5 reasons why modern life causes stress (and what to do about it)
(Updated July 2023) Experiencing stress and burnout? The stressors of modern day and lifestyle challenges may be making things worse. Here’s what to do about it.
5 reasons why modern life causes us stress (and what to do about it)
By Joyce Chong (updated July 2023)
Ever feel like your head is swimming with everything that you’re juggling? Let’s take a snapshot of a typical day in your life from the moment you wake to the time close your eyes at night. If you’re like many of the clients who we work with, it’s a never-ending juggle of work, study, family, technology, finances, friends, social life, meal prep, exercise, self-care, and…the ever-dreaded laundry. With the sheer scope of all that you’re juggling, is it any wonder that modern life causes us stress?
Indeed, stress is a natural response that prompts us to attend to threats in our environment:
“Stress can be defined as a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation.”
How we respond to these difficult situations, however, has a large impact on our stress levels, wellbeing, and mental health. Without addressing the underlying causes of why modern life causes us stress, it’s hard to make more sustainable changes that lead you away from burning out. Here are some main reasons for stress in modern life, and what to do about them.
1. Mindset affects stress
Fundamentally, stress occurs when we perceive a situation as difficult and potentially insurmountable. Psychologists Richard Lazarus and Susan Folkman, in their Transactional Model of Stress and Coping, outline stress as the body’s reaction to events perceived to be challenging, and highlighted the role of one’s perceived ability to respond to that threat. Thus, perception is key, and that’s where mindset comes in. Indeed, how we perceive an event can lead to a heightened stress response vs a more manageable reaction.
Let’s say you have to give a presentation for work. By seeing it as a disaster it can increase stress levels and lead to over-preparation and panic… a sure path to burnout. However, with more helpful self-talk you can dial stress levels down and the task will seem more manageable:
Certain personality styles, including perfectionists, those experiencing imposter syndrome, and those with people-pleasing tendencies, may find that mindset contributes to their experience of stress. Specifically, mindset can also lead you to take on too much (because you should aim for excellence), push yourself too hard (because you need to show that you are capable), and stop you from setting appropriate boundaries that would limit the stress that you experience (because you’re conflict-avoidant and definitely don’t want to rock the boat by saying no).
Our mindset flows on from how we see ourselves (our identity), and we make choices each day that align with our identity. This in itself can reinforce stress, for example:
Heni, a busy young professional, wants to scale the corporate ladder all whilst balancing finances and a healthy social life. She wants to take on all opportunities and do it extremely well. The inability to set boundaries with herself can then increase stress and contribute to her burning out.
Ando, the stay-at-home-parent, who treats it as his job and wants to excel in it (whipping up Instagram-worthy bento boxes, baking from scratch, display-home level tidiness) can deprioritise self-care and have few ways of reducing stress.
Emily, the juggle-it-all mid-lifer, who is in a management position looking after their team whilst at work, and then looking after parents, children, and fur babies outside of work…all whilst keep up their performance on their own work. The easy solution for Emily is to scrimp on self-care just so they can churn through the work; also by failing to set boundaries with others they find themselves stressed and overwhelmed.
DOES THIS ALL HIT TOO CLOSE TO HOME?
If the above examples all sound eerily familiar when you reflect on what causes you stress, take a closer look at Planet Burnout, our resource on shifting Identity, Mindset and Actions to help you lead a more sustainable, less overwhelmed life.
TIPS TO HELP YOUR MINDSET:
Develop realistic expectations - of how things should be, of what is required of you, of how well it must be done. Often stress arises when reality doesn’t match expectations - for example, that things should go as planned, that you should be able to manage a task, that you should be in control.
Step back from the ‘shoulds’ and other unhelpful thinking styles. Stress can result when reality doesn’t meet our expectation of how things ‘should’ be. Other unhelpful thinking styles that contribute to stress include mind-reading (e.g. thinking that someone is judging you harshly), catastrophising (e.g. thinking about the worst case scenario), and personalisation (e.g. thinking that someone’s frustration is targeted at you). If unhelpful thinking styles contribute to stress then take a closer look at this article on Thinking Styles that Sabotage your Mental Health.
Flip the script on unhelpful thoughts. Sometimes it helps to hold a mirror up to thoughts that increase your stress. Flip the thought that “I must/I should” to seeing it as a preference and ‘ideal state’ rather than something that has to be achieved irrespective of any constraints you face. Flip the thought that “They’re frowning because they’re angry at me.” to consider alternative reasons for someone’s demeanour, for example that they’ve had a bad morning.
Shifting mindset and flipping the script on unhelpful thoughts might seem easy in theory, but often these thoughts are quite automatic, in that we can’t see their impact - we just know that we feel stressed. Spend some time deliberately practising analysing your thoughts and it will become easier to spot them. If you’d like tailored help on shifting a negative mindset why not book in to work with one of our team?
2. Life events + Daily hassles add to your stress plate
If the global pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that life events contribute to stress. Other life events that increase stress are outlined in the Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory, and include the death of a life partner, divorce, major personal injury, retirement, and pregnancy.
Daily hassles - ordinary challenges we face in daily - can also cause stress. These include having too much to do, cost of living, and conflict at work.
Both life events and daily hassles have been linked to increased stress.
TIPS FOR COPING WITH LIFE EVENTS AND DAILY HASSLES
Life events may be tricky to change, so it helps to take a look at what you can control, and to practice acceptance of what you cannot.
For daily hassles, consider what’s in your toolkit for coping (see Point 5). Perhaps having a system or process can help with misplacing/losing things, or speaking to a psychologist (like us!) can help with managing daily hassles such as troubling thoughts or getting along with fellow workers.
The most important thing is to do something, rather than bury your head in the sand. The problem won’t go away that way.
3. technology and constant connection
Technology can be a double-edge sword. It enables us to work more flexibly so that working from home has now become a reality. It enables us to connect with friends and family all around the world, to span different time zones and to have insight into the lives of our nearest and dearest by following them on their socials. It allows us to stay up-to-date with the latest in news, trends, and what’s going on in your neighbourhood. All without leaving home.
The downside? The constant connection can have a real toll on your wellbeing, causing significant stress as you are tethered to your phones and laptop as work emails pile up (see this article on The Tyranny of Constant Contact). Staying up-to-date with the latest news can lead to doom-scrolling, with negative effects on both physical and mental health. And…where do we even begin with social media and its impact on social comparison, FOMO, body image, and self-esteem? (Hint: It’s not looking too rosy).
TIPS TO HELP WITH TECHNOLOGY + CONSTANT CONNECTION
We get it, technology is part of everyday life. However, let’s look at setting healthy and appropriate boundaries with technology. This will of course vary depending on what you do for work (students and those in IT might find it harder to step away from devices). Try the following:
Conduct an audit on what you spend your time on with your devices. It may be that you end up on socials far longer than you anticipate each day, or fall into the trap of doom scrolling once you hop on ‘to relax’ after work which then bleeds into dinner prep. From this, set realistic and sustainable limits on device use, for example not scrolling through the news after work but instead getting dinner prep out of the way first.
Commit to being device-free for a period of time each week. Instead, go offline and connect with friends in real life.
Turn off alerts so that you’re not at the mercy of constant pinging from emails, messages, and updates on who’s doing what on socials.
