Let's Talk About Mental Health

This week's topic - Balancing Comfort and Challenge: A guide for young Irrigation Professionals

As a young professional, or new entrant in the irrigation industry, finding the balance between staying within your comfort zone and embracing new challenges is crucial for your personal growth and development. This balance not only enhances your skills but also keeps you motivated and engaged in your work. The business will grow and develop around you and provide further opportunities for personal growth.

Training is always an option, whether it be accredited training or non-accredited training, the benefits provided is endless.

Here’s how you can maintain this balance effectively.

Set Clear Goals

Start by setting clear, achievable goals. Short-term goals help you take those small steps outside your comfort zone, while long-term goals will give you a vision or a target to strive for. Break down your long-term goals into manageable steps, this will help manage[NC1]? and avoid that feeling of feeling overwhelmed.

Exposure to Challenges – Small steps

Approach new challenges step-by-step. Instead of diving in headfirst, take gradual steps that progressively push your boundaries. This method ensures steady growth without unnecessary stress.

Reflect and Assess

Regular self-reflection [NC2]?helps you understand your comfort zone and identify areas for growth or further revision. Journaling is a popular way for tracking your progress, fears, and achievements.

Seek out your Support Network

Don’t hesitate to seek guidance from mentors or peers. Their support will provide valuable insights and encouragement along the way, making it easier to step out of your comfort zone.

Balance Rest and Activity

Ensure you take regular breaks away from your workplace challenges to recharge. Engaging in self-care practices promotes both mental and physical well-being, which is essential for maintaining balance.

You may be inspired to take on challenges away from work that you never thought you could.

Scenario-Based Examples

Here are two scenario-based examples that will help you on the way to discovering new comfort levels and challenge opportunities.

Scenario 1: Taking on New Responsibilities

Imagine you’ve been working as an irrigation installer for a few months, and you’ve become quite comfortable with the routine tasks. One day, your supervisor asks if you’d like to take the lead on a small project. Your mind starts racing, you are confused – why me? Those strong feelings of fear and nervousness start doing their thing. You say yes! Your supervisor says he’ll get back to you. Now, you start avoiding contact with your supervisor – just in case he asks you again. Your heart is beating out of your chest – you want to take on the role, but you just don’t know where to start.

When you get to the project opportunity –

• Step 1: Set a clear goal for the project and understand the scope of works that need to be undertaken. Setting goals such as completing it within the required timeline is a good place to start.
• Step 2: Gradually expose yourself to the challenge, start with planning each step and gradually moving toward the project start date. Your supervisor will be a great mentor at this point. Another good resource will be yourself – How many times have you already worked on similar projects? What needs to be done? Dig a little and you’ll surprise yourself with what you know.
• Step 3: Reflect on your progress regularly and seek feedback from your supervisor. Set project milestones and share them with team members. Those daily pre-start meetings are a great help for this.
• Step 4: Take breaks and practice self-care to manage your stress. Stress is normal so accept it and work with it. All projects have their challenges, some will be expected, others just seem to come from nowhere but need to be managed. That feeling of being overwhelmed returns, but a walk away to gather your thoughts will get you back on track.

By breaking down the new responsibility into manageable steps and seeking support, you can confidently take on the challenge without feeling overwhelmed. It’s worthwhile setting up your support network before you start the project.

Scenario 2: Learning a New Skill

As a retail worker in the irrigation industry, you might feel comfortable with customer interactions but less so with technical knowledge about the products you sell. Your manager suggests you learn about the technical aspects to provide better customer service.

• Step 1: Set a goal to learn about one new product each week. You will find endless information is available from suppliers and manufacturers, you will also find video libraries on platforms such as YouTube.
• Step 2: Gradually increase the complexity of the products you study. Consider talking about products with the manufacturer reps that visit the retail outlet. Non-accredited training opportunities can be freely available, leading into accredited courses with a recognised qualification at graduation.
• Step 3: Reflect on your learning progress and seek feedback from colleagues or customers. Others will notice that your knowledge and skills are developing, use this feedback to set new goals and move onto new challenges.
• Step 4: Balance your study sessions with breaks to avoid burnout. It’s easy to get caught up so remember to balance your sessions with other activities. Reach out for support and set up your network of mentors.

By setting clear goals and gradually increasing the difficulty, you can expand your technical knowledge without stepping too far outside your comfort zone. Push the boundaries a little at a time. Demonstrate your knowledge in the workplace by sharing at Toolbox Talks or other in-house information sharing events. One day you may be asked to manage a specific area of the business, or go to site and quote on projects, and someday you might be asked to manage the store!

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Helpful contacts and links:

TIACS - 0488 846 988 - https://www.tiacs.org/

Beyond Blue - 1300 22 4636 - https://www.beyondblue.org.au

Lifeline Australia - 13 11 14 - https://www.lifeline.org.au/