Four pieces of advice for a good working life

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Julie Engelund Sander, Velliv, Sundhedsdirektør, portræt

 

 

The number of Danes affected by stress continues to increase. In Velliv Health, this does not go unnoticed. A lot of Danes hang on by their fingertips and are just barely making it through the day with new targets to meet while also having to tie up all the loose ends that keep piling up. "And that is when we see people breaking down crying at work, loosing everyday skills and e.g., sitting in their cars not being able to remember the way home", Velliv's Health Director Julie Engelund Sander, explains.

Stress is never the responsibility of the individual

The workplace has a responsibility to look after its employees. And stress is never an individual responsibility – however, luckily there is also much we can do ourselves to prevent illbeing. Velliv’s Health Director Julie Engelund Sander shares her four pieces of advice on how you can minimise your risk of stress.

1. Be consistent with your sleep

You have most definitely heard this piece of advice before. However, it is worth repeating – because sleep is really important in order to keep your mental health in check: As adults, we should sleep 7-9 hours every night and go to bed and get up about the same time every day.

In popular terms, sleep clears our brains of all the day’s inputs. Therefore, if we do not get our sleep, there will be chaos in our minds, and our brains and bodies will not work optimally,” Julie explains.

2. Say yes to social gatherings

It may sound strange that prioritising social events, for example at work, is important even if you are under a lot of stress. And a summer party or Christmas party will not eliminate your stress. However, caring for your relationships in the workplace is extremely important as it has a huge impact on your daily well-being.

3. Include free time in your work schedule

When planning your working week, it is important to make sure you have some breathing room in your calendar. This will help you to not become overwhelmed when unforeseen tasks arise.

It is a good idea to write down all your main tasks and how long they will take to solve. If you do the math and there is no time left, you will probably not succeed with all your tasks – because there will always be unforeseen tasks taking up part of your time,” Julie says.

Keep in mind that if the requirements for your tasks do not match the resources available to you, you need to address this with your manager. A good manager must see what is possible, but many managers cannot necessarily see all your tasks and therefore will not automatically discover if you have too much on your plate and should in fact do less.

4. Prioritise your ambitions and adjust accordingly

Write down your ambitions on a prioritised list. You may discover that the thing you spend the most time on may not be the most important thing in your life. In that case, it is important that you adjust your everyday life.

”We find that young people in particular are overwhelmed by the feeling that they have to deliver 100 per cent on all parameters. Few people are actually able to do that. Therefore, it is not sustainable to have an ambition of advancing in working life while at the same time wanting to drop off your children late and pick them up early, complete a marathon in record time, change your wardrobe and style at a pace where you maintain your followers with beautiful pictures on Instagram, and maybe also just write a book or start your own company,” Julie elaborates.

Need help?

Velliv Health Team will advise and guide you before, during and after a period of illness. We will give you personal advice and support to help you deal with your situation. We can also support you with relevant measures to help ease your return after a period of illness or ill-being.