Workin’ 9 to 5: Stress Relief for Career Women
overcoming workplace stress
My practice, AROSE eTherapy, provides online therapy for professional women and supports them in taking control of their work-life balance. Many professional women I work with fall into the category of overachievers. For many women, it was necessary to take on excess tasks to excel in their careers. Unfortunately taking on an array of tasks and responsibilities is often followed by stress and anxiety; for that reason, managing anxiety for professional women has become a specialty area in my online counseling.
Rather than judge this tendency, it is more useful to explore why this happens. One reason professional women they stay in this mode of tension and overdrive because this way of being is continually reinforced. Workplace wellness for professional women is rarely a priority. Instead, promotions, feeling “in charge,” kudos, rewards, financial gain, and a shining reputation feed the ego—or the spot where the healthy ego should be. The praise drowns out feelings of inadequacy with confidence. The reinforcement works until it doesn’t. Eventually, tension, rumination, the never-ending to-do list, and insomnia weigh more heavily than all the kudos received from coworkers and boss. This is because the feeling of inadequacy likely stems from messages received in the formative years like
· Not being good enough,
· Needing to be perfect, or
· Performing well to avoid criticism or even abuse.
It is only with the uncovering of these deep-rooted beliefs through therapy for women experiencing work burnout that overachieving women can develop new belief systems in the present. Instead of putting up with excessive demands for fear of disapproval, conscious choices can be made about what is in their own best interest. Therapy for women with work-life balance struggles can guide that process.
Stress management techniques
Part of living in this new freedom is implementing actions that align with beliefs of self-worth that honor your working conditions, needs, safety, worth, and time.
Using the movie 9 to 5, we’ll explore a few great ideas for how to make these changes. Despite the antics of Dolly and friends , no, rat poison or dog collars are needed! Instead, we’ll focus on the non-comical but positive part of the movie—prioritizing life balance and your needs in the workplace setting.
1. Creating a Comfortable Workspace for Women
Dolly encouraged the women in the work center to bring plants and photos of family to work—anything to personalize the space and create a comfortable and homey atmosphere. Personalizing the workspace is was a way to boost morale. The interior design aficionado in me loves this idea. Taking a nod from Dolly, I just added a small vase I had locked away in a cabinet and added two dollars’ worth of hyacinths to bring nature’s fragrance to my desk. I love it. It’s a small pop of spring joy that has me connected to the outdoors despite having an indoor job. It sits next to a sweet Valentine’s card from my spouse. These small touches boost mood and are a few examples of personalizing your workspace for stress relief. What can you do at your desk or in your office space to personalize it with some of your favorite things?
2. Childcare Support for Working Women (and Petcare too!)
For women with little ones who are dependent on you for life, having reliable and trustworthy ways of seeing to their care is non-negotiable. This is necessary if you are to be able to focus on your tasks at work. The women of 9 to 5 understood this. While not everyone is lucky enough to have a childcare center in their workplace, the importance of good quality care is tremendous. Be sure you’re satisfied with your sitters, nannies, and dog walkers.
If you were to brainstorm everything that is most important to you and rank order that list, your children and pets would likely be in the top slots, and work would not. It can be easy for professional women to get overloaded as one workplace obligation leads to two, and before you know it, prioritizing the ones most important to us can slip away. Keeping your values in mind will help you when your choices are either supporting little Kevin at the basketball game or accepting a client meeting. Be sure to enlist the reliable help you need to manage your workplace stress.
3. Managing Workplace Harassment as a Professional Woman
We can only thrive in safety. We need and deserve to be in a workplace that is free from all forms of harassment, where we are respected as individuals for our ideas and products. If you are unsafe in your workplace for whatever reason, I encourage you to assert yourself to the perpetrator, or if this is uncomfortable given the circumstances, to your human resources or supervisor. This is simply unacceptable and detrimental to your mental health and well-being. If your supervisor and human resources are complicit, you are in a toxic workplace and may want to seriously consider suing and/or moving on. If your assertiveness skills are lacking, consider reaching out for social support from a friend, family member, religious leader, coach, or psychologist.
4. Recognizing Your Worth at Work as a Woman
Knowing your worth in the workplace can be related to status, task assignments, or finances. First off be sure your job title matches the assets you bring to work in terms of qualifications and education. If there is a mismatch, consider discussing this with your boss or HR. Also consider if your work tasks match your position. If you are being discounted and assigned work or given status that is truly beneath what you have to offer, consider renegotiating immediately. In contrast, you may be assigned work tasks that are beyond your education, training, title, or position, causing undue stress. Perhaps requesting further training or a mentor can solve the issue, but again, if not, communication about the situation is likely in order.
Having a sense of value and purpose in the workplace is essential for your mental well-being. When is the last time you asked for a raise? If you are a business owner, how are you setting your fees? Women are paid less in our society; this is a proven fact. It’s time to fight against that and consider what is appropriate compensation. Do your market research and ask for the appropriate amount. As the adage goes, the worst they can say is “no.” If you still have money blocks, you may wish to work with a coach or psychologist (shameless plug!) to process what your beliefs are around money—there may be something deeper to process so that the block can be removed.
5. The Importance of Taking Vacation for Women
There are two concerns around vacation time—being sure you are given enough and making sure you take it! Americans are notoriously terrible about both having enough time and using what they have. The shock that Europeans have in hearing how little vacation time we have is pure validation that we are overworking. And for what? What are we gaining with this level of productivity? If you are in a position where the answer is survival, then yes, carry on for now until you can recreate a more lucrative option. Yet if the answer is that you are working to people-please, make up for insufficient praise from childhood, or to avoid other challenging aspects of your life, maybe it’s time to reconsider. The benefits of downtime are numerous and necessary for mental health and well-being.
Application
These are just a few examples on how to combat workplace burnout for women. In considering these tips from 9 to 5, remember this movie was released in December of 1980. The issues raised in the movie are still relevant some 45 years later, which is a bit disheartening but also drives the point that we have work to do with implementation. Let it begin with you.
· What one strategy can you implement today?
· Are there suggestions you can bring to your workplace to make systemic changes?
At the very least, practice good self-care and take a 90-minute break to watch this classic comedy as a way to unwind, laugh, and decide for yourself if you’ve come a long way or feel it’s time to implement some changes.
BEGIN COUNSELING WITH AN ONLINE THERAPIST
Start managing workplace stress now! If you’re ready for relief and looking for guidance, AROSE eTherapy® is here to support you. Online therapy for women professionals is available in Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Dr. Alicia Rozycki offers a FREE 15-minute consult. Take control of your work-life balance, and book online therapy today!
About the Author,
Dr. Alicia Rozycki
Dr. Rozycki is a licensed psychologist, military spouse, and the founder of AROSE eTherapy®. She has been a licensed psychologist over 16 years and offers empirically validated treatments. Focusing exclusively on online therapy for women professionals and military affiliates, Dr. Rozycki will help you take control of your work-life balance. Virtual sessions are available in Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Learn more about Dr. Rozycki or schedule a FREE 15-minute consultation and meet with her directly.
