From managing hotels to managing apartment communities, one thing has remained constant for the past 11 years...the daily stress that work has loaded on my shoulders. I've always worked with the public, and I will say that attempting to cater to many different personalities every day is emotionally and mentally exhausting, and not to mention quite chaotic.
Not only are you responsible for quickly surveying the customer in front of you to ensure you prompt the correct response based on their personality type, you also have the responsibility of catering to your coworkers personality types as well. Between catering to your customers emotional well being, and remaining conscious of your coworkers feelings, where do you have time in your 8 hour work day to check in with yourself?
"Lunch Break"
The standard American lunch is 30 minutes to 1 hour. We are expected to eat a healthy lunch (and somehow take time to digest our food), handle any personal business, and "recharge" so the remainder of the work day can be successful. Let's be realistic.....how many of you actually feel recharged and refreshed after attempting to do that 😒? Well I can honestly say that a quick hour break in the middle of my hectic days are just not enough! I am at work for at least 9 hours a day, and one quick hour is supposed to fill my cup back to full after customers, resident's, and coworkers have basically drained me? Most work places don't even provide mental health days, tools, or resources to help you navigate through your stressful day to day tasks. Many CEO's or investors of larger corporations wonder why their turnover rate is so high and their employee morale is so low. People are finally starting to understand the importance of mental and emotional wellness. They are speaking up when they believe certain policies are unfair, making career changes when thy are unhappy, and even becoming business owners when they realize that a 9-5 just doesn't work well with their mental and emotional health. Question....when was the last time you surveyed your life and asked yourself, "Do I have the mental and emotional capacity to be here 40 hours a week for another, 10, 20, 30, or 40 years?" If the answer is no....what are you doing to change it?
What's the REAL problem?
Before answering that, lets ask ourselves, "What is the real problem?". Have you even identified your stressors? Do we despise the actual company? Do we disagree with their mission statement, morals, and values? Maybe it's just the specific people that you work with that make our days more dreadful. Maybe it's the lack of structure or perhaps, are you just uncomfortable with working for anyone at all, and you have dreams of becoming an entrepreneur (ME)? One solution would be to obviously walk away from that toxic workplace and begin your search for a more suitable work environment. One that aligns with your vision of what a healthy day at work should be. Another solution would be to begin your exit strategy. Find out what you're most passionate about, turn it into a profitable business strategy, and start taking the steps to leave the corporate work life altogether.
Planning is good, but what can you do right now??
All of this sounds amazing....but let's focus on what can you start doing right now to make your work life easier, more manageable, avoid employee burnout, and make your days as close to stress free as possible.
Part I: "Let's talk about the stress"
Your stress in the workplace is simply your body and mind's natural response to being overwhelmed. Have you ever considered that your stress at work can begin at home some days?
(......yes, I'm in your business...some people are in toxic and unhealthy situations and refuse to change anything for the sake of their mental and emotional wellbeing....and quite honestly, that's just not a good way to start anyone's day....but I digress)For example, 2 years ago I was single, and determined to live right in the middle of everything near the Houston Galleria. Those of you who are familiar with the Houston area are probably saying "what were you thinking?!". Well trust me, I learned my lesson. Even though I lived on Westheimer, I worked all the way past Pearland :/ We're talking about 30 minutes outside of the city WITHOUT traffic. Most days, it would take me almost an hour just to get to work (instant stress). After waking up extra early, sitting in traffic for almost an hour, by the time I made it to work I was already frustrated. I was starting my day with stress before I even made it to work. Mind you, this doesn't include the stress that comes with dating in your late 20's, family obligations, slacking in my faith, etc... So there I was, rushing into work at the last minute every day, frantic, overwhelmed, and not mentally or emotionally prepared for the day. After finally making it in to work, I'm greeted by customers who need everything from me at 9am, and coworkers asking me if certain tasks were complete that I honestly did not have the mental capacity to complete the day before. By the middle of the day, I'm still rushing to get caught up while dealing with constant interruptions from everyone, my coworkers and I have already worked through our lunch break (like we do almost every day) and I am just exhausted. Not to mention, when I get off, I'm expecting to sit in 6 o'clock Houston traffic for an hour again just to get home. One day, I knew something had to change, and I decided to not just change one thing, but I knew it was time to change everything.
Part II: "Let's make some changes"
I decided to relocate closer to my job to save time, money, and my mentality. I work in a small town on the outskirts of Houston, so there would be close to no traffic at all if I decided to move to the city I worked in. Now, it takes me about 3 minutes to get to work. My mornings are slower, I allow my body to wake up when I am well rested, mentally, and emotionally prepared for the day. By eliminating my 2 hour commute each day, I could have time and energy to work on my other passions. I could go back to school, focus on my faith, start reading more, practice weekly or even daily self care, or even start a business. The possibilities are endless. Luckily I am blessed to be in an office that allows me to openly practice my faith. A key factor in eliminating stress within my office is playing worship music in the mornings to get the day started and keep my team motivated. I intentionally keep the music playing throughout the day as a constant reminder to my coworkers who enter my office, "Shift your energy when you walk in this office and address me". Tell me, what changes can you implement this upcoming work week? Let's work together to find a quick solution to those stressful work days. It won't happen in just one day, but with consistency, I promise you'll start to see the changes.
All my love,
Alexus
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