Anyone been feeling a bit… tetchy recently? 🙋♀️Zoom call left you muttering long after you’ve hit “leave meeting”. Feel frustrated by your boss’ actually very reasonable request? Just don’t understand why the bin men haven’t been yet?! Trust us, it’s normal.
During times of heightened anxiety/nervousness, the brain triggers our natural stress response — fight or flight. It’s actually the brain trying to calm you down. Shifting the blame and focus onto others’ perceived flaws is a strategy our brain uses to manage fear.
Understanding that it’s a natural reaction and that others are likely feeling the same makes it even more important to act with understanding, listen first and give people the benefit of the doubt. But also, to cut yourself some slack. You’re allowed to feel weird. There’s also plenty of things you CAN control to keep your brain at it’s peak.
Watch friend of Jolt and anxiety and health specialist, Katie Maycock, discuss nutrition and peak performance at last year's Battle Burnout event here. Read on for your weekly dose of tools, tricks and tips to supplement your career.
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Connecting with remote colleagues has never been easier than with this handy slack extension.
We all need friends at work. Having authentic relationships with our colleagues makes us more productive, 7x more engaged, and increases our happiness. Donut arranges coffee breaks between colleagues to bring your team together even when we're all apart.
Sign up for classes by searching their name on the app. Not a member? Start free trial today
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Emotional intelligence is the capacity to understand and manage your emotions. The skills involved in emotional intelligence are self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills.
Remote talent advisor, Radina Nedyalkova, led a discussion with out students on maintaining tip top emotional intelligence as part of our Cereal Chatter breakfast series and here are the tools and tips they came away with:
What we've been reading this week:
And that's a wrap on Vitamin J for this week. We'd love to hear your top tips for remaining positive and productive, send them across to nina.gordon@jolt.io and we'll share them over on instagram. We'll see you next week with another dose of tools, tips and tricks to keep you on track. Until then, keep smiling, learning and keeping on 💪
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Charles Darwin took long walks around London. Kurt Vonnegut made listening to jazz a daily priority. Fiona Apple disappeared for 6 years after the release of her third album.
I ask because I can often be found agonising over the "more". If only I posted on Instagram more, I'll think in the bath. I'd have more followers if I pitched to more publications. I need to post 2 more times a week, minimum. I could go on...
Between you and me, I've got frustrated with myself for browsing Facebook or watching too much TV more times than I can remember.
And I'm not alone. So many of us are terrified of taking a break, creatively speaking. We won't let a moment pass without listening to a podcast, consuming an article or sharing something.
The cognitive load is real, y'all.
But like Vitamin D, sleep and good food, it's not only ok to take a break, it's essential.
Living a successful life is also about knowing when not to work. For your best output, you need to focus on your input, too.
The world won't end if you disappear from the internet for a week or so. Your creativity won't suddenly stop. Your time is now, but your time was also then and it will be again.
Many of us confuse being "busy" with being constructive. But you can only do your best work by taking breaks.
And science backs it up, too. The brain requires substantial downtime to do its most innovative thinking. The ideas you have while driving or in the shower aren't coincidental. They're a result of you taking a step back, whether you're aware of it or not.
Let yourself take a wonderful and indulgent break. Several breaks. Hell, get downright bored.
Wallow in it. Don't be afraid of it. Push it as far as you can.
When you leave your laptop behind, something always happens. A new idea or a fresh perspective appears.
Take proper breaks, often. Completely clear your mind. Your next best idea depends on it.
By taking this 10-min test I can set myself up for success