Tame your social media use by setting limits (e.g. Hopping off 2 hours before bedtime), using apps that cut off your access, or hiding/deleting apps off your phone.
4. Poor lifestyle factors
Whilst stress may be inevitable, there are ways in which lifestyle contributes to the problem. Given that we are all time-poor, it’s easy to see how looking after our health can fall by the wayside as we:
Rely on caffeine and sugar to pick us up, and alcohol to wind down.
Scrimp on exercise because the To Do list wins that battle.
Make poor nutrition choices because you ‘deserve’ a treat given how hard you work.
Stay up past your bedtime because it’s the only moment of peace that you have.
Neglect enjoyable or rejuvenating self-care activities such as connecting with friends or going for a massage because there are other things that need to be done.
The reality is that these basic building blocks are extremely important when it comes to reducing stress as:
Exercise reduces stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol.
Sleep helps the body to repair and consolidates memory and learning, as well as helps with emotion regulation.
Connecting with others is helpful for reducing stress and increasing meaning in life.
So with that in mind, let’s turn our thoughts to how we can follow through with what we all know that we ‘should’ do…
Lifestyle TIPS TO REDUCE STRESS
Forget relying on being ‘in the mood’ or waiting for the ‘right time’. Instead, commit to just doing it.
Find your motivation - whether that’s being accountable to others, or thinking about how you will feel after looking after yourself, work out what works for you.
Go slow… practice mindfulness, get into nature, or start journalling - activities that require you to slow down mind and body will help with stress.
Commit to being consistent so that the habit eventually forms.
5. POOR COPING SKILLS REINFORCE STRESS
Stressful events are inevitable, but when we do nothing in response then we’re setting ourselves up for even poorer wellbeing and mental health. Avoiding dealing with the source of stress means the problem won’t be solved nor will it make things easier (in fact, it may even increase stress if you’re just postponing the inevitable).
Avoiding experiencing your emotions - say, by using alcohol to dull emotions, or shopping to avoid sadness - means you’ll rely on these coping skills time and time again. So what coping skills do we recommend?
TIPS FOR IMPROVING COPING SKILLS
Problem-focused coping: Skills that address the root cause
When you can address the source of the stress you also learn ways to prevent it from happening down the track. Coping skills that are included in here include:
Boundary-setting to avoid taking on too much.
Seeking support and guidance, for example from your manager (to help with job-specific stressors), your lecturer (for study-specific stressors) or psychologist (to help with mindset and lifestyle stressors).
Time management to help you prioritise and work on important items.
Establishing systems and processes as well as routines (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly) to reduce daily hassles, including meal prepping, setting up a morning routine, and using a planner to stay on top of things.
Emotion-focused coping: Skills to help you deal with all the feels…
At times it may not be possible to address the source of the stress, in which case emotion-focused coping skills help you to regulate strong emotions. Such coping skills include:
Exercise to help reduce stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline
Meditation and mindfulness help to decrease distress and calm the mind.
Self-soothing skills such as distress tolerance.
Journalling to help you process your thoughts and feelings (try this positive psychology journal).
Reframing/flipping the script - shifting an unhelpful mindset to ease distress.
WHAT SHOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT STRESS MANAGEMENT?
Given that stress is ever-present in modern life, before you start building your resilience toolkit, let’s look at some realities of managing stress:
Stress management is an ongoing process, not a set-and-forget approach. You will have to work on managing stress regularly.
What works to reduce your stress will change depending on your circumstances and stressors. Sometimes you will lean more on problem-focused coping, and at other times, emotion-focused coping.
You don’t have to manage stress alone. There is a vast amount of information out there, and it helps to lean on evidence-based sources, or seek out a professional.
Ready to start working on reducing stress? Book in for a tailored session with one of our team here, or explore our book Planet Burnout here.
References
Biggs, A., Brough, P., & Drummond, S. (2017). Lazarus and Folkman’s psychological stress and coping theory. In C.L. Cooper & J.C. Quick (eds.), The handbook of stress and health: A guide to research and practice (pp. 351-364). Wiley Blackwell: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118993811.ch21
Philp, M., Egan, S.J., & Kane, R. (2012). Perfectionism, over commitment to work, and burnout in employees seeking workplace counselling. Australian Journal of Psychology, 64, 68-74. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1742-9536.2011.00028.x
Burns, D. D. (1980). Feeling good: The new mood therapy. New York: New American Library.
Edelman, S. (2003). Change your thinking. ABC Books.
Williamson, A. M, Fayer, A. (2000). Moderate sleep deprivation produces impairments in cognitive and motor performance equivalent to legally prescribed levels of alcohol intoxication. Occupational Environmental Medicine, 57, 649 – 655. https://doi: 10.1136/oem.57.10.649
Ten Have M., De Graff, R., & Monshouwer K. (2011). Physical exercise in adults and mental health status findings from the Netherlands mental health survey and incidence study (NEMESIS). Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 71, 342-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2011.04.001
Endler, N.S., & Parker, J.D.A. (1990). Multidimensional assessment of coping: A critical evaluation. Personality Processes and Individual Differences, 58, 844-854. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.58.5.844
Early career burnout - Part 2: Workplace factors
Burnout is on the rise, and it’s disproportionately affecting millennials, Gen Zs, and those in the early stages of their career. Read on to learn what workplaces can do to help.
EARLY-CAREER Burnout (Pt 2: workplace factors)
by Giulia Villa, Fel Donatelli + Joyce Chong
EARLY CAREER BURNOUT – A REFRESHER
In case you missed it, our last article was a primer on early career burnout and those individual factors that increase the risk of suffering from this affliction. To refresh:
Early career burnout refers to the work-related state of mind comprising exhaustion, distancing from one’s work, and decreased personal achievement [1] affecting new graduates.
Burnout is affecting millennials at a higher than average rate compared to the general population (84% vs. 77%), resulting in higher levels of turnover according to a survey on burnout conducted by Deloitte.
The proportion of Gen Z experiencing burnout is catching up to Millennials, with this in part attributable to the Covid-19 pandemic that saw the lines between work and play blurred even further, as well as removing office-based social networks as a coping strategy.
Individual factors that lead to early career burnout include constant connection to work (no) thanks to technology, a fear of failure and negative feedback, as well as mindset, imposter syndrome, and perfectionism.
Looking at individual factors in burnout sheds light on only one piece of the puzzle. Critically, workplaces shape conditions that lead new graduates down the path of burnout. In this second part of our series on early career burnout, we look at those organisational factors and see what actions workplaces can take.
Organisational factors in early career burnout
Various organisational factors contribute to early career burnout, and it’s helpful for workplaces to consider how they can promote better wellbeing to buffer against it.
Job characteristics and design
The overall environment of a workplace is a major contributor to the wellbeing of every employee. Burnout has been linked to excessive workload, inadequate compensation, lack of community and absence of administrative support [2] . More specifically, the following job characteristics are believed to contribute to burnout:
Low autonomy and job control where an employee does not have much independence or influence in their role.
Low role clarity where an employee has low understanding of their role and responsibilities.
Subjective overload where the expectations of the workplace exceed the employee’s capabilities.
