Even so, can still be worthwhile sharing your stressors. It would be draining to do it every day, but a monthly chat with co-workers about things that are stressful or obstruct you from your goals can be healthy. It can also be productive to collaborate on solutions. 3/3

A challenge in my field is many employees keep silent about psychosocial work hazards. Perhaps they fear being punished for complaining. Perhaps they voiced concerns in the past that were ignored. Perhaps they assume there's no alternative. These concerns are sometimes valid. But not always! 2/3

But this isn’t the only reason to share boundaries. There's much to be gained from sharing stress management strategies. Others might benefit if you share details of boundaries you find helpful. And by listening to others, you might identify new boundaries you’d like to set. 4/4

Consider the decision to stop checking work emails after 6pm. Telling our co-workers that we apply this boundary can mean they aren't surprised or angry about urgent messages they sent to which we didn't respond.
(To be clear, this still isn't telling people to never contact us after hours!) 3/4

Some boundaries are just for us. For example, if radio news updates make driving too stressful, your decision to switch them off is nobody else’s business (unless you carpool).
But when our boundaries intersect with other people, sharing those boundaries can help prevent misunderstandings. 2/4

CAVEAT!

Nothing is simple. Many folks have medical conditions that limit their capacity to exercise safely. And for everyone else, it’s worth remembering that no amount of exercise will shake off the effects of a truly toxic work environment.

Regular journaling can (over time) help us to see patterns in our responses (e.g., the sorts of situations that regularly upset us, frustrate us, or make us avoidant), which can lead to better self-awareness and, ultimately, better self-regulation.
But for today, it's ok to just make the list! 8/8

Sometimes, writing about things that bother us can be useful for its own sake as a form of journaling. It can help us offload our worries or frustrations (see #recovember Day 6) as well as to process our feelings instead of pushing them down. 7/8
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36536513/

Also consider people we could talk to about it. Sharing details of our stressors can make us feel less isolated, it can lead to collective problem-solving, and it can prompt the development of better relationships. We'll discuss this further on Nov 10. 6/8

* Which demands just affect you, and which ones affect everyone?
* Which demands push you towards your goals, and which ones obstruct you?
* Which demands could you do something about, and which are out of your control? [we'll come back to this on Nov 15] 5/8
www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edi...

After making the list, try grouping demands into categories to help you think about them differently. For example:
* Which demands are about the work itself, which are more about organisational systems / procedures, and which ones are more about people? 4/8
psycnet.apa.org/record/2008-...

Work demands are potentially stressful aspects of work that require effort or attention. Stressful work demands could be tasks (if difficult/unpleasant), procedures (if cumbersome/unnecessary), people (if rude or selfish), or the environment (if uncomfortable or distracting). 3/8
#occhealthpsych

Looking closely at our stressors (things that cause stress) can make day-to-day recovery easier. Identifying stressors is a starting point for taking action to resolve them. There are stressors in any aspect of life, but we're going to focus on work (as this is where most burnout comes from). 2/8

Example:
FINISH STAGE 3 OF MEETING PREP
Where: On the Metro
When: 7:30am
How: Answers Qs I wrote (p2)

That’s it! Getting that plan out of your head and onto paper can reassure your brain you’ll follow through, so it doesn’t need to keep remining you. 4/4

psycnet.apa.org/record/2015-...

Fortunately there’s a neat solution. If your shift ends with tasks unfinished, take a few minutes to make a quick plan. Write down each important-but-unfinished task (you’re less likely to ruminate about unimportant tasks). For each task, also write (a) where you’ll do it, (b) when, & (c) how. 3/4

Research shows we tend to remember incomplete tasks better than complete ones. It’s like we save space in our working memory to ensure we finish them. A consequence is that if important tasks are incomplete at the end of a work shift, we’re more likely to find that we keep thinking about them. 2/4