6 ways to build your resilience at work

Hands holding a seedling

The World Heath Organisation has as the 鈥済lobal health epidemic of the 21st century鈥, and Australia is not immune. 

A found that 81 per cent of the Australian workforce struggle with stress and burn-out 鈥 surpassing the global figure of 73 per cent 鈥攄ue to the increasing pace and intensity of work. 

One of the most effective strategies for avoiding stress and burnout is to build your resilience, otherwise known as your 鈥渁bility to bounce back鈥, says Derrick McManus, who delivers our 鈥樷 short course. 

Thankfully, resilience is a skill you can learn and reap the benefits from in both your personal and professional life. Get started by adopting the six strategies below.

1. Prioritise self-care

often falls to the bottom of the priority list when working in a demanding environment. 

But during periods of high-stress, self-care is one of the you can make. Not only does prioritising self-care boost your resilience, resourcefulness and productivity; it can also help you handle workplace pressures.

Self-care in the workplace takes many shapes. For some people, it鈥檚 all about setting clear boundaries like not taking on additional projects or working long hours. For others, it鈥檚 learning how to delegate tasks, and prioritise workload. 

When you pair these strategies with a good night鈥檚 sleep, gym session, balanced diet and spending quality time with loved ones, you鈥檒l be far more able to reset and reframe in the face of adversity at work.

2. Practice mindfulness

It鈥檚 scientifically proven that practicing mindfulness is one of the most powerful ways you can build your resilience at work.
 
How? Well, social psychologists mindfulness supports judgment accuracy and insight-related problem solving; cognitive neuroscientists mindfulness enhances cognitive flexibility; and preventive medicine researchers online mindfulness programs have been shown to be practical and effective in decreasing employee stress, while improving resiliency and work engagement.

To start practicing mindfulness, try an app like , , or . 

3. Take detachment, or 鈥榤icro鈥 breaks

If you regularly swivel around to talk to your desk buddy or check your phone, there鈥檚 no need to feel guilty! It鈥檚 possible that these 鈥榤icro鈥 breaks are increasing your productivity and resilience in the long-term. 

That鈥檚 because as humans, our mental focus, clarity and energy cycles are around , so stepping away from your work just for few minutes can help to promote greater energy, mental clarity, creativity and focus, ultimately growing our capacity for resilience throughout the workday.

4. Compartmentalise your day

Compartmentalisation helps to manage our cognitive load 鈥 which can be very high in stressful workplaces 鈥 by . For example, emailing, strategy or brainstorming sessions, and meetings. 

Allocating dedicated times in your day to undertake specific work-related activities and not others (just as you would for a gym class, for example), creates the optimal set of conditions for you to effectively process information and make quality decisions, while decreasing cognitive load and strain.

5. Be compassionate

According to the , one of the most overlooked aspects of the resilience skill set is the ability to cultivate compassion 鈥 both for yourself, and others. 

In fact, there is to suggest that using compassion-based skills in the workplace has positive effects on stress reduction, enhanced mental wellbeing, and emotional resilience.

For example, research cited by the shows compassion increases positive emotions, creates positive work relationships, and increases cooperation and collaboration.

6. Attend courses or programs

Just like an athlete trains to build physical strength, you can learn and build your resilience over time. If you鈥檇 like to build upon some of the ideas above, attending our upcoming 鈥樷 short course is a fantastic way to further develop your resilience toolkit. 

Delivered by former STAR Group Officer, Derrick McManus, the course is being held on Monday, 23 September 2024. .  

Tagged in PACE, Pace article, Pace Media