Mental Health – Page 2 – mardihumphreys.com

Your Real Budget

A house. An MBA. A vacation you’ve dreamt about since your first entry-level job. Big scary purchases like these force you to stop and ask a tough question. “Is it worth the money I’d have to spend?” But it’s not only about the price tag. It’s also about what else you have to trade for it: your time, energy, and attention in addition to your money. That’s your real budget. When any of those get stretched, your productivity, mental health, and values take the hit. How do you decide?

Let’s say you’re thinking about one of these:

An MBA program to switch careers or boost your salary.
Buying a house in a better school district.
Finally taking that two-week vacation to Europe.

They’re all valid options. And they all come with a cost.

Will this drain your capacity for work you care about?
Will this choice add to your stress?
Will you regret doing it?
Will you regret not doing it?

What Are You Really Investing?

Earning your MBA is not only tuition, It’s also late nights, weekend classes, fewer hours for friends, family, or rest. If your job is already demanding, is your current energy level up for this?

Buying a house may seem like an upgrade. But it may double your commute, stretch your mortgage, or add home maintenance tasks you never had to think about. Can you make time for that?

Even the vacation, which sounds like self-care, can eat up time in planning, money you may need later, and attention you should be giving to pressing deadlines. Do you have the attention span for it?

Think about:

Are you willing to invest the time it takes to make this work?
Do you have the energy for it, or are you borrowing against burnout?
What other priorities will lose your attention?
What will you have to say no to, either now or later, because of this cost?

Are You Doing This for the Right Reasons?

Your college friends are going back for grad school. Your family thinks it’s time you bought property. Your coworker just returned from Italy. But if the cost doesn’t line up with your values, it’s going to backfire. For example:

If freedom is a core value, taking on $80K in student debt may weigh you down more than it lifts you up.
If you value stability, moving across the country for a job with a higher salary, and a higher cost of living, may not be the right move.
If competition drives you, the selfies you take in Milan may one up your coworker temporarily, but the cost is long-term.

What Are the Long-term Consequences?

Imagine yourself three years from now:

Will the MBA help you earn more, or delay your ability to save for a home?
Will buying a house now lock you into a job you’re already outgrowing?
Will a vacation refresh you or set back your emergency fund?
Will this investment open more doors or close some?
Will it still feel like it was worth your time, energy, attention, and money?

How do you make decisions about the resources that shape your life? Please share in the comments.

Financial Freedom

We are preparing to celebrate Independence Day here in America. Financial Independence is a goal for many of us. It can impact the jobs you take, how you choose to save your income, and how you decide to spend it. What does financial independence mean exactly? How much money do you need? How long will it take to achieve?

What Is It?

Financial independence means you don’t have to work to cover your basic living expenses. Your money through savings, investments, or passive income covers the essentials. You work because you want to, not because you have to. Financial security means you can weather a surprise expense like a car repair or a medical bill without spiraling into debt.

How Much Do You Need?

There’s no one-size-fits-all number, but there are some rules of thumb. A popular one is the “25x rule”: multiply your annual expenses by 25. That’s roughly how much you’d need to have saved and invested to consider yourself financially independent. For example, if you spend $50,000 a year, then you’d need about $1.25 million saved to live off a 4% withdrawal rate, which is generally considered sustainable. If your goal isn’t retirement but options, you don’t have to wait for that number. If you have a solid emergency fund (6-9 months of expenses), no high-interest debt, and some savings built up, you’re already gaining both financial freedom and decision-making power.

How Long Will It Take?

The more you earn and the less you spend, the faster you can save and invest and the fewer years you may need to work. But there’s a tradeoff. Chasing higher pay often comes with longer hours, more stress, and less time for life.

How Does It Affect Your Choices?

Which job you accept: Do you take the high-paying role with the long commute, or the one that pays less but lets you work from home three days a week?
How long you stay: You may put in three more years at a demanding job to hit your savings target, or leave early if the tradeoff stops being worth it.
What kind of work you pursue: You may take a risk on a startup, a nonprofit, or a new field entirely because your finances give you the freedom to.
The questions you ask: What’s the return on investment for staying late to impress your boss vs. using that time to build a side income or upskill?
Your priorities: Does this promotion align with your long-term goals, or just lock you into more stress for a bit more money?
Your values: You may decide it’s worth paying for conveniences (like grocery delivery or a house cleaner) so you can spend more time resting, learning, or building your next move.

What You Can Do?

