Resilience Strategies for Better Workplaces

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Be sure to check out the new sections I have added after today's key content:

1. The highlight reel featuring client feedback on workshops, keynotes and coaching
2. The Newly Released Section to share podcasts and summit interviews where you can access more free content
3. Upcoming Events

Todays content on Resilience Strategies for Better Workplaces comes from the workshop Resilience: Your Zone of Well Being.

What is Resilience

Resilience is the ability to adapt and overcome to the changes or misfortune in our lives without suffering negative effects.

Resilience means you experience challenging things, you have feelings, sometimes you fail and you hurt, but you have the ability to keep going without experiencing long term or significant negative effects.

What Resilience is NOT

Equally important to note is the type of activities and beliefs that undermine resilience and cover up our need for resilience activities. Here are a list of things you may

• Pushing through: The belief that we must push through ignores our most immediate needs and increases our risk of burnout.
• Being strong: You may be familiar with Aesop’s fable about an oak tree and some reeds. The oak tree bragged about being strong and staying straight and unbending during many storms. While the reeds were not strong, their flexibility and adaptability helped them survive a great hurricane when the oak tree fell. Resilience is about being more like the reeds instead of the oak tree.
• Grit and determination: sustainable and persistent movement towards a goal is different than ignoring the risks and signs of burnout risk is burnout or ignoring the signs that it is time to quit or change directions
• Hardening up is the opposite of resilience. If an experience requires you to change who you are to survive, it is time to look at the resilience partners in your life. begins with owning your vulnerability and being brave enough to share your vulnerabilities and emotions with others.
• A one size fits all plan: sleep, rest, and diet are the three main topics at resilience workshops but it is so much more. There’s diversity within resilience – it doesn’t have a one size fits all criterion.
• The absence of pain or distress

The Zone of Well Being

Like riding the waves of life, we are able to navigate the challenges and successes without significant change to our mental health. It is in this zone that we perform at our best, adjust to the unplanned for demands of our time, and successfully navigate the challenges of our jobs.

There are times, however, when life throws us too many challenges at one time or challenges of significant force that it knocks us off balance.

We find ourselves struggling to maintain a sense of balance and it can feel like we are being thrust around the ocean with no lifejacket.

This is where it makes sense to look more closely at your resilience allies and build your own boat to reach safer shores.

Resilience Allies

A resilience plan that identifies your resilience allies is a holistic approach and includes looking at eight core areas of your life. When it comes to assessing our current resilience status, you can find many resources that speak about the 3, 5, 7 or even 12 factors of resilience.

I take my clients through an activity I call the Circle of Resilience where we look at multiple areas of your life and assess how happy you are with each of these domains, and conversely, identify the areas of your life that need more attention. Some key areas include:

• Problem solving
• Asking for help when you are struggling
• Communication skills with others
• Managing feelings when things don't go as planned

It is far more complex than managing your own self care and taking a weekend "off work". The approach to your resilience plan needs to be tailored to your specific needs.

When you have clarity around your resilience allies, you can see it goes far beyond the diet, exercise, and better sleep remedies many programs promote and focuses in on what you need to do right now to navigate the challenges you are facing with more grace.

Why Resilience, Why Now?

Resilience is an always topic. We know that employees well being matters, and it will always matter. The challenge is how do we individually manage our own stressors so that we can continue to produce quality work, even in the final stretch of the year when there is much still to do.

Resilience allows our leaders to remain effective and emotionally aware of self and others in difficult times.

Resilience is what drives innovation and improves creativity in teams.

Resilience is your organizations secret weapon to driving results.

Ready to fill your cup and keep out of the danger zone of burnout and other mental health injuries? Learn more here.

Last month I had the pleasure of hosting a 3 hour workshop to help the Dental Hygiene staff at the Vancouver Community College Gracefully Address Workplace Bullying and presented to the Rural Northern Alberta Healthcare Providers during their 1 hour education session called Knowledge in a Nutshell where we dove into the Conflict Engagement Model.

All of the survey responses from attendees at the 3 hour workshop on Gracefully Addressing Workplace Bullying as the instructors found this workshop to be effective in providing them with content to address bad days and bullying.

When asked about their favorite experience or moment from the workshop, here is a sample of what they had to say:

• The resources for future reflection and use
• A good reminder on how to effectively handle difficult conversations.
• Working through the role rehearsal scenarios with prompting and support from Tammy!
• Scripts to start a conversation

1. This is the first interview about my journey through surviving workplace bullying that had me thinking in a whole new way! In the Mindset Makeover Summit, I explore the topic of community as it relates to healing and recovery, and it's connection to mindset.

I am joining a group of 20 experts from the realms of mindset, leadership, fitness, nutrition, and community support to guide you on a transformative 10-day journey. Our goal is to help you discover how to break free from the chains of deprivation and self-punishment and learn the real strategies to overcome obstacles, embrace a positive mindset, and achieve your wellness goals.

1. Mastering Workplace Communication with Nurse Tammy on the Nothing But Nursing Podcast: This one is for the nurses, nursing students, and any healthcare professional who is beginning their career. There are so many questions and times when students and new nurses feel uncomfortable. In this month's podcast release, Host Ketki Palande asks me the questions all new nurses want answers to

October

October 20: Healthcare Aide 2023 Conference is a day of celebration, growth and recognition for the work and contributions of Health Care Aides in Alberta. Hosted by Norquest Community College.

Keynote Gracefully Address Workplace Bullying

November

November 14-16, FOCUS 2023 is a two-day event for Division of Quality Assurance (DQA) staff and health care providers hosted in Wisconsin. I will be presenting two sessions on Gracefully Address Workplace Bullying

Put Your Event Here

To inquire about these workshops and others, visit my website for more details or set up an appointment to explore your organizational or event needs.