Having been through a number of incredibly stressful experiences at work over my career, workplace wellbeing is a non-negotiable priority for me. I don’t just want to be well at work, I want to thrive at work. And I do! You can too. In this blog, I will share three of my top tips for workplace wellbeing and how to thrive at work.
No. 1: Pursue Your Passions
I once had a workplace appraisal that totally changed my outlook with one question. The question was this: what makes you thrive? Nobody had ever asked me that before. Workplace reviews and appraisals were normally about outcomes, proving I was good at my job, and showcasing achievements. They’d never been about feelings or motivators.
The appraisal was with a clinician I have a huge amount of respect for. As a fellow mental health nurse but with far more experience, she just got things I was yet to get! To her it was simple – if we do the things that make us thrive, we gain a sense of fulfilment and wellbeing. If we feel well at work, we do well. And then we feel good about that. As an employee, I had a job description and a set of core duties to meet. However, within that was a multitude of various tasks.
By listing these and thinking about which I was most enthusiastic about, I realised I loved speaking about mental wellbeing. I get a huge sense of fulfilment from sharing my knowledge and educating others about how to improve their mental health. By recognising this, I made a case for running a corporate wellbeing workshop on stress management. It was approved and became so well-attended, I started running them twice a week.
No. 2: Work Within Your Limits
We’re humans, not robots. We can only work so much, and we can only give so much. Sometimes we forget this. We think everything rests on our shoulders and the world will fall apart if we don’t send that final email, perfect that report, or go above and beyond for a customer. Motivation, enthusiasm and passion are wonderful things. But they can also hurt us if we don’t keep them in check.
As a registered nurse, part of our code of conduct is to work within our limitations. I keep this in the forefront of my mind because I know it is there not only to protect those we care for, but ourselves. Our limitations are influenced by a number of things. Lacking certain information or skills, feeling unwell, or being exhausted can all affect our abilities on a given day. Our abilities are not fixed. Our best will look different each day. By taking time to check in on how we feel and what we need to do each day, we can consider how best to manage this. We may need to prioritise, delegate or seek support from others.
No. 3: There’s More to Life than Work
This one packs a punch for me personally, because I am forever managing my inner workaholic. When we talk about workplace wellbeing, there is often a focus on the problems, challenges and stresses. But some of us love our work! Arguably, sometimes too much, and actually, this can become problematic. Our work can become a big part of our identity.
For me, being a nurse and a therapist feels more like part of who I am than what I do. It has taken time and experience to realise it is not all I am. This is important because circumstances can change. We may not get that promotion we’ve been working so hard towards. We might find we need to take time off work for one reason or another. Or perhaps we are approaching retirement. If our work is all we do and all we are, these life events can feel extremely challenging. It can leave us feeling a sense of personal failure. We can feel lost and bereft.
Taking time to nurture hobbies and interests outside of work and find balance is really important for our wellbeing. I remember when I was first applying for Universities, the advice from tutors was to make sure we talked about extra curricular activities as well as grades in our personal statements. This ensured we came across as well rounded people, not just smart. Being well rounded is important and this means investing time in things we enjoy, outside of work. If you’re relating to this and struggling to think about what else you could, give some thought to what you used to for enjoyment, fun or relaxation. You weren’t born working. There were things before work that were brilliant for your wellbeing.
Reflective Questions
Now we’ve covered three areas to help us thrive at work and boost our workplace wellbeing, take some time to consider some take away actions. Give some thought to the following:
What makes you thrive at work?
Within your current work, which aspects do you find most enjoyable or rewarding?
How can you build more of this into your work?
What are your limits?
Where do you need more support, knowledge, or specialist advice?
What influences how well you are able to work?
Who are you outside of work?
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Who do you like to spend time with?
What interests have you been pushing aside because you’re too busy with work?
Closing Thoughts & Next Steps
Nothing really prepares us for work. It’s often a big jump from childhood into the big world of adulting and we learn as we go. Along the way, we experience stress, uncertainty, self-doubt and nobody really teaches us how to manage this. It’s often not until we start to struggle with our mental health that we seek support and learn the skills to keep well.
I’ve certainly had to learn the hard way myself. Those tough lessons, combined with my vocation as a mental health nurse and therapist, has enabled me to work with hundreds of individuals to help them improve their workplace wellbeing. In talks and workshops, I’ve reached thousands. As I’ve shared in this blog, I’m big on knowledge-sharing and mental health promotion – helping you learn how to proactively look after your mental wellbeing.
My workbook, Thrive at Work, is a deeper dive into the steps we can take to feel our best at work. If you’re looking for that next step to feel your best at work, go ahead and get started. 10% of proceeds are donated to local mental health charity, Bath Mind, so you can help yourself and others at the same time.
