Recently, I developed some presentations on stress for two very different corporate clients. Previously, the topic had been work-life balance. These topics are interlinked, stress can affect your work life balance. As I developed these bespoke presentations, I was mindful of considering the information I had about their organisational culture, attitudes to well-being, and essentially the struggles that they may have with organisationally, or the narratives that exist. I was thoughtful in how I framed the content of my presentation for the audience to be sensitive, yet thought provoking in delivery.
These presentations led me to reflect upon how working within the NHS in some ways can be quite containing due to the frameworks, systems and the clarity of the roles due to tight job plans. Some roles become more uniform across the UK as NHS service transformation occurs. The work becomes more demanding and prescribed in mind with service models and delivery.
However, my reflections here connect with the wider topic of work and life balance. It also also connects with the pressures linked to the expectations of how we should perform in our roles and the level of activity we should be demonstrating in our working week. The quandary and strain of fitting duties in and feeling over worked. There just aren’t enough hours.
All work environments have the power to influence our well-being in a magnitude of ways. Often the loyalty towards a work place, being passionate about the work and positive working relations relationships keeps us in role. Perhaps even the realisation that roles elsewhere maybe similiar. So, what do we do in these kinds of situations in our career and work?
The fundamental questions are…
-
- Where does that leave us in our chosen careers and our work-life balance?
- How do we step away from stress inducing roles when in your industry you’ve always come across high pressured roles?
- How do we listen to ourselves as well as each other as colleagues and as leaders/managers to our teams when someone (even ourselves) feel that the expectations placed upon us are too high?
- How do we name and locate this pressure within the organisation and away from the notion that we need to be more effective and work smarter?
Essentially, being aware of our limits and boundaries is key and voicing these to managers/leaders. Always holding in mind our well-being and the ability to make a different choice. Perhaps the time for that is not now, maybe it is something you need to work towards, but you can work towards it. Working towards change can be a process, it does not mean acceptance or resignation of a set of circumstances.
During times like this, therapy can help you manage the impact of work stress, or difficulties of keeping a work and life balance. Understanding your values, priorities and choices can also help you make the right onward decsions for you. If you feel you might want to explore how therapy can help you, make contact with Kataria Therapy.