2019 has been a big year for me with many changes; I think probably the most change I have gone through at any point in my life, both personally and professionally. I’m sure I am not alone in saying I’m not a fan of change, but the one constant in life is change and we must embrace it. Easier said than done! For someone like me that is a control freak, change is so hard because I was taken out of my comfort zone, but it was the best thing that has happened to me in a long time.
When I reflect back on my year, here are some of the things I did to cope with the change:
Accept the change – One of our most successful recruiters here at Optimum announced she was going to take some time off, which meant I had to hire some new staff and train them, whilst recruiting all my roles plus many of my colleagues’ roles. How was I ever going to cope and how was it going to be possible?
Create a ‘New routine’ – I had gotten myself into a good routine over the years and was comfortable with where I was at. This totally threw me and took me completely out of my comfort zone. This new routine then became a new habit which I have tried hard to stick to.
Create the busyness – For me, the busier I got the more productive I was.
Take it one day at a time– For me, drilling down and focussing on the tasks at hand is all I really had control of and was the easiest way for me cope. Change can cause stress; acknowledging this but also the rush you get from working hard and seeing the results.
Look after yourself – healthy eating, exercising, drinking water, lots of sleep and quality time with family and friends.
Support – Lean on the people that are there for you and support you to be the best you can be – I am very fortunate to work in a company with the most supportive group. I really found that when times very busy and stressful, were the times when everyone rallied around me and offered their assistance.
Be positive – This is a key one and not always easy to do. We all have ups and downs but the most important thing is to be humble, get back up again and learn the lessons.
Music – This was pretty key for me this year; I love music and I would always put on my go to pick me up songs that motivated me and put me in the right headspace for the day. There is a group of us in the office that would put on a motivational song early in the morning to get us ready for the day. Now every time I hear those songs on the radio I laugh.
Smile – don’t forget to smile and have a good laugh along the way. Life is just far too short.
Focus – this I think has been the biggest factor this year – focus on each task at hand and deliver quality work
Be kind to yourself – none of us are perfect and all we can do is try our best. We will have successes and failures but that’s how we learn and grow.
I’m always looking for more stress-busters, do you have any ideas?
Marianne Savas – Divisional Manager