automatic pilot and if you can, have a change of environment.

For those who have been primarily working from home where the boundaries between work and home have been blurred more than ever before, consciously getting out of your working space is needed to relax and reset. If you’re not going on a physical holiday make an effort to do day trips.

Justine Alter, Psychologist, work-life transition expert, and Co-Director of Transitioning Well.

Firstly, take some time to appreciate what you’ve achieved in the last two years. It’s been a heck of a ride, but we are here, still standing, so really appreciating family, friends, and the chance to be together for those that are able to get together – and embrace all the cheesy things (yes, a Christmas movie marathon is being planned in my house!)

Secondly, and connected to that, many people still aren’t able to connect with family and friends, so if you can, do something to reach outside your circle – whether that is inviting someone round whose family is overseas/interstate etc, or who has had a really challenging year, donating to a cause (Father Bob, Sikh volunteers, Asylum seekers – whatever floats your boat) – just doing something for someone else is something I find useful to counteract the consumerism of the season.

Elizabeth Clancy, Senior Psychologist specialising in organisational wellbeing and stress prevention. 

It takes a village to raise a child, and for many of us lockdowns robbed us of our village. No matter how much we love our kids and our family, we need a break from them. And if tensions are high and you’re wondering how much you really do love your family, then please know you’re not alone. Leave the kids with a friend or a babysitter and go on a ‘date’ with your partner, or spend some time by yourself.

Rachael Palmer, a registered and endorsed Organisational Psychologist who passionately believes that good work is good for us. 

Immerse yourself in the natural environment around you. Spend at least half an hour a day in nature. It might be in the garden, at the beach, walking in your neighbourhood – breathing the air, feeling the sun – or the rain. And if it’s raining – enjoy the puddles! 

Michelle Mitford, a psychologist specialising in enhancing organisational performance through people achieving measurable and sustained change in behaviour, attitudes and culture.

PLAN AHEAD FOR 2022

If you are looking for a creative way to connect your team and open up important wellbeing conversations, we recommend our Wellness Workshops delivered by our team. Having delivered over 400 webinars nationally and Internationally since the start of COVID we are well placed to support your people.

SUPPORT FOR TEAMS
As we transition to the ‘next normal’ we can support your people by opening up important wellbeing conversations including:

Re-Entry Anxiety: Normalising re-entry in a post lockdown world
Workforce Exhaustion: Combatting exhaustion and creating a fresh start moment
Hybrid Work Series Part 1: Transition to Hybrid: Navigating the early transition to hybrid work and return to office
Part 2: Making Hybrid Work: Navigating the long game of hybrid work and tools for transition

DOWNLOAD FLYER

SUPPORT FOR LEADERS
We know that leaders need to be well to lead well. In an exhausted workforce, there’s a particular need to equip leaders and, in turn, their teams with the right help to support their emotional wellbeing and energy including:

Mental Health Essentials for Leaders: Looking after yourself and your team
The Great Resignation: Reducing the impact of the pandemic upon your people 
Workforce Exhaustion: Practical strategies to reenergise an exhausted workforce 
Flexibility 2.0: Redefining flexible work in a post pandemic world

DOWNLOAD FLYER

The post 5 Psychologist-Approved Ways to Switch Off From Work appeared first on Transitioning Well.

In celebration of Mother’s Day this Sunday, please enjoy some of our favourite insights from our recent online event, The Raw Truth about Working Motherhood with ABC’s Dina Rosendorff and special guest panellists Sarah Cuscadden (Worldwide WHS Senior Program Manager, Amazon), Rachel Surgeon (Head of HR, Multiplex) and Melitta Hardenberg (Manager, Learning & Development, SEEK Australia & NZ SEEK). 

1. Going to work is easier than being at home 

This is something that working parents have always known, but it’s taken a global pandemic for business leaders and managers to realise how unfeasible it is to work full-time and be a parent.  