Optimising job design means crafting a balance between keeping the employee engaged and benefitting the organisation. The presence of low autonomy/job control, low role clarity, or subjective overload, all pose a risk to employee motivation and satisfaction. Indeed, job characteristics are more likely to predict burnout than individual factors, suggesting that job re-design is the most effective way to prevent burnout.
Onboarding processes: Lack of adequate support, training, and socialisation in the role
Commencing a new role is fraught with confusion and uncertainty. Questions fill the heads of new graduates - what will my colleagues be like? What does my future have in store? What’s expected of me? Indeed, a lack of role clarity is most frequently observed as ambiguity in relation to:[3]
How their job performance will be evaluated.
Whether there are paths for career progression.
What is the scope of the responsibilities.
The expectations of others.
This confusion about their role is just another thing for new starters to worry about and in fact has been linked to higher stress levels and emotional exhaustion.[4] A good understanding of the job description and the relevant duties and responsibilities is crucial to ease the anxiety and inadequacy often experienced by new graduates. It is important to inform new starters of all things relating to their role as part of their onboarding process.
Sometimes, new graduates face a culture of ‘learning by osmosis’. However, a lack of adequate support, training, and socialisation as part of an onboarding process, can contribute to individuals feeling overwhelmed early on in their career. This can lead to feeling underprepared for the role, and inadequacy and frustration can set in thereafter. A lack of socialisation with peers into the role may mean new graduates struggle to assimilate into the role.
Flexible work practices and ever-evolving technology breeds the ‘always on’ culture
Even before COVID-19’s arrival we were witnessing an increasingly blurred boundary between work and play due to technology and flexible work practices (in fact, take a look at this article on constant connection contributing to burnout amongst millennials ). Smartphones and laptops have revolutionised the way that we work; their portable nature means we can essentially always be ‘always on’. Notifications and alerts can lead to overwhelming ‘telepressure’: the feeling that you have to respond to any email as soon as it arrives[5] .
If the separation between work and play wasn’t already challenging enough, the global pandemic transformed traditional ideas of what can constitute a workplace. Many companies opted out of physical office spaces indefinitely in favour of working from home, whilst others were in prolonged lockdown and forced into a more permanent state of blurring the boundaries between work and home lives.
Unfortunately for those commencing their careers just before, or during the pandemic, working from home early in the piece meant missing out on structured formal onboarding processes as well as the informal, ad hoc collegiate support that emerges from being co-located. Put simply, it meant that some new graduates were left to navigate the overwhelming world of their new career from the solitude of their home.
Organisational culture
Workplaces play a pivotal role through their culture, so is your organisational culture building graduates up or burning them out? Organisational cultures that expect high performance and value output above all else, reinforce maladaptive perfectionistic behaviours, emphasise constant connection with the expectation of immediate replies to emails sent all hours of the day, and disparage errors made upon first attempt, are environments that may contribute to burnout.
Certainly, organisations hiring graduates are aware that they are in the early stages of their career, thus careful consideration should be given as to how to support them through this process through a combination of setting expectations in relation to a learning and feedback culture, as well as communicating realistic work practices and performance expectations.
Tips for organisations
Given the importance of the workplace in fostering burnout or sustainable work practices amongst new graduates, how can organisations better support those in the early stages of their careers?
1. NURTURE A SUPPORTIVE ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE
Getting an organisation’s culture right is critical as it serves to support new graduates early on in their career. Ways to promote a positive organisational culture include:
Hiring the right leaders who practice intentional leadership styles who will promote a culture of support and sustainability across the employee lifecycle and emphasise realistic work practices as well as valuing the idea of failing forward. The standards and behaviours imposed by leaders trickle down to affect all employees, greatly influencing organisational culture. Transformational leaders, who engage and motivate employees to enact the change they want to see, have been shown to decrease burnout by improving job satisfaction, performance and personal accomplishment.[6][7]
Actively discourage leaveism, or the practice of working when one is not supposed to be working, including using annual leave, sick days, or weekends to catch up.[8] This may include limiting access to technology and encouraging ‘proper’ time off. Discourage long working hours and constant connection as badges of honour, and instead stress the responsibility of employees to look after themselves to enable optimal performance when they are at work.
Model realistic work practices and work/life balance, particularly in high performance cultures. It’s important for early career individuals to get an idea of how to step into this next phase of their lives, and how to set boundaries around work so that they have time to recuperate and focus clearly the next day.
Have a culture of learning and foster a feedback culture insofar that a new graduate is expected to not know the answers, to make errors, and to fail and these are all viewed as a necessary part of career development. Emphasise the value that new graduates can bring to the organisation. A rigid feedback culture can foster feelings of frustration and hopelessness in new hires. The ability to give feedback is an important component of any employee’s job control and engagement, which we know can be a predisposing factor for burnout.
2. HIRE NEW GRADUATES FOR ‘BEST FIT’ AND CHECK IN REGULARLY
Organisations that hire on the basis of school grades fail to consider if a graduate will be a good fit for that particular role. Developing capability frameworks and success profiles means that organisations are aware of what it takes to succeed in the roles they are hiring for. This cascades down to the hiring process, and incorporating psychometric assessment to match job characteristics to new graduates can not only reveal who may be the ‘best fit’ for the role, it may also reveal areas for an employee’s development and potentially reduce turnover.
Once hired, it’s important to check in on a regular basis with graduates particularly on those aspects known to contribute to burnout (autonomy, job control, role clarity, workload) and make adjustments to their role where indicated.
3. INVEST IN YOUR LEADERS (and, in turn, your culture)
Leadership plays a vital part in your organisational culture.[9] Leaders set the tone for their team in terms of expectations for performance, they can motivate them towards high performance and cohesion, and in doing so weather challenging times.
There are factors that contribute to good leadership, and by investing in the development of their leaders organisations are investing in better organisational culture. Perquiro outlines these factors in their A BRAVE Leader model, identifying these qualities as critical to good leadership:
Authentic leaders have a strong understanding of their own values and act with integrity.
Balanced leaders remain calm in challenging situations and are open to feedback.
Rational leaders use logic to guide decision making, are consultative, and check their own assumptions.
Action-oriented leaders act promptly and demonstrate accountability.
Visionary leaders communicate the organisation’s vision and invests in building collective goals.
Empathetic leaders show genuine care and concern for others.
4. SEEK ASSISTANCE
In much the same way that we would encourage individuals to reach out and seek help if they’re experiencing burnout, organisations would be well-placed to call in consultants to look at their overall culture, as well as their hiring and onboarding processes, and how these facilitate or buffer against burnout in their team and, particularly, their new graduates.
A blend of organisational design and workplace consultants (such as our organisational psychology arm Perquiro) and clinical and registered psychologists that focus on workplace mental health (that’s us!) can help set your organisation on the right path through helpful work design, appropriate recruitment practices, and equipping employees with the right tools to help them manage their own wellbeing.
Early-career burnout getting you down? Grab our tip sheet below to learn more about how to help yourself.
REFERENCES
[1] Maslach, C., Schaufeli, W.B., & Leither, M.P. (2001). Job burnout. Annual Review in Psychology, 52, 397-422.
[2] Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (2008). The truth about burnout: How organizations cause personal stress and what to do about it. John Wiley & Sons.
[3] Handy, C.B. (1976). Understanding Organisations. Penguin, Harmondsworth.
