Tell me are you missing those ‘water cooler moments’ in your day?
A couple of my clients last week said that they certainly are! You know those moments… when at certain times the day’s pressure begins to impact, and you choose to step away from your desk, walk across the office floor just to take ten minutes, and press pause?
Like so many, you probably didn’t give a second thought to these precious moments in the office before Covid. However, deleting such moments has likely become the tipping point for you in your daily stress levels without your realising..…
With yet another lockdown as we see our way through the struggles of these strange times, in order to better manage stress and anxiety, you might perhaps consider the possibility of creating ‘water cooler moments’ virtually for yourself this week, in order to help you to switch off and prevent stress and overwhelm building up in your day.
These ‘water cooler’ moments not only give you an opportunity to press pause, but also to re-connect with others as you catch up on office gossip, or simply pass the time of day with superficial chitchat. What’s more, it helps with keeping perspective on the weight of technology struggles and other frustrations. This in turn keeps overwhelm in check.
Working virtually at home now, these moments have been snatched away from you and as a result like my clients, you might be feeling more isolated and alone than you give yourself credit for.
So I wanted to share with you an idea my clients and I considered, in case it would benefit you too. Here’s a suggestion for you: Why not create those ‘water cooler’ moments virtually and schedule them into your day?
Here’s how…First, decide on a few people in your office whom you enjoy chatting to, and reach out to them. Ask them if they’d welcome the opportunity to take 10 minutes to jump on a call and have a quick 121 chat and agree a time.
Chances are your colleagues too are feeling isolated and disconnected and overwhelmed, and they would welcome the opportunity for a coffee break as well. You’ll need to be disciplined though and keep to the 10 minutes. I guarantee you’ll feel more focused and less stressed when you hang up and get back to working online at your computer.
I hope this simple idea helps you today.
Let me know how you get on.
Warmly,
Lisa Skeffington
Anxiety Expert – Anxiety Help Bournemouth & Christchurch, UK
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