Coping with Work-Life Challenges
September 14th, 2021, Maya Rizk
Are the continuous changes at work contributing to an increase in anxiety and burnout?
Recently our CEO, Silja Litvin, recognised how much work calls contributed to her anxiety – specifically when she started to feel like it was eating up time that she could have otherwise spent on “actual work”.
She didn’t understand why work calls bothered her so much: how could they feel like an interruption of her time when calls pretty much ARE her work – after all, just one call can ensure an effective workday. Also, she greatly enjoys speaking to her team and customers – so why does a calendar invite feel so overwhelming?
Work Calls: Accept or Decline?
Silja conducted a poll to find out if other people were feeling the same anxiety. Sure enough, she found that 67% of respondents share the sentiment at times.
Below we share a specific sample of the poll and results of 45 respondents:
Question
“Do calls feel like they’re keeping you from “real work?”
Response
No, calls are a part of work: 29%
Sometimes depends on work: 47%
Yes, calls make me nervous: 20%
I made a comment: 4%
Note: Respondents who shared their thoughts with a comment mentioned blocking out time to focus on tasks, others feel overwhelmed because they have to do admin tasks at night.
But as we transition back into our old routines, will work calls start to feel less overwhelming when other challenges are coming our way? Will we experience an increase in anxiety, work overload and burnout?
Challenges we can Expect
What better way to spend the workday than working from the comfort of your own couch – or so we thought. The luxury of “work from home” turned out to be the reality of a global pandemic – and for many of us, working from home was especially difficult to cope with.
Maintaining a work-life balance used to be a boundary in cultivating two separate parts of our life but working from home meant adapting to a work-life mashup: coffee, email, yoga, work call, home schooling, laundry, email – sound familiar at all?!
But as we start to get into the groove of accepting Zoom meetings and laundry breaks as part of our current reality, what are some potential challenges that we may face as we transition back into a pre-pandemic normal?
Below are some examples of challenges that may come our way:
Getting back to the office:
Readapting to a “new” environment all over again can feel overwhelming
Hybrid setups:
Hybrid setups can create a sense of instability, uncertainty and disorganisation
Transits:
Commuting back to work again can be discouraging – especially if you have a long commute to work, you may find it less of a hassle to work from home
The best and worst of face-to-face and video calls coming together:
If you’re going to miss the formal from the top and loungewear from the bottom perk of video calls, you’re not alone. Any change comes with its challenges – and merging two worlds back together can trigger higher anxiety and stress levels.
Don’t worry – we’re not throwing you back into the real world without some helpful advice on ‘overcoming work challenges’.
Below are some tips to get you started:
Recognise anxiety as such
Prioritise tasks (Make To-Do lists)
Accept that a list is never closed
Practice breathing exercises
Take 5 minutes to stretch your legs
Do not be discouraged by unfinished tasks
Create healthy boundaries (turning off notifications in the evening)
Communicate your boundaries
Communicate what you can and cannot do
Ask for help you need it
Take small breaks when you’re feeling restless
Share tasks and ideas with others
If you continue to struggle with anxiety and burnout, eQuoo can teach you these 10 skills to help you manage time effectively and strengthen resilience, interpersonal relationships and personal growth in the workplace.
Mindfulness
Gratitude
Decluttering
Boundaries
Resource Mapping
Nurture Relationships
Worthiness
Sleep Hygiene
Self-efficacy
Emotion Detection
Work is always going to be a challenge – but challenges are not bad, per se. We just need to have the skills and support to face the challenges in a healthy way.
Wishing you a positive work week,
MSc Clinical Psychology
Content and Marketing at eQuoo