[4] Jackson, S. E., Schwab, R. C., & Schuler, R. S. (1986). Towards an understanding of the burnout phenomenon. Journal of Applied Psychology 71, 630-640.
[5] Peake, M. (2015, July 10). Do you have early career burnout? Friday Magazine. https://fridaymagazine.ae/life-culture/people-profiles/do-you-have-early-career-burnou-1.1547679
[6] Lowe, K. B., Kroeck, K. G., & Sivasubramaniam, N. (1996). Effectiveness correlates of transformational and transactional leadership: A meta-analytic review of the MLQ literature. The leadership quarterly, 7(3), 385-425.
[7] Zopiatis, A., & Constanti, P. (2010). Leadership styles and burnout: is there an association?. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management.
[8] Hesketh, I., & Cooper, C.L. (2014). Leavism at work. Occupational medicine, 4, 146-147.
[9] Mohelska, H., & Sokolova, M. (2015). Organisational culture and leadership – joint vessels? Procedia – Social and Behavioural Sciences, 171, 1011-1016.
Early career burnout - Part 1: Individual factors
Burnout is on the rise, and it’s disproportionately affecting millennials, Gen Zs, and those in the early stages of their career. Read on to learn what you can do to manage your burnout.
EARLY-CAREER Burnout (Part 1: Individual factors)
by Giulia Villa + Joyce Chong
What is EARLY CAREER BURNOUT ?
Commencing a career is an important transition point in a young person’s life, and the first ‘real’ job should be an exciting new adventure. Yet the challenge of adapting to a new role and a new lifestyle can come with a great deal of stress. For many who are in the early stages of their career, and starting to feel stressed and anxious about work, it’s important to consider if poor wellbeing is tipping into early career burnout. Burnout is a work-related state of mind comprising exhaustion, distancing from one’s work, and decreased personal achievement [1].
Why are new graduates at the beginning of their career at a higher risk of burnout? There may be a combination of factors, including experiencing challenges they feel underprepared to cope with, or unable to fit into a new culture and way of life. Overwhelmed and unable to adjust to their new circumstances (both professionally and personally), these individuals then start to experience burnout.
Burnout is a phenomenon recognised in many professions - something routinely identified amongst junior doctors and nurses, teachers and academics (amongst many others) - yet we all have the potential to experience burnout, no matter our profession or our stage of career, and it has a very real effect.
“Consider the impact of health professionals caring for the lives of others, workers operating heavy machinery, and teachers tasked with educating the next generation, turning up to work feeling frazzled and overwhelmed. ”
Indeed, burnout is regarded as such a significant issue that the 11th Revision of the World Health Organisation’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) has classified it as an occupational phenomenon resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.[2]
Organisations should sit up and notice the very real implications that burnout has for employee wellbeing and mental health, lost productivity, and turnover, and it is something that is disproportionately affecting early career employees. In fact:
Burnout is affecting millennials at a higher that average rate compared to the general population (84% vs. 77%), resulting in higher levels of turnover according to a survey on burnout conducted by Deloitte.
The proportion of Gen Z experiencing burnout is catching up to Millennials, with this in part attributable to the Covid-19 pandemic that saw the lines between work and play blurred even further, as well as removing office-based social networks as a coping strategy.
In this two-part series on early career burnout we look at reasons why new graduates at the beginning of their career trajectory are at risk of burnout, and what can be done to make the transition easier at the organisational and individual levels. Here, we shine a light on those personal factors that contribute to early career burnout.
Individual factors in early career burnout
For many, ‘early career’ follows many years at university or in an apprenticeship. Stepping into a job can look very different from sitting in a classroom, or working under significant direction, as you transition into working independently in an organisation. Below are some individual factors that contribute to early-career burnout.
Mindset, Imposter syndrome, Perfectionism, and early career burnout
Mindset plays a powerful role in early career burnout. Consider the expectations you had of your first ‘real job’, and your desire to make a good impression in the workplace. Stepping into the real world may even trigger Imposter Syndrome, in which you feel like an intellectual fraud and fear being exposed. These fears can then lead to perfectionistic coping behaviours so as to avoid negative evaluation, which in turn can inflate workload and contribute to burnout. [3][4]
Openness to feedback and normalisation of ‘failing’
When there is a fear of failure, feedback and asking for help can seem taboo - as if bringing into sharp attention one’s inability to understand what’s expected of them. This mindset [5] can be self-sabotaging, particularly where goals are not communicated clearly to you - rather than asking for clarification, a fear of failure can lead you to spend too much time trying to guess what you’re supposed to be doing.
Ability to manage yourself - what your study habits reveal
Congrats! Your uni days are finally behind you. Or are they? You may have heard every tertiary student’s favourite saying: “Ps get degrees”, mainly that passing your course and getting a degree helps with finding a job. While this is hard to argue against, there are certain student characteristics that set you up for a helpful adjustment to your new role or early career burnout. An 18-year exploratory longitudinal study tracking students through their university studies and subsequently into the workforce found that individuals who showed high initial social optimism, and whose social optimism increased, were less likely to withdraw and ‘self-handicap’ through task avoidance.[6],[7]. Put simply, being able to manage yourself and avoid procrastination bodes well for an easier transition into the workforce.
Constant connection and social comparisons
Yes, smartphones and laptops, as well as the blurring of work and personal spaces thanks to COVID-19, means that many early career individuals can essentially be constantly connected. However, is it in your best interest to be tethered to your work at all hours of the day, dreading each time you receive an email notification?
Constant connection can also breed upward social comparisons with other early-career colleagues, or even those whom you studied with. This can lead to lowered self-esteem as you believe that everyone else has achieved more than you, and create pressure to perform at - or even exceed - what you think others are doing [8].
Tips TO MANAGE early career burnout
1.Manage your expectations
The start of your career is an exciting time indeed, but it’s important to manage your expectations (about the job, about your work pace, about what is expected) appropriately to avoid burning out. Learn all you can about your role, look to others who perform similar roles for guidance, but above all recognise that you are at the very start. Avoid comparing yourself to someone who has done this for 5 or 10 years.
2. Practice self-care (no, really!)
Nurturing your mind, physical health and social life is just as important as nurturing your career. Some ideas for finding balance are:
Make the most of your lunch breaks. Take a mindful break by going for a walk, enjoying a meal away from your desk or calling a friend. This will give your brain a much-needed rest and boost your energy levels for the rest of the day.
Schedule ‘me time’ as you would schedule meetings. Whether it’s an exercise class, your meal-prep time or a social outing, blocking this time out in your calendar will help you stick to your plans.
Listen to your body’s cues. Everyone is different. You may find yourself losing sleep, getting sick more often, or simply being in a worse overall mood. Ignoring these signs is likely to lead to a breaking point later down the track, so be vigilant that your body may be trying to tell you something.
