Lesser the emotional baggage...
IT IS AGAIN one of those periods when nothing seems to work in your personal life and you find yourself under severe stress unable to cope with the problems. Somehow you manage to get to office with a state of mind that is far from happy. Yet, you find it difficult to concentrate on what your boss or colleagues say. As for your subordinates, they become the victims of your angry outbursts and frustration. So, there you are at work loaded with emotional baggage from your personal life. Stop, and think for a moment. Your personal problems are affecting your professional life.
The question here is how do you handle such a situation? To begin with, chuck your emotional baggage, make a clear distinction between your personal and professional life and learn to discriminate between issues affecting both these areas. Beware, expect troubles if you allow the lines to overlap.
Here are some ways that help you avoid carrying personal problems to work:
Just as bringing your workplace problems home affects your personal life, the contrary applies to your professional life as well. Leave your personal problems at the door when you head for office. Though this may sound difficult, one has to train their mind to separate these two entities of life. This can be done through yoga, meditation and learning to be calm in the face of difficulties.
Some personal problems like a death in the family, an ailing parent or a difficult divorce process may be emotionally draining and may not allow concentration at work. At times like these, take a break from work and rejoin when the crisis is over.
Join a support group to solve your personal crisis; being with other people facing a similar crisis allows you to vent your frustrations and probably find a solution. Such groups can help you avoid bringing a negative mind-set to work.
Remember that you are at office to contribute something to yourself, your peers and the community. You work to do something you are good at and also getting paid for it. Letting your personal problems affect your work goes against this very purpose. People who bring emotional baggage to work become inefficient, temperamental and above all vent their pent-up frustrations on their job, colleagues and subordinates. Performance suffers and productivity goes down.At work, get to know your peers and interact more with those who have a positive attitude, they will kindle your energy. Get support from your boss or manager; let him or her know the crises you are going through in your personal life. They may understand, empathise and offer possible solutions. Opt for an Employment Assistance Programme or avail of paid counselling services if offered by your company.
Apart from keeping personal problems away from work, one must also know how to deal with them too. Look at life with optimism; determine what changes you can make in your personal life so that problems are reduced. See if you can add some predictability and structure to your personal life.
Take some time out for yourself, do at least three things everyday for yourself. Ensure that you eat well, exercise regularly and take adequate rest. Engage yourself in the activity you like the most, at least once every week. Use part of the lunch hour to take a walk or read an inspirational book. If you adopt some of these methods, you will be surprised to find yourself working efficiently despite the personal problems. In fact, your workplace can become a safe haven away from the turmoil on your home front.
HEMA GOPALKRISHNAN
faqs@cnkonline.com
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