Work can be hard. Bringing your whole self to work means that your thoughts, emotions, and inner dialogue clock in right along with you. Working with — rather than against — our emotions can help us feel healthier, happier, and more confident on the job.  

This, however, can be easier said than done. In our Fifth Annual Workforce Attitudes Toward Mental Health report, 87% of survey respondents said they experience dread at work at least once a month. Almost three in five CEOs (59%) said they experienced dread at work at least once a week! And only 21% of respondents to a poll on LinkedIn said they would not hesitate to take a “mental health day” off work. 

To help improve mental health at work (for both yourself and your colleagues), we’ve teamed up with LinkedIn to offer constructive, tangible tools to help you navigate everyday workplace challenges. This new, immersive content experience, “Life Skills: Emotions at Work,” was co-created in partnership with workplace culture experts Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy. Together, the pair have co-authored two books: No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work and Big Feelings: How to Be Okay When Things are Not Okay.

The series includes eight, power-packed video installments, each one featuring advice from Liz or Mollie on how to cope with work-related emotional stress, such as burnout, confrontation, criticism, and more. Liz and Mollie have designed this series to help you find the right mindset, so that your inner critic can become our inner champion.

For a limited time, LinkedIn members can access this valuable content series using a two-month free trial of the Headspace app.

‍‍Here's a glimpse into the wisdom offered in this series, which can empower you, not just in your professional life but in every aspect of your personal life as well:

Check in before you burn out.

About a third of employees say they’re receiving added responsibilities and working longer hours, because of economic uncertainty, according to LinkedIn research. Overwork can be a recipe for burnout. In this installment of “Emotions at Work,” Liz shares the warning signs of burnout, and why it’s critical that you should be on the lookout for them.

“Embrace your downtime. There are natural ebbs and flows to any workday, even when they're busy. If you are, for example, waiting on input from your manager, and you can't move forward until you get a response, don't frantically start creating a bunch of new projects. Think about instead taking a break, doing some meditation, going for a walk around the block, whatever it is to help you recharge.” 

Turn criticism into growth.

If you work at a company of more than one person, it’s inevitable: You’re going to receive criticism from your colleagues, your customers, or both. Receiving critical feedback — whether it’s during a formal review or in passing — never feels great. But it’s important that we adopt a growth mindset when responding to criticism. In this video, Mollie shares guidance on processing emotions so we can view valid criticism as a chance to improve ourselves and our work.

“You don't have to hear constructive feedback all the time, but no one gets substantially better if they're only hearing praise,” says Mollie. "[...] adopting a growth mindset allows you to get the information you need to improve.”

Put positive thinking on the agenda. 

About one-fifth of Americans actually believe they will be laid off in the next 12 months, according to LinkedIn data — so it’s no surprise that anxiety is so common on the job. To help us better cope with anxiety, we must realize we can't control everything at work. In this video, Liz shares her approach to uncertainty in the workplace, and how to shift your focus to the parts of your job that you do have the power to change. 

“Humans hate uncertainty. In fact, we would rather know that something bad is going to happen and have a 50% chance of it happening. When you know something bad will happen, you kind of feel like you're in control because you can make a plan for it,” Liz shares.

Treat yourself: Take a moment to watch "Life Skills: Emotions at Work." It has the potential to guide you and your colleagues toward enhanced mental well-being in the workplace.

Through a limited time offer, LinkedIn members can now access this valuable content series using a two-month free trial of the Headspace app. In addition to this content series, LinkedIn members will also be able to experience other features of the Headspace app, including guided meditation, programs for improved sleep, and courses for overall mental well-being. Register for your free two-month trial of Headspace today.

Interested in providing Headspace to your whole organization? Contact us here.

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