3. Set boundaries with others and with yourself
This may seem daunting to a new starter, but protecting your own wellbeing will make you a better employee in the long run. If you are able to, consider removing unessential work-related content from your mobile phone. Reducing the notifications you’re receiving after work hours will help you switch off, so that you can be more refreshed and productive the next day. New employees often overestimate what their boss actually expects of them. To avoid miscommunications, setting boundaries may involve having a conversation with your employer about your availability outside of work hours and the importance of this time for your rest and wellbeing. Our article on leavism can help you understand what leads us to work outside of work hours or on holidays and what we can do about this.[7]
4. Seek help
Our tip sheet below looks at some ways in which you can manage burnout, but if your burnout symptoms have reached a level that you feel you no longer can control, it may be time to speak to a professional. Most workplaces provide confidential psychological support services via Employee Assistance Programs, or you can reach out to an external professional to assist you in this time such as a psychologist who works with workplace mental health (like us!) to help you understand the cause and drive of your burnout as well as help you manage them so you can go back to feeling like yourself.
Early-career burnout getting you down? Grab our tip sheet below to learn more about how to help yourself.
REFERENCES
[1] Maslach, C., Schaufeli, W.B., & Leither, M.P. (2001). Job burnout. Annual Review in Psychology, 52, 397-422.
[2] https://www.who.int/news/item/28-05-2019-burn-out-an-occupational-phenomenon-international-classification-of-diseases
[3] Sakulku, J., & Alexander, J. (2011). The imposter phenomenon. International Journal of Behavioral Science, 6, 75-97.
[4] Dudau, D.P. (2014). The relation between perfectionism and imposter phenomenon. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 127, 129-133. Doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.03.226.
[5] Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. New York: Random House.
[6] Salmela-Aro, K., Tolvanen, A., & Nurmi, J. E. (2009). Achievement strategies during university studies predict early career burnout and engagement. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 75, 162-172.
[7] Salmela-Aro, K., Tolvanen, A., & Nurmi, J.A. (2011). Social strategies during university studies predict early career work burnout and engagement: 18-year longitudinal study. Journal of Vocational behavior, 79, 145-157.
[8] Patrick, H., Neighbors, C., & Knee, C.R. (2004). Appearance-related social comparisons: The role of contingent self-esteem and self-perceptions of attractiveness. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30, 501-514.
[9] Hesketh, I., & Cooper, C.L. (2014). Leavism at work. Occupational medicine, 4, 146-147
Crafting a moment of mindfulness - How to find time to be mindful when life is busy
Mindfulness is now firmly entrenched in our consciousness, but how can we find a moment to fit mindfulness into our busy modern day lives?
CRAFTING A MOMENT OF MINDFULNESS
By Joyce Chong and Megan Nielsen
Mindfulness. Since our clinical psychologist Annie first wrote in her article Confessions of a Mindfulness Sceptic way back in 2016, research supporting the benefits of mindfulness across a range of populations and presenting concerns has continued to explode[1][2][3]. We have seen a proliferation of mindfulness activities in our collective consciousness – mindful eating, mindful walking, mindful meditation, mindful communication, mindfulness-based stress reduction, mindfulness based cognitive therapy. There are apps, blogs, and workshops all designed to help us become more mindful, be more present, and be more relaxed. And yet… in our busy, modern-day lives, is mindfulness just another thing that we should be doing, yet another additional wellbeing activity to get on top on?
(Even more reasons) Why we should get into mindfulness
Mindfulness is not a flash in the pan, it’s not a fleeting fad. It has its roots in Eastern religion, and was brought sharply into secular focus by Jon Kabat-Zinn (most famously through Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction). Over the years, it has exploded in popularity due to its many benefits, including:
Improvements in physical health[9]
Yet…often when we know we should do something, we may experience mild resistance, or feel overloaded by mindfulness being yet. another. thing. on our ever-expanding To Do list when we are already overwhelmed by our busy schedules. So…what’s the solution when you don’t have a solid hour each day to focus on meditating?
Crafting moments of mindfulness in a busy schedule
Well, here at The Skill Collective we’re BIG fans of practicality, and if that means finding ways to incorporate mindfulness into everyday routines, we’re all for it. Everyday mindfulness is about performing everyday activities with intent to be mindful and ‘all in’ with your focused attention. Easy ways to engage in everyday mindfulness include mindful eating and mindful walking, being mindful on your commute to and from work, or even mindfully brushing your teeth or washing your hair.
But if we are looking to supercharge our mindfulness activities, then why not dip into those types of activities many of us have in our back pocket… our hobbies. Many of us have some sort of hobby that we enjoy, and find meaningful to us. In fact, hobbies are an ideal choice for practising mindfulness because:
We’re more likely to engage with them because we are already interested in them, find them enjoyable, allow us to be creative, and give us a sense of achievement. This is a great contrast to the passive down time we get by flopping on the couch and scrolling through social media.
They often require our minds to focus on what we are doing, which enables us to tune out of worries and rumination that may otherwise consume our attention.[10]
Hobbies often have a repetitive element to them (e.g. practising a musical piece, weeding the garden, writing or journaling, hiking, practising a golf swing, kneading bread, knitting a sweater), and animal studies have shown that repetitive movements are linked to increases in serotonin and dopamine which adds to the feel-good factor.[11][12][13]
Indeed, when we look at research into mindfulness in what we could consider hobby-based activities we find a strong link between mindfulness and improvements to wellbeing in the literature on art therapy, with increasing focus into the benefits of crafts such as knitting, sewing, and mending on improved wellbeing and decreased stress levels. [14][15][16]
How do we ‘do’ mindfulness when it comes to hobbies?
If the manner in which you’re most familiar with mindfulness is through mindfulness meditation, as popularised by apps such as Headspace and Smiling Mind, applying everyday mindfulness to your hobbies may take a bit of practice. For any activity, being mindful means:
Paying attention in a particular way so you’re noticing feedback from all of your senses
…on purpose so you’re attuned to what you’re doing, and not much else
…in the present moment, rather than on a conversation you had yesterday or what you’ll make for dinner tonight
…and non-judgementally such that you’re noticing and describing, rather than judging experiences as being positive or negative.
And that’s it, really! Of course, while it sounds simple, mindfulness can be tricky. Your mind will wander, and you may notice unpleasant sensations, thoughts, and negative emotions come to the fore. That is fine, and part of mindfulness. Through regular practice, it will become easier to redirect your focus to the task at hand.
Now for a deep dive into ‘doing’ mindfulness when it comes to hobbies, we’ll hand over now to the amazing Meg Nielsen from Megan Nielsen Patterns to show us how it’s done. Not only is Meg an amazing pattern designer who lives and breathes all things sewing-related, she is a big believer in good psychological health and resilience. From what started out as a hobby, Meg has turned it into a passion, a business (did we mention she was named in the 2020 40 Under 40 Business Award in Western Australia?), and also built an amazing sewing community around her which also goes to show the benefits (not just mindfulness-based!) that hobbies can bring.
Hi, I’m Meg from Megan Niesen Patterns, and I’m thrilled to share with you the many ways in which sewing helps with mindfulness, mental health and wellbeing.
I have a tendency to stress, overthink, ruminate and allow the worries of the day, life and world in general take over my mind. Intentionally removing my mental attention from these negative pursuits is something that I have actively been learning to do over many years – and will probably continue to keep learning throughout my life.
Along with prioritizing intentional prayer and quiet moments each morning, engaging with creative hobbies and participating in the creative community have been integral to my mental health.
There are so many ways that I’ve found my creative hobbies help me to remain mindful and connected and I’m excited to share few today!
