The Occupational Wellness is the last but not least part in my 8 Wellness Pillars overview. In short, this Wellness aspects means that we need to have a balance when it comes to our work environment and the work situation itself. To YOU feel satisfied when it comes to what you do?
Do you feel connected to colleagues and are you comfortable with the overall work environment you find yourself in?
Worklife takes up a big chunk of our time, and I think we can all agree that a work environment does have a huge impact on our overall wellbeing – in a good and bad way. I surely remember how some work environments influenced my emotional wellbeing first and then slowly my health too. Sleepless nights anyone?
Having said that I want to take the thinking away from “work” only. I don’t see this as “purely work” related, meaning only work that pays. To me, this wellness pillar looks into the parts that occupy most of our time.
Occupational behaviour is equally important when you “stay at home”! After all, everything you do (work) and all the connections (colleagues) you make will have an impact on how you feel. Whether you’re a full-time parent, studying, looking into career changes, starting an own business or are volunteering.
And when it comes to expat life the Occupational Wellness can be a tough one. After all we never really know what to expect when we move. Work ethics, (office) culture, management styles, ways of communication are often not fully clear. Only once you move you find yourself exposed to it all and (try to) make it work.
At the end of the day, no matter what you do and where you are, you want to feel good. You want to sit down in the evening with a positive feeling, a feeling of accomplishment. You want to have days that inspire you and make you feel connected.
But don’t only wait for others to take action, or blame others. A lot of this requires own action taking. After all, you are in charge of your life. So don’t stand still, keep educating yourself, stay interested and motivated. Work on creating connections to those around you. If you feel stuck it often helps to set some goals – short terms to get out of the rut, long term to have something to work towards.
I came across this overview on Occupational Wellness. It’s focused on students but it gives a great overview of areas that all have an influence when it comes to this wellness part.
There will always be moments in life when you can’t really influence the situation you find yourselves in. Or the anticipated changes do take longer than you hoped for. When you find yourself in such a situation, accept that it takes more time, but don’t lose track of what you want to achieve.
Here is a quick fix that you can try out when you feel off balance in your occupational wellness.
And do talk to others when you feel stuck or worn out! You might be surprised at how many experienced similar situations and can give (emotional) support and guidance.
And if you feel stuck, and if you can’t change your situation just yet try to find other outlets within the Wellness Pillars to create a balance for yourself.
No, not every day, week or even month will be balanced, but finding ways to feel as balanced as possible in our overall life is important.
All the very best to you,
AK