Know your number: Calculate how much you spend annually and multiply by 25. That’s your financial independence target.
Audit your time: Track how much time you spend on work, commuting, side gigs, and rest. Is your time supporting your financial goals or working against them?
Automate your savings: Set up auto-transfers into a high-yield savings account or Roth IRA. Even $100 a month adds up.
Evaluate job offers holistically: Don’t just chase salary. Look at total compensation, health benefits, schedule flexibility, and burnout risk.
Think in seasons: It’s okay to sprint for a few years to build savings as long as you have a plan to rest, pivot, or reprioritize later.

What are you doing to secure your financial independence? Please share in the comments.

Half Way There

Back in March, we did a reflection on the first quarter of the year. Now that we’re approaching the end of Q2, it’s time to evaluate the first half of 2025.

If you read the article, Quarterly Contemplation, and followed the final prompt to set goals for the following three months, pull those out. Did you achieve them? If so, what behaviors helped you? What got in the way? What could you tweak? If you have not reached your Q1 goals yet, how are they coming?

Last week, we talked about measuring success. I received feedback asking how you can shift your mindset when you are in the habit of comparing yourself to others. So, let’s focus on that for our end of Q2 reflection. These questions are meant to keep you anchored in what you can control: your choices, your mindset, and your direction.

Am I living up to my values?

It’s easy to get distracted by other people’s milestones, but their path may have nothing to do with what matters to you. Maybe you value creativity, but you’re comparing yourself to someone who’s climbing the management ladder. Different values, different paths.

For Example: Let’s say you’re in a marketing role and someone else on your team is great at landing speaking gigs. Before you start thinking, “I should be doing that,” ask yourself: “Is that the kind of contribution I want to make?” Maybe you care more about solving tough messaging problems or mentoring newer teammates. Write down your top three values related to work. For Q3, what happens when you align your daily tasks with them?

Do I know what my purpose is?

Purpose doesn’t have to mean saving the world. It can be as simple as learning your craft, building relationships, or getting better at delegation. The key is knowing what your work is building.

For Example: Let’s say you’re a project manager. Right now, your purpose might be building a track record of reliable delivery. That way, when bigger projects open up, you’re the obvious choice. Purpose creates direction and it helps you stop worrying about what everyone else is doing. Finish this sentence: “The purpose of my work right now is…” For Q3, what happens when you keep that sentence somewhere visible when you’re feeling distracted?

What’s my potential if I keep showing up?

It’s easy to get frustrated when success feels slow, but what could your job look like in six months if you stay consistent?

For Example: Think about a junior software developer learning a new coding language. Comparing yourself to a senior engineer won’t help but practicing every day will. The gap between where you are and where you want to be closes through daily effort, not overnight wins. For Q3, what if you strive for 1% improvement every day?

Does my behavior match the future I want?

Want to lead a team one day? Are you acting like someone who’s ready to lead? Want to be known as a problem-solver? Are you tackling problems, or waiting for someone else to handle them?

For Example: Let’s say you work in operations and your long-term goal is to move into leadership. Your future is shaped by today’s actions not by what someone else is doing. For Q3, what happens when you volunteer for cross-team projects? Offer solutions in meetings? Take ownership when things go sideways?

What are some questions you think we should ponder here at the end of Q2? Please share in the comments.

The Right Measure

If you constantly compare yourself to others, you chase a standard that shifts every time you get close. There’s always someone getting promoted faster, managing bigger projects, or getting more recognition than you. If you measure yourself by their successes, you’ll never feel like you’re enough.

And here’s the kicker: You likely judge yourself not by what others actually think, but by what you assume they think. You guess what your manager values. You assume your team sees you falling behind. You imagine that everyone else is operating at peak performance all the time. But that’s not real. And it’s not useful.

Flip Your Focus

The next time you compare yourself to a more successful coworker, try shifting your attention inward. Instead of asking, “Am I as successful as they are?” Ask yourself:

Am I better today than I was yesterday?
Did I learn something new?
Did I make a meaningful contribution?

That paradigm shift matters. Success is an external measure. It can be valuable information, but don’t let it define you. Use your success metrics like data. What are they telling you?

For example: Let’s say one of your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) is the number of client accounts you manage. You’re under target by 10%. That doesn’t automatically mean you’re failing. Dig into it. Maybe you’ve been onboarding new clients. That work doesn’t count toward the metric but it still matters.

