2021 is approaching and many organisations are looking back on an eventful year. The Coronavirus has significantly changed both our private and professional lives over the past months.
The daily routine completely shifted; your home became your office, and perhaps you worked for months with children around you. There's a good chance you've experienced both the struggles and the significant benefits of the Corona crisis. No more hours-long traffic jams or overcrowded trains in the morning, no more obligatory events you must attend, and lots of extra time at home with your loved ones. But the cosy Monday morning chats at the coffee machine also disappeared, as did the Friday afternoon drinks and physical contact. Positivity is the key to many insights. Obama once said YES, WE CAN! And he was right. If you want, you can achieve and do anything. That's why ContactCare is entering 2021 with a positive drive: 'WE CAN DO'. Because we can all make our dreams come true, keep growing, innovate, and think in solutions, even in tougher times. Do you sometimes find it hard to see the positives in both your private and work life? We are happy to share three Tips & Tricks with you.
Tip 1. Rational Emotive Therapy (RET)
Are you familiar with the RET method? This therapy was developed by the American psychologist Albert Ellis. The method was developed because Dr. Albert believed that too much focus was placed on situations perceived as stress-inducing, whereas we should focus more on our own thoughts when experiencing stress. It is not the situation that causes stress; it is the thought of the situation that can lead to experiencing significant stress. RET consists of various steps that help map out your thoughts accurately. A distinction is made between perception, interpretation, and evaluation. With perception, you map out the factual situation; with interpretation, you assign meaning to the situation (which may or may not be true), and with evaluation, you provide value that is then assigned to an interpretation, thoughts about events that carry emotional weight.
Tip 2. Book recommendation: Obstacles on the Road, Spinsels in Your Mind
Do you want to learn more about the above RET therapy? We recommend the book 'Obstacles on the Road, Spinsels in Your Mind' by Drs. Theo IJzerman. It teaches you how to cope with emotions at work. Often, you blame stress and emotions on the situation. However unpleasant it may be, the stress you experience often originates more from within yourself. Here's the best tip from the book: A manager of emotions is in control of themselves.
Tip 3. Enable Both Hemispheres
If you have a creative job, you likely have your right hemisphere running at full speed all day. However, the majority of people in the UK primarily use their left hemisphere, which houses analytical and rational thinking. Your right hemisphere may not be stimulated enough throughout the day, but you can easily change that. Ensure you do something creative at least once a week. This could be making music, drawing or painting, designing your clothes, and much more. Stimulating your right hemisphere also provides relaxation.
Tip 4. Move, Move, and Move Again
We all know how important movement is for our brain and relaxation. There's a good chance you say every new year, 'Next year I will move more and take walks during my breaks.' For 2021 we're telling you again: You CAN DO it! But why is exercise so important? It has been proven that our brains function better when we move regularly. Especially the 'executive functions' of our brain improve: the ability to take initiative, plan, control impulses, and self-regulate. So get out of your chair, walk during lunch, exercise after work, and ride your bike for errands. You'll find that work goes better too!