Mindfulness when learning something new
I will often pick up a new creative hobby as I seek out the “beginner state” – that period of time where you don’t know what you are doing and are learning and engrossed. I love the beginner state and I find the state of learning naturally mindful. Since you don’t know what you’re doing when it comes to learning a new skill, you more naturally need to focus on the task at hand with an open purposeful attitude. I’ve learnt knitting, screen printing, shoe making, crochet, quilting, embroidery, sketching, painting and of course garment sewing (my true love). Beyond the initial state of learning, I find that in general I think sewing and crafting are full of activities that if done mindfully are incredibly restful. I find all stages of the process of making something fully engaging, and they force me to focus my attention on the present with a purpose and often include repetitive quiet actions.
Mindfulness when planning my next project
For anyone who sews, ironing and cutting your fabric before you begin sewing can often be considered an inconvenience before a project can begin. But I look forward to this preparation stage and I often use this time to be more mindful and present, in the place of more passive relaxation like watching tv. I tend to save my cutting out for the evenings when my children are asleep. I enjoy the process of wiping down my dinner table, carefully ironing and pressing the fabric, laying pattern pieces out, pinning and thoughtfully cutting. I’m known for my love of carefully matching stripes and prints in fabric, and part of the reason I do it so often is an intentional decision not just to enjoy the challenge, but knowing how much it engrosses my attention. It’s hard for your mind to wander when you are fully focused on matching stripes! An evening spent carefully preparing and cutting out fabric leaves me more calm and ready for sleep than anything else, as well as fully prepared to tackle my sewing project when I next have the time to.
Mindfulness in activity - Removing distractions.
I am an extrovert by nature, I really enjoy human interaction and have never enjoyed being on my own, but I’m learning the important of intentional quiet. When engaging in a hobby for relaxation I like to remove all distractions like the tv, music or being near other people. Ideally I find making something in a quiet room or during the evenings on my own allows me to give my full attention to the task and helps me remain more relaxed.
Mindfulness in activity - Embroidery and hand sewing
My number one go to activity for hobby based mindfulness is hand sewing. I will often choose to hand sew a hem or add embroidery to a project knowing that it will force me to sit quietly with a cup of tea and focus on the task.
One such activity is Sashiko stitching, which at its core is repetitive and asks the maker to focus on the rhythm of stitching whilst appreciating the materials and connecting with what you are making. As you can see from the photos below, Sashiko is a series of simple stitches, done repetitively.
Sashiko is the perfect activity for a spot of mindfulness for me because:
I focus on just a few simple elements: The feel of the fabric, the delicate thread, the needle, and the repetitive movement of my hand stitching.
The repetitive needle action is incredibly soothing, and I often look up surprised to see how much time has passed.
In addition to Sashiko stitching, there are plenty of other forms of sewing and embroidery projects that I’ve dipped into this past year to help me remain mindful and restful. Here are some other examples of me crafting my moments of mindfulness!
lf you’re keen to learn more about mindfulness and sewing, or to see me deep in Sashiko stitching, head on over here and here. Here’s to crafting many more mindful moments!
REFERENCES
[1] Querstret, D., Morison, L, Dickson, S., Cropley, M., John, M. (2020). Mindfulness-based stress reduction and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for psychological health and well-being in nonclinical samples: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Stress Management, 27, 394-411.
[2] Sanada, K., Montero-Marin, J., Barcelo-Soler, A., Ikuse, D., Ota, M., Hirata, A., Yoshizawa, A., Hatanaka, R., Valero, M., Demarzo, M., Campayo, J.G., & Iwanami, A. (2020). Effects of mindfulness-based interventions on biomarkers and low-grade inflammation in patients with psychiatric disorders: A meta-analytic review. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 21, 2484.
[3] Goldberg, S.B., Riordan, K.M., Sun, S., & Davidson, R.J. (2021). The empirical status of mindfulness-based interventions: A systematic review of 44 meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials. Perspectives on Psychological Science: A journal of the Association of Psychological Science doi: 10.1177/1745691620968771.
[4] Chiesa, A., Calati, R., Serretti, A. (2011). Does mindfulness training improve cognitive abilities? A systematic review of neuropsychological findings. Clinical Psychology Review, 31, 449-464.
[5] Chambers, R., Lo, B.C.Y., & Allen, N.B. (2007). The impact of intensive mindfulness training on attentional control, cognitive style, and affect. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 32, 302-322.
[7] Carsley, D., & Heath, N.L., (2018). Effectiveness of mindfulness-base colouring for test anxiety in adolescents. School Psychology International, 1-22. doi: 10.1177/0143034318773523 journals.sagepub.com/home/spi
[8] Segal, Z.V., Williams, J.M.G., Teasdale, J.D. (2002). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression: A new approach to preventing relapse. Guilford Press.
[9] Pascoe, M.C., Thompson, D.R., Jenkins, Z.M., & Ski, C.F. (2017). Minfulness mediates the physiological markers of stress: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 95, 156-178.
[10] Wharton, E., & Kanas, N. (2019) Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for the Treatment of Anxiety Disorders, International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 69, 362-372, doi: 10.1080/00207284.2019.1599289
[11] Lambert, K.G. (2006). Rising rates of depression in today’s society: Consideration of the role of effort-based rewards and enhanced resilience in day-to-day functioning. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 30, 497-510.
[12] Jacobs, B., 1994. Serotonin, motor activity and depression-related disorders. American Science, 82, 456–463.
[13] Treadway, M.T., & Lazar, S.W. (2009), The neurobiology of mindfulness. In F. Didonna (ed.). Clinical Handbook of Mindfulness. Springer.
[14] Monti, D. A., Peterson, C., Kunkel, E. J. S., Hauck, W. W., Pequignot, E., Rhodes, L., et al. (2006). A randomized, controlled trial of mindfulness-based art therapy (MBAT) for women with cancer. Psychooncology 15, 363–373. doi: 10.1002/pon.988
[15] Hinchey, L. M. (2018). "Mindfulness-Based Art Therapy: A Review of the Literature." Inquiries Journal, 10(05). Retrieved from http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/a?id=1737
[16] Twinnger Holroyd, A. (2016). Perceptions and practices of dress-related leisure: shopping, sorting, making and mending. Annals of Leisure Research, 19, 275-293. https://doi.org/10.1080/11745398.2015.1111148
Workplace mental health: What is leaveism?
When it comes to work, we may be familiar with the terms absenteeism and presenteeism in relation to attendance and engagement. Let’s take a closer look the lesser-known, related concept of leaveism.
Workplace mental health: What is leaveism?
By Joyce Chong
Modern life can be stressful and challenging. Throw in a global pandemic with (i) Job insecurity; (ii) Increased workload with fewer resources; and (iii) An increased blurring between work and home lives (working from home, anyone?), is it any wonder we are seeing a workforce with increasing levels of stress and poorer mental health? When it comes to employees feeling unwell in the workplace, we often think of of absenteeism (where we aren’t at work and aren’t engaged with work) and presenteeism (where we are at work but aren’t engaged with work) as being the main indications. However, leaveism is increasingly coming to the fore in our understanding of workplace absence, overload, and worker wellbeing.
In this article we’ll cover:
What is leaveism
Why does leaveism occur?
The problem with leaveism
What can be done about leaveism?
what is leaveism?
