Well-being is hard to define, even for mental health professionals. The concept of well-being is different for everyone, but it’s clear that health and happiness are linked to success at the personal, professional, and interpersonal levels. It’s synonymous with positive mental health.
Individuals high in well-being are more productive at work and more effective learners, proving that becoming a “better you” can lead to more professional long-term success.
Insights You Can Use For Personal and Professional Growth
Professional growth isn’t possible unless you’re in the right headspace. If you want to see your career grow right along with you, start applying the following insights in your day-to-day life.
1. Finding Purposes in Your Life … and Your Work
The term “healthy work-life balance” is thrown around often, but what does that mean for your development? Our productivity decreases the more we work, and long work hours eventually lead to burnout. When we’re burnt out, our personal and professional life suffers.
Burnout is a special type of work stress that involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity. This typically happens when you work in an environment with unclear job expectations, a dysfunctional work culture, or a place that encourages work-life imbalance.
But there’s more to life than work. If you feel that your workplace is contributing to your burnout, it’s essential to find a supervisor who lets you get the rest you need when you need it.
Employer review websites like jobsage.com give potential employees insight into how companies treat their team members. If a workplace establishes a healthy work-life balance, you’ll be able to focus on things that aren’t work-related, like your personal goals.
2. Living In The Now to Avoid Personal Regrets
No one lives forever. While that assessment is immediately obvious to anyone who hears it, we often make sacrifices against our better judgment for a goal. There’s nothing wrong with sacrifice if you’re working towards something, but what do you do in times of stagnancy?
If you’re in a truly dead-end job and you don’t think it’s contributing to your personal or professional goals, you need to leave it. The biggest regret of 90-somethings is not loving enough, being curious enough, and exploring their personal or professional options.
The best way to experience life is in the moment, even if it’s scary, so if you want to explore a career path or go back to school to get a degree, there’s no time like the present.
Keep in mind that you don’t have to do something drastic to live in the moment. You can focus on your professional development by taking an online class or learning a language through an app. Or, you could focus on your professional development by practicing mindfulness.
3. Embrace Learning and Fail Faster Than Ever
Speaking of scary, the fear of failure often tops the list of professionals. We know that being scared of trying will prevent our personal and professional growth, but that doesn’t make it easier. To make matters worse, most of our employers actively discourage making mistakes.
Mistakes are important for our brain because it helps us learn what not to do in the future. But if we stop there, we won’t gain insight on how to complete a process better or faster next time.
Remember that your learning rate is steepest when you learn the least. Don’t be afraid of failure because it accelerates your learning curve. In your professional life, constant learning can lead to more effective and satisfying work, which in turn improves your personal well-being.
Your brain doesn’t separate your personal or professional life; one plays into the other. If you see making mistakes as a positive thing, that will inevitably improve your overall development.
4. Leisure Time and Relaxation Is Important
It’s not at all uncommon for hard-working professionals to see leisure time as unimportant, but that simply isn’t true. We touched on why it’s essential to have a healthy work-life balance to find your purpose, but taking the time to relax isn’t just about having time away from work.
It’s about mentally disconnecting from it. You’re giving 40 hours per week to your job, and that’s more than enough. Anything more should be considered abusive, not praised, but stretching ourselves too thin often is. It’s the reason why we can’t disconnect when off the clock.
It’s okay to spend time with your friends, enjoy your hobbies, and have a life outside of work. Give yourself the chance to relax for relaxation’s sake. It’ll help you become a happier person.
If you’re becoming more distant from your friends and family, or you’re throwing yourself into your work to avoid confronting a problem, please speak to a mental health professional. It’s likely that workaholism is affecting your life, and you owe it to yourself to be happy.
5. Develop an Active Social Life or Find a Mentor
We’re all looking to connect to our coworkers and the people in our industry. However, we may feel discouraged to do this if we’re punished for it. Team building is 100% important in any industry because networking and referrals are the best way to find great career opportunities.
You can join industry associations, like the American Nurses or Small Business Association, to find professionals in your space, connect with others, and gain much-needed support.
Another way to add to your social development is by finding a mentor who can help guide you towards the path of professional growth. You don’t need to be close to your mentors, but it definitely helps. A mentor who is both a friend and confidant is valuable for your growth.
Becoming a workaholic isn’t the answer to loneliness; it’s the cause of it. Without an active friend group found in your coworkers, mentors, and family members, you’ll become dissatisfied with life. It’s important to work on your social skills to find a trusting, healthy friend group.
Also Read: How To Motivate Sales People
