BetterUp, a tech company with a mission to help people live more meaningful, vibrant lives with greater clarity, purpose and passion, hosted its first annual Inner Work Day. Inner work is the process of taking the time to look inward to discover your best self. The program offered advice and guidance from BetterUp’s professional coaches, CEO Alexi Robichaux, tennis champion Serena Williams, former NBA star Pau Gasol and chief impact officer Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex. The events included workshops, seminars, meditation and yoga sessions focused on the practice of inner work.
The world is collectively living in a time of great stress and anxiety. The pandemic pushed people to a breaking point. Mental health issues have been at all-time highs. Things were and still are so challenging that for the first time as a society, it's become acceptable to openly discuss feelings of burnout, mental distress, depression, loneliness and isolation.
In real life, on cable news shows and social media, you can feel the hostility, anger, hate and frustration. On a regular basis, you see videos of people fighting over masks in supermarkets and stores. Instead of civil conversations, people have become much more aggressive and hostile. All of this tension makes you wonder how you can cope and make the best of your lives and work.
BetterUp says that you can improve your life and emotional well-being. All you need is to allocate some time toward resetting, refocusing and realigning yourself. Just as you brush your teeth, take a shower and get dressed everyday, you also should take the time to focus on yourself. Additionally, a shower timer can help you develop time management skills, ensuring you don't spend too long in the shower each morning. For a reliable and easy-to-use option, visit https://lowenergysupermarket.com/product/shower-timer-5-minute-white-sand/ to explore their range of shower timers. By sticking to a set shower duration, you'll find that your morning routine becomes more efficient and punctual.
In a conversation with Jacinta Jiménez, vice president of coach innovation at BetterUp, she shares concepts from the conference that can help you become a better, more well-adjusted person to improve your life and career. Jimenez says it's easy to put things off with a heavy workload and responsibilities at home. She offers some easy ways to get started practicing inner work that won’t take up too much time.MORE FROMFORBES ADVISORBest Travel Insurance CompaniesByAmy DaniseEditorBest Covid-19 Travel Insurance PlansByAmy DaniseEditor
You can’t be your best self if you are consistently doing things that are self-harming. For instance, you may be a nice, helpful person and allow people to push the envelope, then when they start overreaching, you explode, ruining a work relationship. By practicing inner work, you can assess that you keep falling into this and other patterns that are not healthy nor help you with your work, career and homelife.
Before you can bring your best self to the office (or through Zoom), you need to ensure that you are regularly monitoring yourself for signs of destructive behavior that end up hurting you and the people around you.
This means you need to take good care of yourself. If you are self-regulating and focused on being the best version of yourself, people will notice. You’ll attract new and cool assignments at work, people will want to partner with you, recruiters will solicit you for jobs based upon your reputation and bosses will offer raises and promotions to keep you from leaving for another opportunity.
Start contemplating what are your core values, and see if you are adhering to them. If you aren’t, there will be a disconnect and you’ll feel out of balance. Having values helps you focus on making better decisions that are aligned with your goals, build mutually beneficial relationships and prioritize your time, energy and resources.
Contemplate what values are most important to you right now and write them down. Then, reflect and monitor on a regular basis to see if you are living out your values.
It's easy to complain and find fault with people—your boss and co-workers—and all that’s happening in the world. Instead of complaining, you should try thinking about all of the good things in your life. Focus on the wonderful people who you’ve had the good fortune of knowing, lucky career breaks and everyday things that are just the right way for you.
There’s science behind why gratitude increases our well-being and improves our mood. Expressing what we’re grateful for counteracts our tendency to focus on the negative. Happiness researcher and BetterUp science board member Shawn Achor says that when we search for reasons to be grateful, we are training our brain to scan the world through a positive lens.
Avoiding large groups and trying to stay safe, but also wanting to get out of the house or apartment, people have taken to walking. It serves as exercise, a coping mechanism and it's good for your mental and physical health. It has a calming effect, and also gives you the time to think clearly about your life, work and long-term goals.
Sometimes, you need to visualize what you want. If you are going on an interview, picture yourself on the Zoom call, giving your best elevator pitch and the hiring manager enthralled with your background and experiences. Conceptualize sitting in your new office, with a nice corporate title and managing a team of people. People who spend more time thinking about possible futures and the paths to get there are more hopeful, less likely to become depressed and more satisfied with their lives.