Use Your KPIs

Reframe the way you think about your KPIs. They aren’t a report card. They’re not a moral judgment. They’re tools. It’s easy to tie your identity to your outputs. But you don’t control every variable. You can’t make a customer sign a contract. You can’t force a stakeholder to give faster feedback. You can’t make a product ship before it’s ready.

But you can control your own actions: How many new leads did you contact today? How many blockers did you resolve on that project? How many updates did you send to keep others aligned? Those are behaviors you own. They compound. They create momentum.

When your KPIs aren’t where you want them, think about what needs to change. What’s missing or unclear? What habits or inputs can you adjust?

On the other hand, when they are where you want them to be, think about what’s working. Can you replicate it? Is this a system worth sharing with your team?

Your Progress

Instead of measuring success by comparing yourself to your coworkers, try measuring your progress. For example:

Do you have more connections than you did last month?
Did you reach out to more clients this week than last?
Did you lead a better meeting today than you did last week?

If so, you’re growing. That’s the measure that counts. Aim for getting 1% better every day. You get to decide what success looks like for you.

Your Future

Success is about the past. It’s what you did. But the past is over and you can’t change it without a DeLorean, a working flux capacitor, and plutonium. So, concentrate on today and tomorrow. You can’t control the future, but you can influence it. The way you manage your calendar today, the decisions you make in this meeting, the effort you bring to this email; all those actions shape what tomorrow will look like.

What is your measure of success? Please share in the comments.

Dark Empathy

A volunteer and I were troubleshooting the usual challenges an event brings when I said, “Misery loves company.” Without missing a beat, they replied, “Don’t be a misery partner.” This gave me pause. I wasn’t just expressing dissatisfaction. I was inviting someone into it. Is that the right thing to do? Misery loves company, but do you have to RSVP?

What It Really Means

You’ve probably heard the phrase before, but let’s be clear: “Misery loves company” means that unhappy people often look for others to share in their pain. Sometimes it’s about validation,“You feel this too, right?” Other times it’s darker. If someone is stuck in a bad mood it can feel comforting to pull others into the same mindset. Misery doesn’t just want to be seen. It wants companionship.

Why We Do It

Validation: Misery can feel isolating. Sharing it with someone makes it feel less lonely.

Mood-matching: If you’re angry or disillusioned, it can feel easier if the person next to you is too. Misery becomes a shared lens.

Identity Reinforcement: If you stay in that space long enough, you begin to expect and even seek out negative experiences. It becomes part of how you navigate work and relationships.

When It Becomes a Problem

In the short term, it feels good to vent. It builds rapport. It can even feel productive. But over time, it shifts from bonding to spiraling. For example: Let’s say you have a coworker who habitually wants to talk about how bad leadership is. Every team meeting, every direct message, it comes up. At first, you agree. But soon, you’re both repeating the same frustrations. Nothing changes. The venting doesn’t lead to clarity or action just mutual grievance. That’s misery partnering. When two or more people reinforce each other’s worst perspectives, you’re no longer helping each other process. You’re keeping each other stuck.

How to Spot It at Work

Misery partnering isn’t always loud. It can look like two coworkers grabbing coffee just to complain. It can happen in team group chats or in “just being real” sidebars. It drains your energy and clouds your decision-making. When your default mode is skepticism or complaint, even good ideas start to feel naive. You stop contributing. You play it safe. You protect your mood instead of doing your best work. If you experience any of these, then ask yourself:

Am I sharing this to feel better, or to feel right?
Does this conversation go in circles?
After we talk, do I feel lighter or more stuck?
Are we taking any action, or just blaming?

What You Can Do Instead

You don’t have to cut off every frustrated coworker and you don’t have to bottle things up. You do need to be mindful about how much airtime you’re giving to frustration and whether it’s helping. The next time a coworker starts spiraling, don’t pile on. Listen, but then steer. Ask what they need. Suggest one step forward.

Start with this mantra, “I can listen without absorbing. I can empathize without enabling. I can share my own frustrations without needing someone to sink with me.” Call it what it is: a moment, not a mindset. If you catch yourself being the one pulling others in, pause and ask yourself: “What do I actually want right now? Validation? Change? Relief?”

If you’re stuck in a loop with someone who’s always venting, try asking: “What are you thinking about doing next?” It’s a gentle nudge out of rumination and into action.

How do you avoid becoming a misery partner at work? Please share in the comments.

Take the Time

You take time off work for a vacation because it’s a culturally acceptable reason to rest and restore your body. But what about your brain? If your mind is overloaded, your work suffers. In conversations about taking a mental health day, I’ve heard opinions running the gamut from eye rolls to enthusiasm. Of course, this made me curious.

