There is no doubt that this is a strange time.  For many it’s overwhelming and stressful.  With high levels of unemployment, small businesses going under, children at home from school and worry over loved ones getting coronavirus, anxiety is higher than ever.  COVID-19 is seriously affecting mental health. 

We live in a world where we are pulled in several directions, our limited attention is grabbed and demanded, and we rarely experience a moment of nothingness.  This way of being is having serious ramifications for people and organizations globally.

While running a business keeps the to-do list full, some recent events caused my plate to be vastly overflowing.  As someone that works to help people understand their de-energizers, build mental muscles and habits that decrease stress, and recondition negative behaviors and thoughts, I know all too well what little sleep and lots of responsibilities could do to one’s mind, body and soul.

At MyEMQ, we have extensively researched what makes people feel their best, feel fulfilled, and happy. We studied hundreds of sources of data from neuroscience, psychology, mental wellness, and wellbeing, including academic papers, expert opinions, books, and research studies. After using our data modeling methodology, we uncovered 74 attributes across 12 factors that keep people feeling positive, highly productive, and mentally well. What we found included the foundational self-care habits that we all think of: high-quality rest, fitness, and nutrition, and also highlighted the importance of mental wellbeing. Just like we spend time working on our muscles at the gym to give us strength or reduce pain, mental muscles are equally important.

Life is speeding up, distractions are at every moment and there is “noise” everywhere. Those back to back meetings, those email notifications, those chat pings … all coming up on multiple devices. It is no wonder that studies have found that 8 in 10 Americans are afflicted by stressand more than half of employees have experienced job burnout.

The truth is, we all have 24 hours in the day, and how you spend that time is critical to avoiding burnout as well as feeling and performing your best. If you are always feeling overwhelmed, stressed and as if you should have got more done, there are some strategies you can try to maximize your capacity and feel more energized!

On: Thrive Global

Levels of burnout and stress are concerning to say the least. A Gallup study found that 23 percent of employees reported feeling burned out at work very often or always, while an additional 44 percent reported feeling burned out sometimes, leading to decreased wellbeing and health as well as increased health-care and business costs. There are several approaches that can be used to proactively avoid burnout as well as deal with it if you do find yourself in a state of burnout, from both an individual and organizational level. The Gallup study also found that employees who felt supported by their managers were overwhelmingly less likely to experience burnout on a regular basis. From our work helping managers cultivate leadership skills that empower a positively energized and productive culture, here are some considerations for those who want to support their employees feel less stressed!