In a world where we spend more time with our colleagues than our families, we often forget the human nature of the people we work with. We all go through periods where we feel low, extra sensitive or energetically drained, yet we expect our teams to put that aside to perform during periods of change and transformation. We tend to focus on change execution and forget that people are, after all, people.
When it comes to the big picture things, most people are pretty good at looking after themselves. They eat, get some sleep, and interact with people around them. But it is often the smaller picture, well-being stuff that is left unattended. Over time, neglecting these smaller picture items can prolong negative feelings, lead to depletion and cause loss of motivation. Sometimes negative self-talk and self-limiting beliefs set in and before we know it, team performance is at an all-time low. As leaders and managers, it is important to honour that feeling unmotivated and tired is a part of living and we can honour the humanity of our teams by encouraging a culture of self-care.
A good way to encourage self-care through a period of change, transformation or upheaval is to ask the following questions. Over time, your teams will ask themselves these questions when they notice they are feeling low or tired.
1.) Have you had enough water to drink today?
The link between water and stress reduction is well documented. All our organs, including our brains, need water to function properly. If you’re dehydrated, your body isn’t running well - and that can lead to stress. Stress leads to dehydration and dehydration leads to more stress. Whenever you have been doing a lot of work that requires concentration, your body requires a lot more water. Water also helps to release toxins from the body. This question is often a good reminder for people who have been focused on an activity for prolonged periods of time.
2.) Have you eaten something nutritious today?
During periods of stress, it is easy to lose your appetite or gravitate towards sugary or salty foods. This is particularly common when people feel tied to their desk on a busy day. While this can satisfy cravings for a moment, in the long run this can lead to increased feelings of low energy and exhaustion. Poor eating habits are often an indicator of tired teams. Encouraging healthy eating and focus your team on eating nutritious meals at work.
3.) Have you stretched and moved your body?
Most of us spend the majority of our day at our desks, staring at our computer screens. As you might suspect, it's not so great for our necks, eyes and bodies. Moving and stretching your body is a great way to get your blood flowing. It also provides your team with a break from their task and an opportunity to refresh their thinking.
4.) Have you paused for a moment and taken 5 deep breaths?
After a while, our brains numb out the constant stimulation of working, and we become unable to continuously treat the task as important. Asking your team to take a moment to close their eyes, still their minds and take 5 deep breaths can be extremely relaxing and rejuvenating. Studies have also shown that breaks boost creativity- a great way to encourage problem solving.
5.) Have you done something to help a colleague this week?
One of the best ways to boost your mood is to do something nice for someone else. Committing acts of kindness gives us positive self-regard, provides more positive social interactions and chances to make friends at work, relieves distress about misfortunes, leads to a greater likelihood people will help us in return and helps us see the world as a more generous and caring place. All this can boost a change project or transformation.
6.) Have you reached out to your colleagues for a chat over lunch?
While spending time alone is great for self-reflection and contemplation, it can also lead to repetitive thinking and feelings of being stuck. Encouraging teams to interact can help them become “unstuck” and see beyond the stress and problems they are facing.
7.) Have you made time to do the things that you enjoy doing?
Very often we get so busy that we forget to actually enjoy ourselves! Ask your team if they have scheduled in time to not only complete the tasks that need doing, but the tasks that they enjoy too.
8.) Have you said something gentle to yourself in the last hour?
Most of us are super hard on ourselves and beat ourselves up for not doing enough or being enough or for making mistakes. Encourage positive self-talk in your team and celebrate their wins.
9.) Have you addressed or dealt with any nagging thoughts or feelings?
Having something on your chest or repetitive thoughts can weigh you down and cause you to feel irritable. If there is something troubling your team, give them permission to address it.
10.) Have you reflected on all the things you feel grateful for?
Gratitude. This wins every time when it comes to raising positivity and helping teams shift out of periods of low motivation. Simply ask them to reflect on 7 things they feel grateful for and it will always help to brighten their day (and yours).