How do you know if you are guilty of leaveism? Have you ever found yourself [1]:
Feeling unwell, but rather than taking sick leave, you used annual leave, flexi-time or time off in lieu banked, instead? (you might even have worked whilst unwell!).
Taking work home to complete at night or on weekends that could not be completed in usual working hours.
Working whilst on holidays to catch up on work obligations.
If this sounds all too familiar, then you’re not alone. Leavesism was a term coined by Ian Hesketh and Cary Cooper when they sought to enhance our understanding of how absenteeism and presenteeism fit in the bigger picture of employee wellbeing, workload, and leave.
WHY DOES LEAVEISM OCCUR?
In an ideal world leaveism would not be an issue. We would have manageable workloads that we could complete within our time at work. We would feel okay to have a mental health day to recharge when we felt overwhelmed. And we would be okay to leave uncompleted tasks to the next work day. But there are reasons why leaveism prevails: [2]
Job security and increased workload
With Covid-19, job security and financial security are becoming increasing concerns. Workloads may have been redistributed so that fewer employees are doing more, and with fewer resources. Constant connection also means we are readily available, likely all hours of the day. Working from home means this boundary is further blurred.
Due to job insecurity, most of us are trying to keep up with performance and output so as to minimise reasons for job losses should another round of redundancies occur. In order to stay ahead of the pack, many are putting excessive hours in to stay competitive; unwilling to speak up when a workload is excessive, or when targets are unrealistic.
Stigma and work culture
The resulting increased workload and hours worked is a recipe for stress, burnout, and poor mental health. In an ideal world we would take sick leave - a mental health day - so we can recharge our batteries and boost our resilience. However we may feel disinclined to take time off for mental health purposes, or to use our sick leave at all, due to perceptions of ‘old school’ workplaces that view poor mental health as personal failures, or worrying that taking sick leave (even under the guise of a physical ailment) might lead to the questioning of one’s commitment to work. Thus employees may end up taking annual leave, or rostered time off (or time off in lieu) instead.
There may also be pressure to be seen to cope with it all, in spite of workloads being objectively unrealistic. What this leads to, though, is people using their time outside of work to ‘catch up’ on their workload, including evenings, weekends, and holidays. This leaves a workforce that is always focused on work, and not refreshed and recharged.
THE PROBLEM WITH LEAVEISM
The problem with leaveism is manifold, for employees and organisations:
The true workload is hidden and resourcing inadequacies are exacerbated. Without an accurate picture, employers won’t know what resourcing is actually required, and employees end up doing more. Say, for example, you are employed at 0.5FTE but you are ‘catchiing up’ and working at 1.0 FTE and slowly burning out. Because you are still completing the work, your organisation might see that the 0.5FTE as being adequate resourcing for the project, particularly if the issue hasn’t been raised with them.
Personal costs to the employees as stress, burnout, and disengagement occur. This can lead to self-doubt, self-esteem, and detachment from the role.
Organisational costs following employees being disengaged from their roles and the organisation, in the forms of absenteeism, presenteeism, and turnover. These set the organisation back in terms of meeting targets in a timely fashion. The reputation of the organisation may also suffer as a consequence, as work culture can be a deterrent to prospective employees.
WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT LEAVEISM?
There are things that organisations (and individuals) can do to help keep leaveism at bay. Some great tips for organisations from Deloitte include:
Clear expectations and the importance of switching off outside of work.
Adequate resourcing and managing of workflow and workloads.
Championing the importance of breaks as tools for productivity. Resting, re-setting, and balancing work with play are all important for an engaged and productive workforce.
Address stigma when it comes to mental health as a barrier to taking sick leave and speaking up about unrealistic workloads and burnout.
As for individuals, here are some ways to tackle leaveism:
Mindset is the key, as is setting boundaries with yourself. There will always be another task that could be done, another thing to ‘get on top of’. At some point in time you will have to set a boundary so that your body and mind can rest and recuperate and do those things that make you more resilient. If perfectionism and social comparison are key to you being unable to switch off, perhaps have a chat with your mental health professional to work on this underlying issue.
Communicate with your manager about your workload. If you don’t tell them they won’t know. Your after-hours work is likely invisible to them – what is visible to them is that the work was able to be completed within the time frame set, and ably handled by you.
Change your environment to change your behaviour. Log out of work apps and turn off alerts. Set up out-of-office replies for when you’re away or outlining those days during the week that you work.
Importantly, what is the cost to you? Your relationships and friendships? Your wellbeing? And, is it worth it? If you’re finding it hard to leave leaveism behind, contact us to book in for some one-on-one assistance.
REFERENCES
[1] Hesketh, I., & Cooper, C.L. (2014). Leavism at work. Occupational medicine, 4, 146-147.
[2] Deloitte (2020). Mental health and employers: Refreshing the case for investment. www2.deloitte.com/uk/en/pages/consulting/articles/mental-health-and-employers-refreshing-the-case-for-investment.html
6 sure-fire strategies to manage exam stress
With exams rapidly approaching check out our tips to help you manage exam stress and anxiety.
6 SURE-FIRE TIPS TO MANAGE EXAM STRESS
by Joyce Chong (updated 28 September 2018)
Exams can be a stressful time - it’s the culmination of months of hard work, and the stakes can be high. Thoughts about your future career ‘hanging in the balance’ can heighten stress levels and ramp up anxiety. The problem is that too much stress and anxiety actually harms your cognitive performance, yet it’s at this point in time where we see students doing things such as cramming, staying up late to study, and cutting back on exercise and adequate nutrition - behaviours that have negative outcomes for performance. With this in mind, we’ve put together six sure-fire tips to help you manage exam stress.
1. STUDY SMARTER, NOT LONGER
Come exam time it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that every waking moment should be spent studying. In reality, preparing well for exams isn’t about cramming absolutely everything in, nor is it about studying for every single moment of the day.
Instead, try the following strategies:
Understand the times of day that you’re better able to cope with more mentally-taxing tasks like digesting topics that you don’t enjoy or don't understand well. Structure your studies accordingly.
Spend time revising what you've have studied – repetition is how you consolidate things which means that they’ll be easier to recall during the exam.
Learn what you have to learn. That is, pay close attention to what types of questions typically come up in past exam papers, what lecturers emphasise, and what the core objectives of the subject are. By focusing on learning these, you’re giving yourself an excellent head start.
It may also be a good time to sharpen your study skills. Learn how to learn better by improving your reading and comprehension, improving your memory, and understanding your preferred learning style (visual versus verbal). Not sure how to? Check out this article on How to Choose the Right Study Techniques. You can also check out our online course Nimble Noodle (more details in the blue box at the bottom of this page!), which helps students perform at their peak.
2. Practise, practise, practise
You'd train your little heart out for a marathon, so why wouldn’t you do the same for exams? To help get you fit for exams you can practise:
Waking up at a time early in the morning so you’re alert for morning exams. That means keeping a steady waking time throughout the entire week, rather than late nights and late mornings on weekends.
Simulating exam conditions by sitting a practice exam at a desk, and writing complete answers as you would in a real exam. Given that we rarely write continuously for 2 or 3 hours nowadays, it’s a good opportunity to get exam-fit.
Testing your recollection of what you have learnt by setting yourself sample questions and pop quizzes.