Why Take a Mental Health Day?

It’s like resting a strained muscle. Pushing through the discomfort doesn’t make you tougher, it wears you down. If you’re feeling mentally exhausted, overwhelmed, or unmotivated, this shows up in your work through mistakes, slow responses, or irritability. Would you trust your job performance after three nights of bad sleep and three days of nonstop Zoom calls? If you catch yourself zoning out in meetings, dreading small tasks, or struggling to care about the outcome of your work, it’s time to step away and reset. How often you take one depends on your workload. Does it regularly drain you? Then maybe quarterly is a good cadence. Do you usually need a break after an intense project? Then schedule one for immediately after delivery. Create a personal system that accommodates the pace of your work and makes it sustainable.

How Do You Request One?

Some people I spoke with worried taking time off for mental health would make them appear unreliable or weak. The good news is more organizations recognize that productivity depends on sustainable work habits. Unlike calling in sick with the flu, a mental health day is best planned ahead. Choose a day that doesn’t interfere with deadlines, major events, or key meetings and give your manager as much notice as possible. Communicate clearly and keep the focus on coverage and continuity.

If your workplace is supportive: Be direct. For example say, “I’d like to take a mental health day next Friday. I’ll make sure everything is on track before I’m out, and I’ll loop in [Teammate] on anything that might come up.” After your manager approves it, coordinate coverage of your projects. Let coworkers know who to contact while you’re out and make sure that person has all the resources they need. Offer to return the favor when they take a day off.

If not: Be indirect. Label your request the term your company uses for flexible paid time off. Usually it’s called a personal day or a vacation day. You don’t have to explain how you intend to use it. For example say, “I’d like to request a personal day for Thursday. My workload is covered and I’ll be back Friday.”

What Should You Do on One?

Nothing: Turn off your laptop. Watch a show. Lie on the couch. Do not feel guilty.

Spend time with people you like: Meet a friend for coffee or lunch. Visit a sibling. Talk to someone who doesn’t expect work talk. Social connection lowers stress and boosts mood.

Roam if you want to: Take a long walk, go to a hot-yoga class, or bike around your neighborhood. The goal is to boost your energy not your fitness.

Something just for you: Read a book. Cook a slow meal. Run errands you’ve been avoiding. Clear clutter. Anything that restores your sense of control.

Volunteer: Spend an hour helping someone else. This could be anything from packing food at a local pantry to helping a student learn to read. There are many local nonprofits who need help.

What is your take on a mental health day? Please share in the comments.

Completion Anxiety

Are you unable to step away from work until every task is checked off your to-do list and every email answered? Do you often think, “I have all these things to do and I can’t get any one of them DONE.”? This relentless drive may be more than dedication. It could be Completion Anxiety (CA).

What Is CA?

Completion Anxiety is the persistent fear of not finishing tasks or not meeting set standards. It causes stress and impedes your productivity.

What Does It Feel Like?

Overwhelmed: You feel swamped by your number of tasks or nervous about your incomplete work.
Restless: Not completing every item on your daily to-do list makes you irritable at the end of the day.
Sick: You get frequent headaches at work or at lunch time you realize you’ve been clenching your muscles all morning.
Unfocused: You can’t concentrate on the task in front of you because you’re worried about all your other unfinished tasks. You are too paralyzed to do anything so you procrastinate.
Perfectionistic: You’re afraid your work is subpar so you try again, but striving for perfection results in missed deadlines.
Dodgy: You avoid tasks that give you stress but the unfinished work doesn’t go away it just accumulates.
Exhausted: The constant pressure you put on yourself to finish projects leaves you burned out and unmotivated.
Tense: Every ding of an email notification stresses you out because you’re nervous you either won’t respond promptly enough or it means another task has been added to your to-do list.

What Can You Do About It?

Confine: Define specific work hours and stick to them. At some point during the last half of your workday, identify tasks that can wait until the next workday. Striving for completion is commendable, but not at the expense of your well-being.
Prioritize: Which tasks are urgent? Which tasks are important? Work a lot on completing the urgent and a little on the important. Schedule time on your calendar to work more on the important later in the week.
Good Enough: Done is better than perfect. Remind yourself perfection isn’t always necessary. Shift your focus from getting every detail absolutely right to making steady progress toward delivering a competent and sufficient result.
Divide: Breaking tasks into smaller steps makes them more manageable and less daunting. Take breaks between completing one step and starting the next.
Celebrate: Recognize your achievements. Acknowledging your completed tasks builds confidence and reduces anxiety. The celebration can be as small as moving a task from your to-do list to your is-done list.
Limit: Allocate specific timeframes to each task to prevent overextending yourself. Sometimes you stare at a project for so long it stops making sense and you doubt yourself. Save your work and come back to it a little later with fresh eyes.
Feedback: Get your work to a minimum viable product then get your manager’s input. This should help reduce your tendency to overwork. Your manager decides when a task meets the required standards. If your work gives them all they need, move on to the next project. If not, clarify what else needs done and keep working on it.

