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Jason Wilkinson

How to Be Resilient at Work


Work is hard. It doesn’t matter what kind of work you do. Most of us have good days and bad days.


And stress. And stress can be overwhelming at times. And that stress can impact our relationships outside of work. Especially our marriages. Resiliency is a characteristic that can help you manage the stress. And continue to push forward in your workplace so you can reach the career goals you hope for.


But how do you get there?


There are benefits to building up resiliency in the workplace. Whether a person is working in the financial institutions in Portland. Or owns a small business in Tualatin. Or works for one in Lake Oswego.


Here are some tips to help you become more resilient at work:

Tip #1 to Be Resilient at Work — Step Out of Your Comfort Zone:


It is said that stretching is an important part of any exercise or workout. Why?


One reason is because stretching gives your muscles room to grow.


The same principle is true in relationships. I say this quite frequently when providing marriage counseling. If you want your partner or spouse to do some of the chores around the house, then you have to get out of the way and allow your spouse to do the work. You have to create space.

In order to grow in your ability to be resilient while at work, you have to provide space for growth to occur. You have to stretch yourself and do something new. It may feel scary. It may feel unusual. But you can take steps to lessen the anxiety and push through.

Own your space. Own your strengths. And, if you are looking for help learning how to do this, individual counseling might be a great investment in personal development.

Tip #2 to Be Resilient at Work — Find a Mentor:

I have written about this a little in a previous post, but this can be so important that I will mention it again.

Having a person available to bounce ideas off of can be so valuable. Someone who has some experience in what you are going through. A person you can trust and will help guide you through the questions you are wrestling with in your profession.

Tip #3 to Be Resilient at Work — Build in Work/Life Balance:

Having a positive work/life balance cannot be overstated in helping to build resiliency. Especially during our current state of working from home due to CoVid restrictions.

You have got to recharge your batteries. A person who does not receive enough rest eventually breaks down and burns out. Having the proper amount of rest will help you feel charged up to attack the challenges that are ahead.

You’re not a machine. And you don’t have to be. Build out a schedule that will work for you.

Tip #4 to Be Resilient at Work — Emotionally Self-Regulate:

There are going to be moments in your work when you may feel overwhelmed, but there are steps you can take to manage the stress levels. One of thing that you can do is learn how to self-regulate your emotions.

Why do I say self-regulate rather than co-regulate your emotions? Because whoever that co-regulating person may be for you, they will not likely be at work with you.

Whether it is a spouse, parent, or emotional support animal — you are going to need to learn how to take responsibility and manage your own emotions.

Tip #5 to Be Resilient at Work — Build in Mindfulness:

Mindfulness is wonderfully helpful in building resiliency because it keeps you mind in the present. You don’t reflect too much on what has happened in the past. You don’t look too far into the future. You are grounded in the now.

And certain breathing exercises can be performed without much notice. You can do it in the middle of a hard meeting. Or while standing at your desk. Or on the drive home.

Tip #6 to Be Resilient at Work — Focus on Process, Not Outcome:

You cannot control every possible outcome of a business project. Even if you are in total control of creating a presentation, you cannot control whether others will appreciate it.

You can only control your role in the process. You have the ability to control how you operate inside of the hoped-for outcome.

Put your effort and focus on what you can control. Thinking only about the outcome increases an experience with anxiety. That may work for you. Or it may not.

In any case, you don’t want to get stuck in the anxiety. Narrowing down in the things you have control over will help you move toward your desired outcome.

Conclusion:

If you are dealing with stress in the workplace and looking to build up your resiliency, following these tips will help you get there. The strength and ability are already there within you.


You will just want to take a few steps to let what is internally present become an outward expression.

 

Jason Wilkinson is the owner of Wellspace Counseling. He provides counseling for people looking to develop resiliency in the professional life and marriages in Tualatin, Lake Oswego, Portland, and throughout the state of Oregon.

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