HOW TO
SURVIVE A
SERIOUSLY
B A D DAY
There are four ways to
overcome an awful day in the
office, according to a study by
York University in Canada.- PSYCHOLOGICALLY
DETACH
When you get home, switch your
phone off and make your mind
leave the office. Employees who
detach from their job in the
evening return to work feeling
more engaged and dedicated, even
if their job is stressful, according
to a study in the Journal of
Occupational Health Psychology. - UNWIND ON THE
COMMUTE
Meditation, listening to music
or reading a book on the way
home from work can help you feel
calmer in the evening, shows
research from the Stress
and Health Journal. - SKILL-UP
Learning a skill outside your
professional life can increase
personal fulfilment and also
shifts your focus away from
the stresses of the day-to-day. - OWN YOUR DOWNTIME
Choosing how you spend your
personal time outside work gives
you “high control”, which means
you’re more able to recover from
the stresses of work. If someone
else is dictating what you should
do away from the office (that
includes extra work functions
or trips to see your partner’s
parents), you’re more likely to
return to work the next day
still feeling stressed.
Self-criticism is good – but only to a
certain extent, explains Franziska Iseli,
entrepreneur, founder of marketing
training company Basic Bananas and
co-author of Perception. “Open-minded
people are constantly out to improve
their skills and thrive on feedback from
others. They are self-critical – not to
gain sympathy or to stop themselves
achieving things, but to grow.”
However, if you’re a “self-doubter”
this could be seriously detrimental to
your career. “Self-doubters are overly
critical of their abilities, even if they
are good at what they do,” says Iseli.
“They have a lot of negative chatter
going on.” This can manifest itself
in many ways, including ...
Negative self-talk.
Bitching about yourself, to yourself.Self-deprecation in front of others.
Constantly putting yourself down
in group settings.Not celebrating wins.
Failing to acknowledge your
achievements, no matter how small.Not taking risks.
Being too cautious and the fear
of failure paralysing you.The consequences go beyond
inner turmoil: being too self-critical
can put you on the outer in your
work group. Similarly, managers may
overlook you for challenging tasks,
avoid you if you’re always criticising
yourself and, worst of all, lose trust
in you to do a great job.Crippled by self-doubt? “Every
time I’m nervous or anxious about
something, I tell myself I’m growing”- Franziska Iseli, co-author of Perception
HOW TO
SILENCE YOUR
INNER CRITIC
So how do you get your inner critic
to quieten down? Try these tactics:Use your anxiety for good, not evil.
Instead of letting fear and worry take
over, recognise your nerves – they can
be positive. “Every time I’m nervous or
anxious about something, I tell myself
I’m growing,” says Iseli.Give it your best – then let go.
“If something doesn’t go the way I’d like,
I don’t beat myself up about it,” explains
Iseli. “I’ve given it everything I could.
That’s all I could do.”Detach yourself from the outcome.
“I can control my actions, but sometimes I
can’t control the circumstances – so being
self-critical is not going to help,” says Iseli.If you’re constantly critical of
everything you do at work, it
could be holding you back.@WORK