What are you planning right now in your life? What to do with your holiday weekend? What to bring for lunch? When will you get everything done next week?
Maybe you are planning a vacation (Yay!) or how to care for an aging family member 🙁.
Maybe you are planning how to improve your health, eat cleaner, get in better shape, or improve your sleep.
The point? We plan a lot of things. We plan things with the expectation that they will get done, at least to some extent.
After all, we all know what happens if we don’t plan: frustration with a side of chaos.
Making a plan can give us a lot of peace, it takes decision making in the moment of craziness out of the equation. It can give us a sense of control, a sense of calm, a sense of clarity.
Just the act of planning can make us feel better.
So what is your plan for feeling better at work, for supporting yourself and your team?
Huh….
Chances are you don’t have a plan.
It’s okay. Don’t panic.
It’s totally normal that you wouldn’t have a plan to feel better at work. Let me explain why.
Much of what we do during the day is decided for us. Sure, we prioritize, we decide how to approach different situations, we assess and reassess, but the basic structure of our day is decided.
We know when we get there, we know what is expected of us during the day, how many patients we see, what we need to do to develop/implement a treatment plan for each one, what emails need to be responded to or meetings attended.
We show up and go to work. Done. No plan needed.
Which is why we don’t think to make a plan.
It’s ironic because we would never approach other areas of our lives like this. We would never take a week of PTO and then decide on the first day that we want to go abroad for a week. We wouldn’t decide to get healthier and not decide what steps to take next.
What would the impact be of making a PLAN to feel better at work?
Actually feeling better at work.
What if all it takes is some thought and creativity to come up with something to try?
What if the first step to feeling better is just planning on feeling better?
(I hope the excitement of possibility is starting to bloom inside of you.)
It IS possible.
(I know because I have done it and continue to do it on a regular basis.)
You may not know where to start, which is totally fine. As we all know, plans often have to be revamped and the plan that ultimately ends up working may be very different from the plan we start with.
Here are some ideas to start your creative process. All of these are one’s that I have used with success.
Set a believable intention for the day and put it somewhere you can see it
Ie: I can give good care to my patients, no matter what the circumstance.
OR
The work I am doing is important.
Focus on connecting with your coworkers.
Ie. take a minute before starting my day to ask my coworkers about their weekend or their lives.
Instead of scrolling through emails or social media when I have a minute, I will take that time to chat with the secretary, or MA, or docs.
Do a breathing exercise when faced with a difficult patient, coworker or situation.
There are lots of options for this ie: box breathing etc. Don’t underestimate the power of the breath if you are trying to calm yourself down or release stress from your nervous system. Some days I do this every time I enter a patient room.
Ask a powerful question each day to get your brain looking for other options.
How can I make today fun?
How can I stay calm today, even if things go wrong?
Rewrite your story.
If you find yourself ruminating about something that happened at work, take a minute to ask, what else could be true? See if there is a way to rewrite the narrative that is on constant replay in your head. Need an example? Instead of “no one ever helps anyone, they just dump on me with no consideration” try “everyone is working to the best of their capability. Not everyone has the same capabilities. I can manage myself no matter what.” Sure, the result may still be they are dumping on you, but the second story removes the malice and allows you some compassion for them and faith in yourself.
Look for options to feel better.
Ask your coworkers what they do to feel better- let’s normalize the conversation of support.
Look on social media for ideas on how to calm your nervous system or deal with difficult situations. You don’t have to start from square one. A lot of smart people have already figured it out so let’s use their ideas 🙂
This just gives you a place to start.
Maybe the first part of your plan is to dedicate a few minutes to making a plan.
Feeling better at work IS a possibility. I promise.
Now go make your plan.
P.S. Sometimes we get to the point that even planning to make a plan is too much. You don’t have to do it alone. Reach out and let me help you, in just 6 weeks we can change your whole experience at work. Schedule your consultation call here.
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