“One silver lining of COVID was that it forced both men and women to balance their work lives in unprecedented ways,” says Sarah. For Rachel and Sarah who both have experience in the traditionally male-dominated construction industry, it was the first time men really understood what their partners were dealing with on the home front. This newfound perspective in turn allowed fathers to spend more time at home than otherwise would’ve been possible. The challenge now for leaders is to retain this flexibility and hybrid work arrangement for not only parents but for all workers seeking a better balance. 

2. We can’t be what we can’t see 

“COVID helped us have a better awareness of what’s happening in the lives of working parents,” says Sarah. “We now have an appreciation that a daily check-in meeting at 9am isn’t the best time for parents of school-aged children and now that we have this insight, we have to maintain it.” 

“Life isn’t perfect, and as a parent sometimes every hour is different,” she explains, “Creating an honest environment helps build trust and enables everyone in the team to support each other and recognise what that person needs at that moment.” 

While bringing your whole self to work may not be for everyone or every workplace, Melitta emphasised the need to monitor your own ‘volume dial’ in being vulnerable and feeling comfortable to share your personal circumstances. Creating an environment where it’s ok to show vulnerability and lead with humility is vital in advancing female participation in the workplace.

3. Good enough is actually good enough 

“Don’t wait to have confidence before taking risks in your career,” advises Rachel when talking about imposter syndrome. “Be ok with being uncomfortable and taking the risk knowing that self-doubt will come, but back yourself anyway.” 

“I used to be terrible at that and always pull myself down and find what the issue was to work harder on next time,” says Rachel. “I’d rely on getting acknowledgment elsewhere, but it’s alright to give yourself some recognition and that helps build on self-doubt.” 

4. The confidence gap isn’t a myth 

“As women, we need to acknowledge that the confidence gap is real,” says Sarah. “I spend so much time pumping female colleagues up and saying ‘you can do this’ and ‘you are here because you are good at your job.’”

“Employers can equate low confidence with low competence,” explains Sarah. “We can help bridge the confidence gap by reframing our thoughts so they are positive and having a daily check-in on confidence.” 

Melitta referenced an internal study by Hewlett Packard that found men apply for a job or promotion if they meet 60% of the qualifications, yet women only apply if they meet 100% of them. And even then may believe they’re not good enough for the job. By liberating ourselves of perfectionist tendencies, we can focus more on the bigger picture and on the work that matters.

5. There’s no ‘right’ time in your career to have a baby

“I turned down a promotion at a previous job because we’d decided to start trying for a baby,” Melitta said. “Then it took two years to conceive.” 

“No-one raises this question for males,” adds Sarah. “It’s a conversation they don’t have to have and it rarely has a negative consequence.”  

The goal is to live in a world where planning babies around our career isn’t a factor, but until we achieve this gender balance, our panellists agree it’s important not to limit our own career trajectory. Go for that promotion or role, because once that baby is in your life it actually makes you better at your job. 

6. The juggle is real 

“If I break the rest of the family crumbles too,” says Sarah on the importance of self-care. “My partner and I now have a switch-off mode every night where we turn off everything from work and sit and chat. Having that ritual of switching off – and it may only be half an hour before bed – makes sure we’re functioning well.” 

Whether carving out ‘me time’ that works for you looks like exercise, quiet time with no screens, or simply “a hot coffee with no kids around” like one of our panellists, regularly checking in on your personal juggle and dividing the mental load is crucial to your success at both work and home. 

7. The transitions don’t stop coming. 

There’s a reason why working parents never nail the work-life juggle, and it’s because the goalposts keep moving.

“It’s a constant balance and check-in,” says Rachel. “The balance is not something I do right or well every week.” 

“What our family needs is constantly changing,” reiterates Melitta. “The transitions don’t stop coming. It’s a constantly changing set of needs, but having a dialogue with your work and your partner is critical.”

Register to join us for our next online event, Flexibility Across the Lifespan: A conversation with leaders about redefining flexibility for the future of work-life wellbeing

The post The 7 Raw Truths of Working Motherhood appeared first on Transitioning Well.