On one of the most common days at work, you suddenly learn that your other half has decided to cancel the wedding or that your country house was burned down because of the short circuit in the wiring during a thunderstorm; and the bank where your savings accounts were stored declared its bankruptcy. A high level of motivation is wonderful, of course, but what will you do if the trouble has taken you off guard, and all your thoughts are about how to find the way out of a difficult situation?
Troubles occur from time to time, and we either fall out of pace, or come out of the difficult situation as winners. In difficult times, the usual duties which you have always coped with in a brilliant way, delighting your bosses, can turn into insurmountable circumstances on the path to further prosperity. So, what will you do if you are on the point of failing to accomplish the current projects by the due date, if you no longer generate a lot of ideas at a weekly meeting, and your “favorite” customers’ dissatisfaction is growing rapidly?
Yeah, sometimes it is a difficult thing to maintain morale. At the same time, abandoning your career and giving the things some slack, you can make a major mistake in your life. Here are some tips on how to stay effective, despite the fact that the ground seems to be slipping from under your feet.
Know whom to speak with and when to be silent
You may be torn apart by inner contradictions, which you want to get rid of, discussing the problem with anyone who happens to be nearby. Your colleagues are almost certain to be there for you, but here is the main danger: whether you like it or not, they are not familiar enough, which means they can use your weakness to their advantage.
If you have health problems, you would not want to share the details of your illness with the boss or colleagues. You would rather take a day off and go to the doctor to begin the treatment more quickly and end the problem once and for all. You will not ask your colleagues to tell the clients that you are away seeing your dentist and are forced to miss the scheduled meeting, will you?
Whatever happens, listen to your common sense no matter how trivial it sounds. If you have a small and friendly team of colleagues, where everybody has known each other for many years and where family events are organized on weekends, there seems to be no problem. However, if you have always associated your office with that of the President, do not rush to speak your mind and confide in the colleagues: at best, you will be considered a boorish person who is unable to cope with his/her emotions without other people’s help.
Remember that you are at work rather than at your private therapist’s, and other people’s advice about your problems may not seem sensible.
Do not add fuel to the fire
To overcome the crisis quickly, do not forget to negotiate the observance of certain rules with close relatives and family members.
In difficult times, friends and relatives are trying to support us as much as they can, but they are not always aware of the possible consequences of their genuine participation. Pluck your courage and explain to your nearest lucidly that you are busy working when you are at work and that you do not solve personal problems there no matter how serious they are.
This too shall pass
Pain cannot be pleasant (although some may disagree), and sadness is not bright. But we can be sure of one thing: the faster you experience the shock, the sooner you will be able to return to normal life.
Having experienced the loss of a close relative, do not hesitate to ask for an additional vacation. This will help you deal with the sad reality alone: it is better than to come to the office with your eyes swollen from crying and to try to focus on summarizing the quarterly results. Our psyche is able to heal itself. Ask if you can take the most important tasks home with you; the familiar surroundings makes it a little easier for you to recover.
Upon returning to the office, try to ignore the events in your personal life. Excessive emotionality and worrying will not be beneficial both for your business and for you. Feeling upset is unproductive. Instead, plan a short break in the middle of the day and try to get distracted and “meditate” reading a magazine or just walking in the nearby park.
Be self-critical in moderation
Getting back on track after you experience a shock sometimes looks like challenging yourself, so have some mercy for yourself. The crisis can disrupt your inner focus in a very short period of time, but it will take time to restore the lost balance. Be aware of this and do not scold yourself for lack of motivation because your problems are temporary and will definitely be over soon.
In reality, this means that the more actions you can plan, the better. Resorting to this trick, you will always know what to do; therefore you will not be left alone with your sad thoughts.
On the days, when moral and will power are not enough, try to divide the high-priority tasks into several smaller problems: crossing such “checkpoints”, you will wake up quickly.
It is important that the goals should be achievable. In this case, you will feel satisfied with the work done if you achieve one or two of them every time; besides, it will also help soothe your shattered nerves.
Think of your privileges
Suppose you have been working for the good of the company for many years, but for some reason you have no idea about various bonuses that the employer offers for your loyalty to corporate interests and conscientious fulfilling of the duties. Ask if you also deserve any bonus: preferential subscription to the swimming pool, free attendance of ballroom dancing or a parachute jump. In this case, any offer will be good.
So do not hesitate to make the inquiries: write a list of the things that might help you to continue working safely and discuss the opportunities with your management. After all, the loss of productivity can affect the success of the whole team adversely. Think about how to reduce the working day for a week and go home an hour or two earlier. Maybe, you could even work remotely in a familiar home environment.
Yes, each of us has periods of ups and downs, and sometimes a difficult life situation may lead to a dead end. At such moments, one should not give up and rely on his/her fate. Consider if your job may help you escape from the black thoughts and look up at the horizon again. The main thing is to remember that the one who has never fallen has never risen either.