3. Limit cramming/all-nighters/performance-enhancers
Before you scoff at our suggestion to avoid cramming or using performance-enhancers, hear us out. Keeping your energy levels up and reducing fatigue so that they don’t affect your performance (both speed and accuracy) are important. Exam periods last for over a week, and you want to be able to last the distance.
Critically, get adequate rest - research has shown that 17-19 hours without sleep leads to poorer accuracy and slower reaction times on cognitive tasks, equivalent to performing with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05%! So if you wouldn’t drink alchol and sit an exam, consider if it’s time to go to bed just a bit earlier. [1]
It’s also a good idea to limit caffeine and other stimulants (including nicotine) - after all, what goes up must come down at some point in time… and hopefully not on the morning of your exam.
4. Take care of the building blocks
Diet, exercise, sleep – we’re talking about the foundations of good health to facilitate studying and minimise stress that increases during the exam period.[2] Having worked with many students over the years, we’re also realistic that these tend to be the first things to go out the window when life gets stressful, which is exactly why we’re highlighting this as an important way of managing stress.
Diet matters because you need energy so you can study for sustained periods rather than feel fatigued after a sugar- or caffeine-hit. [3] Instead, look at clever ways to sneak convenient yet healthy foods into your day that will keep your energy going. This can be as simple as doing food prep over the weekend and stocking up on healthy snacks.
Exercise helps burn up the stress that builds up during exam time. [4] If it’s hard to find time to go to the gym when you’re studying, incorporate it into your routine and multitask it with revisions if you must!
Sleep helps the body to rest and recharge, consolidate what you have learned during the day, and maintain peak cognitive abilities (see Point 3 on why sleep matters), so don’t scrimp on it.
5. LEARN TO Relax…
Exams can get pretty stressful, so apart from taking care of the building blocks of diet, sleep, and exercise, it’s also important to get some rest and relaxation.
Plan for some down-time, and schedule it at the end of a study period so that it can motivate you to get through a particularly tricky topic that you have to plough through.
Also consider breathing as a simple and easily accessible way of decreasing your stress and anxiety. It’s as simple as breathing in and out through your nose over eight seconds, and from your diaphragm rather than your chest. This is a technique that you can use right in the middle of your exams too, when you feel ‘thrown’ by a question.
6. Check your thoughts
Your thoughts can really impact on our stress levels. Say you believe that you will:
Fail this exam;
Therefore fail all of your exams;
Fail all of your subjects; and
And that will be the end of your future.
Your thoughts increase your anxiety, and unfortunately excessive levels of anxiety have a negative impact on performance.
If you find that your thoughts create a lot of stress and anxiety for you, it may help to ask yourself if catastrophising is getting in the way. What is the likelihood of failing? What are the likely consequences of failing? Has anyone ever failed a subject but ended up finishing their studies? Has anyone ever not completed their studies but went on to be successful? By getting a reality-check you can turn down the noise on the thoughts and help you to contain your anxiety.
Hopefully these tips will help you in the lead up to your exams. If you find that you want to learn more about preparing for exams, or about managing exam anxiety, contact us to make an appointment.
GOT TO GET INTO STUDY MODE? GET NIMBLE NOODLE.
Learn ways to prepare better for your exams by getting on top of your studies. In Nimble Noodle, an online course for students where you can learn to use your brain flexibly to stay focused until the end. We focus on a holistic approach to exam performance - academically, psychologically, and physically. Nimble Noodle for students covers:
GREAT TIPS ON HOW TO BOOST YOUR STUDY SKILLS
Studying is more than just opening your books and rote-learning the information contained in your textbook, nor just attending classes and summarising what the teacher covers. In Nimble Noodle we cover:
How to set yourself up for a great academic year, semester, or term by planning your studies with good time management.
Understanding how your memory works and how to work with its limitations to boost your performance.
How to read and take notes effectively rather than writing everything you read/hear. Pages and pages of notes do not automatically turn you into an excellent student. You have to engage with your notes and study strategically.
How to be effective when it comes to assignments by taking a strategic approach to planning how to tackle your assignment, how to conduct research, and planning what to write.
HOW TO STAY ON TRACK WITH STUDIES (BURNOUT AND PROCRASTINATION, WE’RE LOOKING AT YOU!)
An academic year can seem really long. A semester may seem less of a stretch, but in reality it means that you have to be able to sustain your performance to make it over many weeks. So how do you stay on track with your studies when there are multiple distractions, fun things to do instead, and not burn out before you get to the end? In Nimble Noodle we’ll look at:
How your mindset can demotivate and derail your best intentions, and how to shift your self talk to help you stay on track with your studies. Feeling motivated to approach your studies, or feeling demotivated and procrastinating on a task, all stem from your mindset and powerful self-talk. We take a deep dive into mindset and how to make it work to your advantage.
How to look after your physical health so that you don’t crash and burn. Think of the classic stressed-out student who sets aside a healthy diet, exercise, and sleep, who instead spends every waking moment studying - how effective will this student be when it comes to the crunch?
How to manage stress, intense emotions, and setbacks so that they don’t derail your studies. Feeling overwhelmed can lead you to check out of your studies, so why not learn to managing distressing emotions so that it’s easier to refocus on your studies?
How to manage your time better and to set up an environment that helps your studies. Learning about your peak times of alertness can boost your studies.
How to think critically about your study progress (meta-learning).
HOW TO PREPARE FOR EXAM DAY(S)
Finally, we cover how to prepare for exam time with specific tips covering:
How to study strategically when it comes to your exam preparation
What to do on exam day
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Nimble Noodle is brought to you by our Clinical Psychologist Dr Joyce Chong, and Dr Kevin Yong, GP and blogger at eat.move.chill. They’ve worked together over the years to help students get set for their studies and exams, and have put together their best tips that work so you can access them all in the one place.
Joyce has a special interest in learning and memory, having completed her PhD on the link between anxiety and working memory. She also worked for many years with students at University Counselling and Psychological Services, helping them stay on track with their studies through a combination of developing strong study skills, managing moods that get in the way of effective studying, and also developing the right mindset for success.
Kevin is a firm believer in the benefits of a healthy body for wellbeing and the mind. His focus is on helping students look after themselves in ways that support their learning and concentration, and to ensure that they stay well and illness-free for this very significant year of their lives.
As a special thank you to our The Skill Collective readers, the first section of Nimble Noodle (covering How to study strategically, Mindset, and Study Skills) has launched! You can learn more about Nimble Noodle and ACCESS AN EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT ON NIMBLE NOODLE by clicking on this link HERE.
Want more? You can connect with The Skill Collective in the following ways:
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References
[1] Williamson, A.M., & Feyer, A-M. (2000). Moderate sleep deprivation produces impairments in cognitive and motor performance equivalent to legally prescribed levels of alcohol intoxication. Occupational Environmental Medicine, 649-655.
[2] Andrews, A., & Chong, J. (2011). Exploring the wellbeing of students studying at an Australian university. Journal of the Australia and New Zealand Student Services Association, 37, 9-38.
[2] http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Fatigue_fighting_tips?open
[4] Chong, J., Elliott, J., & Murray, S. (2005). Avoiding the black hole of despair: A guide to managing exam anxiety. Perth: Curtin University.
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