How do you combat Completion Anxiety? Please share in the comments.

Quarterly Contemplation

Reflection isn’t just about looking back. It’s about using the insights you discover to build a better future. When you assess what went well, where you struggled, and what you need to change, you can head into the second quarter of the year with clarity and purpose. Reflections are a powerful way to rest, reset, and refocus. Here are some prompts to get you reflecting on the work you did during the last three months.

How did I contribute to my team’s success?

Assess your collaboration. What strengths did you use? How can you better leverage them? What areas for continuous improvement presented themselves? For example, if you were instrumental in keeping a remote team connected, you may want to focus on expanding your leadership skills.

Who supported me and how can I express gratitude?

Make a list of the people who made your life easier. How did they do it? For example, did they introduce you to one of their connections who is now a potential client? Invest in your key professional relationships by acknowledging those who helped you. A quick thank-you email or LinkedIn endorsement can go a long way.

How does my work align with my long-term career goals?

Confirm you’re moving in the right direction. How does your current role support your aspirations? If it doesn’t, small changes, like taking on stretch assignments, can get you on track.

What skills do I need to stay relevant in my field?

Be a life-long learner. Technology accelerates every industry and keeping up with it is mandatory. What are one or two skills, like learning a new software tool or improving your public speaking, you’d like to learn? Identify competencies that could significantly impact your career trajectory.

Did I set boundaries effectively?

Evaluate your work-life integration. It’s crucial for long-term productivity. What boundaries did you set and maintain, like unplugging after work or saying no to non-essential tasks? Adjusting your approach can help prevent burnout.

What relationships did I build?

Nurture your network. Relationships are essential for career growth. Whom did you meet that connected you with a valuable opportunity? Whom did you support by introducing them to a resource? Plan to reach out to at least one loose-tie contact next month.

What are my goals for Q2?

Plan for the future. What do you want to achieve in the next three months? Get out your Atta Baby! folder. Did the compliment come from completing an assignment you enjoyed? How can you get another one of those? Doing work you enjoy helps you stay motivated.

Next Steps

Schedule quarterly check-ins with yourself to revisit your goals and progress. Treat these like personal performance reviews to stay accountable.
Enroll in a LinkedIn Learning course or an in-person workshop to address a specific skill gap.
Set up a system, like a weekly reflection habit, to keep your goals top of mind.
Celebrate your progress. Acknowledge incremental improvements as wins. It keeps you motivated and reinforces your positive habits.

What prompts do you suggest? Please share in the comments.

The Priority the Sequel

After last week’s discussion around framing time management as self-respect, I received some good questions: “What do I do about the guilt I feel for saying no?” “What do I do about pushback?” “What if I miss out on a golden opportunity?” Let’s explore some answers.

Guilt

You may feel guilty about declining tasks or invitations to join project teams because you worry saying no will make you appear unhelpful or it will damage your relationships with your managers. But saying yes to everything spreads your energy too thin and makes you less effective in the tasks that are important.

Try: Shift your mindset. Saying no to low-priority work isn’t about avoiding responsibility. It’s about ensuring you contribute your best work to what really matters. Intentionally prioritize tasks based on their impact on your organization’s mission and their alignment with your role.

For example: If a team lead asks you to sit in on a meeting that doesn’t directly involve your work, you might say, “I’d love to help where I can. Will you please send me a summary of the key takeaways instead? That way, I can focus on my current deadlines while staying informed.” This approach keeps you engaged without overloading your schedule.

Pushback

The workplace rewards immediate responses and multitasking. (BTW, multitasking is a myth. Do NOT get me started.) This makes it difficult to set boundaries. When you start managing your time more effectively, you will face resistance from coworkers and/or managers who expect you to be available at all times.

Try: Set clear, realistic expectations with your team. If you need uninterrupted time to focus on deep work, then proactively communicate. For example, when you’re working on a report let your team know you’ll be offline for two hours and will check messages afterward.

