By Meaghan Jansen, MSc, BSc, BA
Check out some strategies and ideas we can use to help us manage stress and focus our mindset on positivity and productivity.
In today’s fast-paced and competitive world, a healthy and positive mindset is vital not only for personal well-being but also for fostering a productive and harmonious workplace environment. Mindset refers to the collection of attitudes and beliefs that shape our thoughts, behaviours, and overall outlook on life. By understanding the significance of mindset and implementing strategies to promote a healthy mindset, organizations can create a workplace culture that thrives on positivity, resilience, and growth.
Our mindset profoundly impacts how we perceive and respond to challenges, setbacks, and opportunities. A positive mindset allows individuals to approach difficulties with resilience, viewing them as opportunities for growth rather than insurmountable obstacles. This mindset fosters problem-solving, innovation, and a willingness to take calculated risks. Moreover, a healthy mindset encourages collaboration, open communication, and empathy, strengthening relationships and enhancing teamwork within the workplace. Ultimately, a positive mindset empowers individuals to navigate uncertainties, adapt to change, and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
How to Encourage a Healthy Mindset
In the video above, I discuss various strategies that we can all use to help us manage the way we think so we can be more positive and productive. Here are a few concepts that can help us better understand how our minds work and what we do to promote a healthy mindset.
Energy Blocking: Acknowledge the things that drain your energy and what gives you a boost. Understanding your energy suckers and energizers can help you manage your time and responsibilities in a way that doesn’t leave you exhausted at the end of the day. Check out the video for a simple exercise to help you put this concept into practice.
Beat the Negativity Bias: As humans, we have a cognitive bias towards the negative. This means our emotional response to negative events is amplified compared to similar positive ones. This bias leads us to pay more attention to bad things and it takes longer for us to get back to our baseline emotional state.
We all have a baseline mental state. When good things happen, we rise above this line and experience positive emotions. On the flip side, when we experience something negative, we sink below that baseline. The challenge is that even when something good happens, we don’t quite make it back to our baseline state because we’re still stuck on the negative experience. It takes extra effort for us to get our mind back on a positive note.
Gratitude: Celebrating the good things in our life is a powerful tool for promoting a positive mindset. By cultivating a practice of gratitude, we shift our focus towards appreciating what we have rather than dwelling on what we lack. This mindset shift fosters a sense of contentment, optimism, and abundance. In the video, I share some ways you can create a gratitude practice using ideas like gratitude jars and brain-dumping journals.
Promoting a Healthy, Positive Mindset at Work
Including a positive mindset in your workplace wellness programming is essential for fostering a supportive and thriving work environment. Initiatives like mindfulness training, gratitude practices, and resilience-building workshops can help cultivate a positive mindset within the workplace.
Encourage Self-Awareness: Help employees understand their own thoughts, emotions, and triggers through self-reflection exercises and mindfulness practices. This self-awareness enables individuals to identify negative patterns and work towards transforming them.
Provide Growth Opportunities: Offer training, development programs, and clear career pathways to support employees’ professional growth. Empowering individuals with the skills and knowledge to succeed boosts confidence, enhances motivation, and cultivates a growth-oriented mindset.
Foster a Supportive Environment: Create an inclusive workplace where individuals feel valued, respected, and safe to express their opinions and ideas. Encourage collaboration, teamwork, and constructive feedback to build trust and camaraderie among colleagues.
Celebrate Achievements: Recognize and appreciate individual and team accomplishments. Celebrating milestones, both big and small, reinforces a positive mindset and encourages a culture of gratitude and appreciation.
Creating a Healthy Workplace Culture
By promoting a healthy, positive mindset, organizations can create a workplace culture that benefits employees and the overall business. A healthy workplace culture fosters increased employee engagement, productivity, and loyalty. It encourages open communication, creativity, and innovation, resulting in improved problem-solving and decision-making. Furthermore, a positive mindset helps reduce stress, burnout, and absenteeism, leading to higher job satisfaction and overall well-being. Ultimately, a healthy workplace culture built on a positive mindset cultivates resilience, fosters personal growth, and drives organizational success.
Mindset plays a crucial role in shaping our experiences and interactions within the workplace. By actively promoting a healthy and positive mindset, organizations can create a workplace culture that supports individual well-being, enhances teamwork, and drives success. Investing in mindset development is a powerful strategy for building a thriving and harmonious workplace where employees can reach their full potential.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
1. Be aware of what you do to de-stress. Taking care of yourself is most important. You can’t take care of others without first taking care of yourself!
2. Try energy blocking! Instead of managing time (because who can these days?!), alternate energy suckers with energizers. This will help you end your day feeling less mentally exhausted. Be sure to start and end the day with an energizer.
3. A positive mindset is powerful, but takes work! Look for ways to challenge the negative mindset. We are wired to think negatively! Try reading, meditation, or other ways to bridge that gap.
4. Gratitude and appreciation for what goes right is a great way to focus on the positive. Often, we dwell on what goes wrong, rather than focus on what goes right. Keep track using a Gratitude Jar and add to it every day!
5. Still focusing on negativity and worries? Try brain-dumping. At the back of a journal, jot down anything that is currently causing you worry and anxiety. At the front of the journal, focus on the positive and what you are grateful for. Try using the gratitude prompts I’ve included here.
Need some more assistance?
Get your FREE N0-Obligation Strategy Session with Meaghan by emailing us today (info@ewsnetwork.com). Employee Wellness Solutions Network can help you create a healthier culture resulting in a more profitable and successful workplace. Our memberships give you access to services including corporate wellness specialists, trainers and health coaches to help you create the best strategy for your organization. To learn more about the memberships, visit Employee Wellness Solutions Network.