How Employees Can Stay Motivated At Work During Their Emotional Hard-Times?

None of us are privy to the fact that each day in the office is not the same. Sometimes we feel under the blue because of things that are happening in our personal lives. Off days are common – during such days we find it hard to focus & lack the required motivation. It is on these days that we need the motivation to get us through.

Most of us spend so much time working on and improving our physical health. What we forget is that mental and emotional health is equally important. Motivation is a must for good mental health. It’s an ongoing process. It is an inner drive which needs to be planted and watered every day.

We all go through a lot of emotional trauma during our personal hard times, which directly takes a toll and disturbs our mental health and peace. Hard times may be monetary issues, a death of a near one, breakups & relationship issues. As humans, our problems majorly revolve in and around ‘Money, Time & People’.

As I handle the Human Resources for Nethority, we have an HR hour every day for the team members to come in & chat. We discuss and get their queries solved about work, concerns, any changes in work processes etc, during this time.

I have encountered that the team members generally open up about the hardships they are facing in their personal lives & the pain that they go through to keep up with the pace of everyday life. When people go through so much hardship, they feel pretty demotivated. This is why I thought it was a much-needed topic that we must discuss on an open platform. Talking about such issues is always helpful and beneficial to the people around us.

Here, I will be sharing “How can an employee stay motivated during personal hard times at the Workplace?”

For this article, I am only writing about staying motivated at the workplace while going through some serious personal problems, in my next article; I will be sharing about Professional hard times. Here are some quick steps that you can take to overcome the hardships and stay motivated.

• Sharing :

Quality relationships play a vast role in the nurturing of a healthy workplace; this can increase motivation & also increase company loyalty. This theory has been also validated by Gallups Survey, which speaks about ‘having a best friend at work’.

In today’s marketplace, developing trusting relationships has become a sign of emotional compensation which is one of the most important factors like the other – biological, Intellectual & Social.

Generally sharing is taken as a weakness. However, it surely is an Attribute. It is very necessary to have a good Friend or Close friend at the workplace that you can share your concerns with. Also, the World Economic Forum has identified that Loneliness is one of the biggest problems that we are facing currently.

Sharing makes you stronger, it gives you the freedom to make better choices and get rid of the frustration you might be feeling.

• Compartmentalize :

Coping strategies are short-term solutions. They might help for quick relief and also help in achieving some focus. Compartmentalize your situations. One can isolate the issue from all the other challenges he/she is dealing with. Try to focus on the current moment rather than worrying about your problem.

Just like, Work -Life Balance is not only balancing your time with family and getting to spend time with them, it also means compartmentalizing Personal & Professional Life.

Try to stay away from negative thoughts by letting it go and stay in the present moment. I know it surely is difficult, but, it will definitely help you stay motivated at work.

 

• Defining Severity :

Before sharing with your close one, first, understand how severe your problem is and if it is short term or long term. If it short -term, you should immediately work on it and find a solution. However, if you think there is no solution to it then you should try to reduce the intensity of your emotional reactions. If you still cannot do anything about it let it pass.

On the other hand, if the problems are long-term then you should definitely consult with the other person involved or get a solution from someone you really trust and tackle the situation willfully.

Acting on it rather than worrying will get you in a better position and will help you overcome the stress quickly.

• Inculcate Different hobbies :

Avoiding or forgetting about your stress is not an easy task. Which is why we need to unwind and let our minds relax from time to time? To do this, you can inculcate certain new hobbies into your everyday routine or lifestyle. We all know & have read about journaling quite a lot of times, writing down your thoughts surely can help in lowering the negative feelings. There are many other hobbies and stress buster activities you can opt for. Some include – playing any sport, listening to your favorite music, hanging out with friends, doing some social work, spending time with your pet, gardening and much more. Whatever mental struggles you are facing, developing a hobby will most certainly help.

Always remember, every phase is temporary, it will pass soon and in the right way. But, for this, you need to act in the right manner and provide a right degree of importance.