For example: If a manager frequently assigns last-minute tasks, try saying, “I can take this on, but it will push back my other deadlines. Which task would you like me to prioritize?” This puts the decision back in their hands while reinforcing that your time is limited.

FOMO

You overcommit because you worry turning something down may mean missing a career-changing opportunity. Some opportunities are time-sensitive, but saying yes to everything prevents you from focusing on what best aligns with your long-term goals.

Try: Get clear on your priorities. If an opportunity excites you but doesn’t align with your goals, it may not be the right one.

For example: If you’re invited to join an extra project that sounds interesting but doesn’t directly contribute to your career path, you could say, “This sounds like a great initiative! Right now, I need to focus on my core projects, but I’d love to be considered for similar opportunities in the future.” This keeps the door open while ensuring you don’t overextend yourself.

Experiments

Before accepting a meeting request, ask for an agenda. If there isn’t one, ask what’s expected of you. If they can’t define your role, the meeting may be an email.
Limit open-ended commitments. If someone asks for help, instead of saying, “Sure, I can do that,” try, “I have time for a quick 15-minute call, would that help?” This keeps your contribution focused.
At the end of each workday, take a moment to evaluate: What did I accomplish today? What tasks drained my time unnecessarily? What changes can I make tomorrow to work more efficiently? Reflection ensures you continuously refine your time management approach based on what’s working and what isn’t.

How do you deal with workplace boundary encroachments? Please share in the comments.

Even Keeled

Last week we talked about how to become aware of our emotions, what triggers them, and how they affect our decision making. Now that you know what they are and why they happen, let’s talk about moving from self-awareness to self-regulation.

You Are in Charge

When you start to feel out of control, what can you do to get ahead of your emotions and constructively respond?

Pause – For example, you are tasked with removing the bottleneck from one of your organization’s workflows. You email the project manager an idea. The reply you receive is harshly critical and dismissive. What do you do? You want to fire off a defensive response. Instead, take a breath, step away, and revisit the email later. The pause gives your rational mind a chance to kick in.

Reset – When stress builds, your decision-making suffers. Techniques like deep breathing or a quick meditation can help in the moment. On days you have to make important decisions, take a break to move your body in addition to those tools. Even a short walk around the block can make a difference. Give yourself a 15-minute “reset break” to clear your mind.

Adapt – Asynchronous work environments demand flexibility. For example, a teammate’s delayed reply may derail your plan. When it does, remind yourself that staying open to new solutions helps maintain momentum in the long run.

Get Social

Strong relationships pave the way for problem-solving as well as career advancement. Building those relationships takes deliberate effort.

Communicate – For example, you’re on a video call with your team putting together an agenda for a client update and they are all distracted. Instead of letting your annoyance show, try saying, “I’d love everyone’s input on this. What else do we want the client to know that I don’t have on this list?” Inviting engagement respectfully can shift the tone of the meeting.

Share – Teams thrive when credit is shared. If you’re leading a project, make it a habit to highlight contributions from teammates, even in small ways like Slack shout-outs.

Learn – Disagreements happen. It’s how you handle them that matters. Focus on solutions instead of assigning blame. For example, if someone misses a deadline, instead of saying, “You messed up,” try, “Let’s figure out how to avoid this in the future.”

Support – If you notice a team member struggling with a task, offer to be a resource. A small gesture, like volunteering to review their work, shows commitment to the team’s success.

Galvanize – Even when projects get messy, a positive outlook can help your team keep going. For example, if a new tool isn’t working as expected, reframing the setback as a learning opportunity can keep morale from plummeting.

Practice – Start with one small action each day. For example, pause before replying to an irritating email or ask a colleague how they’re feeling before diving into work. Over time, these habits become second nature.

Next Steps

Remember the emotion log you kept last week? Pull it out. Knowing what you know now, how do you wish you would have responded in those situations? Now you have an option to experiment with the next time those triggers go off. Here are a few ideas to maintain your progress.

Reflect – Spend five minutes at the end of each workday reviewing your emotional responses and interactions. If there is something you wish you’d done differently, make a note of it. If you responded instead of reacted to a trigger, pat yourself on the back.

Experiment – Try one self-regulation technique during a challenging moment. For example, box breathe, or silently count to three before speaking. Find what works best for maintaining your composure.

Ask – Request feedback from a trusted colleague on how you handle stress during collaboration. This is a private conversation maybe over coffee.

How do you self-regulate to function better at work? Please share in the comments.