There are some days that you just don't 'feel like it'; those days where you turn up to work, find yourself pottering around, doing unproductive stuff, and then you go home feeling guilty for spending most of your ‘work day’ reorganising your emails and tidying your desk. It’s highly likely that you had plenty to do on those days, but because your energy was low, your unproductive actions only added stress for what you didn’t achieve. So, what do you do about it? There are some days that you just don't 'feel like it'; those days where you turn up to work, find yourself pottering around, doing unproductive stuff, and then you go home feeling guilty for spending most of your ‘work day’ reorganising your emails and tidying your desk.
It’s highly likely that you had plenty to do on those days, but because your energy was low, your unproductive actions only added stress for what you didn’t achieve. So, what do you do about it? Firstly, Beyond Blue is well named - if you need help - get it! No blame, no guilt, no fear - just support and help from people who have been there. The felt experience of emotion is a bottom-up deal. As in, what you feel right now is, to a large extent, a consequence of events and stimuli that you encountered some time earlier (possibly a few minutes or a few hours earlier). It works like this; your mind and body are influenced by stimuli (real or imagined) that influences the production of the chemicals of emotion. These chemicals are distributed throughout the body and your body 'feels'. Only then do you become consciously aware of the feeling you are experiencing. For example, your actions portray how you are feeling (such as grumpy) and you might not notice that you are feeling that way until you start to pay attention to how your behaviour is impacting your day. Your feelings are expressed before you are consciously aware of them. So, when you are 'feeling' sluggish or unmotivated, the first thing is to recognise that the remedy does not always lay simply in the conscious choice to 'be happy'. You might have a colleague who comes up to you and says, "Hey, just be happy like me!”, all the while flashing you a grin that makes you grimace. Thinking (or being told) 'just be happy now' doesn't help much beyond drawing your attention to your current mood (which would be helpful if you were not already conscious of your mood). Truth be told, that colleague would best influence your mood by simply allowing their enthusiasm to be infectious, by being positive, authentic, helpful and action-oriented, rather than telling you what you already know. Here are three simple starting points to make a difference in ‘those moments’: 1. Take action - Change the stimulus by taking action. I heard Matt Church once say, “Action precedes clarity.” Too true, it also precedes feeling good. Anyone who exercises regularly will know that the first five minutes on a cold morning is the toughest. Physical action works best and fastest, so if you can go for a brisk walk when you’re struggling to take action at work, make a decision or progress something to move yourself forward. It is even helpful to change your posture; sitting in a way your body associates with higher enthusiasm will, in itself, have a positive influence on your mood. Taking action, in spite of how you feel, will change the way you feel. So just start and notice what happens. 2. Think - (Remember or imagine) moments when you were feeling more productive. Just 'thinking happy thoughts' doesn't cut it, you need to provide appropriate stimulus to influence your mind’s production of chemicals and the subsequent ‘felt’ experience. Thoughts are a stimulus, so remember or imagine a scene or idea that resonates with you feeling clearer of mind. You could even have a couple of favourite inspiring YouTube clips on a playlist, a meditative practice, a piece of art, or even a song that gets you pumped. 3. Just clock off (if you can). Occasionally, it is realistic to just call it a day. Provided you have the flexibility, it’s sometimes better to simply go out for a walk in the sun, not think about work for a short while and focus on some pure, clean escapism. This is not a strategy that is effective long term, or even medium term, but sometimes we just need a rest (here is why). So, on these days, clock off - don't feel guilty about the stuff you are not doing, just enjoy the moment and come back refreshed and firing. If this is not short term (i.e., a day), then I refer you to my initial comments about Beyond Blue. We live in a world of constant access and connection to work. We spend more time thinking about work than we ever have. Mental fatigue is real, and is cumulative. Taking time out is an essential strategy for maintaining high performance. Ultimately, the key is to ensure you are not working when you are not working. Hope these tips help improve your day. Comments are closed.
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