As working women, we all have career goals and aspirations. However, we have other priorities as well, such as our mental wellness, our physical health, and our social lives.
Today, we're going to talk about the balancing act of giving attention to our various priorities and look at how burnout affects women in the workplace.
Employee Health Priority Study
Alight's 2020 Employee Wellbeing Mindset Study breaks employee well-being down into five categories:
Physical
Mental/Emotional
Financial
Social
Career
The study focused on two groups of the millennial generation — emerging millennials and established millennials. Millennials are in their late twenties to late thirties right now, so they are not the children that many people refer to. Many of them are well into their careers or have children of their own.
As you can see in the chart below, the study found that reducing debt is the number one priority for both groups in this generation. Financial health is at the top of so many people's priority lists because if we start to live outside our means, we struggle to pay our bills, stress increases, and we start to feel unwell. There is a direct link between our financial health and our stress levels.
How to Improve Your Financial Health: If you often find yourself hesitant to look at your credit card statements or the interest rates on your student loans, it's time to take an honest look at your financial situation. It may not be easy to confront your current position, but the first step to getting back on track is addressing the problem. If financial security is your number one health priority, make sure you are giving it the appropriate amount of attention. Make a reasonable monthly budgeting plan that will allow you to chip away at your debt without piling onto it.
Women in the Workplace: Burnout
According to Alight's study, emerging millennials, women, and virtual workers are more likely to report the effects of burnout. Our mental wellness and physical health should also be on our priority lists, and identifying and healing burnout is part of that self-care.
How to Deal With Burnout: During this study, people were asked to rate their burnout symptoms on a scale of one to four, and more than half reported a two or three level. It is important to understand that symptoms come in all forms and do not always seem as obvious as an anxiety attack during a high-stress situation.
Today's world makes it hard to disconnect from our devices and check back in with ourselves. That leaves many of us feeling distracted, fatigued, and overwhelmed. Even when off the clock, we find it hard to relax. The Pomodoro Method is a great way to stay focused on work tasks during the day so you can avoid the anxiety that comes with procrastination. If it feels like you are constantly working in one way or another, I invite you to create boundaries and stick to them.
Take Action: What Is Your Health Priority?
Think about the five categories in Alight's study: physical, mental, financial, social, and career: Which of these is your health priority? Take a moment to determine which is most important to you to work on now.
This doesn't mean you can't change your mind later but deciding today what you value most in life can create monumental shifts. If you are experiencing burnout, anxiety, or fatigue, the best advice I can give you is to TAKE ACTION.
Looking for guidance as you work to heal from burnout and prioritize what matters most to YOU?! Schedule a complimentary breakthrough call with me today. We'll devise a plan to take action on your goals now that you've identified your top health priority.
