We spend an immense amount of time in our lives working. It is therefore important that we find happiness and fulfillment in our workplace or in the job that we do. In today’s article, we will discuss the importance of occupational wellness and how you could work towards finding that happiness and fulfillment in the occupation which is right for you.
Occupational wellness refers to the balance between personal and professional. It is about choosing or being in a profession that makes you feel productive. It also means that you find purpose in what you do by creating personal growth, fulfillment and satisfaction in your work. Find your calling, and explore your options until you find what suits you best. It means finding the strength to use your skills fearlessly and confidently. It also means finding meaning in what you do. That’s rather much to live up to, right?
So, how do we know that we have reached occupational wellness? Let us explore these concepts further by investigating the signs (according to Neha Yasmin) of what it means to have occupational wellness.
A sense of purpose
In a previous article, we discussed spiritual intelligence. A sense of purpose lies within this conceptual framework. For occupational wellness, it means that you are doing a job that adds value to your purpose and that you find meaningful. A job that gives you satisfaction, accomplishment or happiness.
Healthy boundaries
Finding boundaries between the personal and professional is essential to creating occupational wellness. You need to understand the boundaries between your work life and your private life. Understanding your pace and how to make time for your health and wellness is cardinal to creating boundaries. Saying no is not a sin – it’s okay to look after yourself.
Utilising your strengths
Knowing what your strengths, abilities and skills are and growing these are important to maintaining boundaries and supporting your sense of purpose. Growing these will be the cornerstone of motivating you towards finding meaning in your professional life.
Clear communication
Working – whether you are working for an organisation or with an organisation – always involves teams. Clear communication is the foundation of collaboration and healthy workplace relationships.
Before we explore ways to improve our occupational wellness, we have to list what poor occupational wellness is as it is NOT simply the opposite of what was listed above. It manifests in our lives through behaviour, thoughts and feelings.
Poor occupational wellness
Signs of poor occupational wellness are easy to list: dreading going to work, finding excuses not to go to work, being stressed out, feeling overwhelmed with your workload and being discouraging to your co-workers.
Sure, we all feel some of the things listed above, but when you feel them mostly or more than when you feel fulfillment and joy in your work, then you have a few choices to make.
Reaching occupational wellness
Understanding that change isn’t easy and the pursuit of happiness is a journey, improving occupational wellness could be done by observing and implementing the following.
Set goals
You know what you dream of, what you wish to achieve and the life you wish to live. Dream as big as you can and imagine the path you need to follow to reach that dream (and don’t say – “When I win the lottery one day…” no, rather “When I work towards this and save this amount of money, I will be able to (and now you fill in the gaps)”. Be specific, create a plan – detailed and realistic. Think of it like a construction project: from ordering the material to digging the foundation, waiting for the cement to harden, and so on. Then work towards that goal meticulously and patiently.
Do your research
Make sure that you explore your potential and allow yourself to learn. Investigate your interests, passion and what gives you joy and look at possible career opportunities that could help you expand your knowledge. Find joy, and if you don’t have it, seek it passionately.
Patience, patience, patience
Life is not to be rushed – patience is always rewarded. Allow purpose to flow naturally. Everything will not be in place once you start, some things might take longer than others but never give up. Always stay focussed on what feeds your purpose and allows you to grow. Stay connected to your support system and ask for help when you need it.
Create meaningful relationships
Attach yourself to people who add value to your life, people who value you and want to see you grow. This is not always possible in your work life because we do not choose the people we work with, but it is within your power to NOT allow negativity to become part of your day. Forgive those who cannot see your potential – they will get around to it in time – and if they don’t, it is their loss.
Ultimately, finding the balance between work and life is essential to secure your holistic wellness as it influences all aspects of your wellness – being unhappy at work will drain your energy (so you might feel too tired to exercise), which leads to comfort (and unhealthy) eating which could result in developing low self-esteem.
Everybody deserves to live their life to the fullest and to find meaning in their daily work activities. You can make it so for yourself as well, just figure out how, ignore negativity, stay focused and strong and surround yourself with people who are as invested in your goals as you are.
How does that saying go again? “Love what you do and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
Imagine that…
