Is social anxiety holding you back from connecting with people? 

 

It can sometimes feel a bit like the overprotective best friend you never asked for and frankly now can’t get rid of. 

 

You share with them your dreams of travel and job promotions, of working back in the office and you mention the email from Alice in accounting inviting you to staff drinks on Friday night. 

 

At first they sound excited for you. But the more they talk about it, the more overwhelming it all starts to feel.  

The new normal is a term that’s been thrown around a lot over the last few years… 

 

 

But the thing is, things still don’t feel very normal. In fact, in some ways, things now seem less clear - less testing, less restrictions to protect others if a person has covid and less mandatory transparency. 

The success of most businesses comes down to the people who work in it. When they’re performing at their best, the business will perform at its best. 

 

But, when your team's energy is being drained by factors outside of the workplace (such as health concerns, political concerns and family matters), it’s unsurprising that this could have a massive impact on your business. Deadlines can slip, productivity can drop and the overall quality of your product or service can be impacted. 

We’ve known for a long time that this day was coming… 

 

The day when masks are no longer compulsory in public spaces and isolating if you test positive for Covid is down to personal judgement. But, after a year of being told that these masks and isolation periods are essential in keeping us safe, it’s not surprising that we are not feeling safe. 

Valentine's day can be a tough one at times, not least when you’re spending it in the office. Whether you’re the one receiving a huge bouquet of roses at your desk or you have come into the office to distract yourself from the whole valentines thing, there’s always a huge mist of expectation, judgement, anxiety, and sometimes resentment surrounding the day. 

 

Presenteeism is one of those pesky problems which lurks in the shadowy corner of the office. It’s often overlooked because, on the surface, someone can just seem to be really committed to a job or focused on a project. But how can you tell the difference between commitment to a job and presenteeism? 

 

Here’s 4 tell-tale signs to keep a close eye out for… 

Once upon a time, there was a kind, selfless, intelligent & capable lady called Jane who was always friendly to everyone. 

 

Every day, she liked to make others happy, so she smiled, kept busy and put others before herself however unbeknownst to everyone she hid a big secret. Jane didn’t like herself, she felt deep down there was something wrong with her and that no matter what she did she would never be good enough and feared being alone. So, she tried and tried every day to be as kind, helpful, agreeable and people-pleasing as possible and hid any of her weariness, frustrations or resentments so everyone would like her. 

 

One day, however, after a particularly demanding time putting others first for a special occasion, she noticed everyone around her looking so happy and joyful in sharp contrast to how she felt - alone, low and empty behind her fixed smile. She considered all the years she had wasted feeling unhappy & not enjoying her life. 

When we feel depressed, we often also feel overwhelmed, tired and demotivated and the simplest tasks seem impossible or too difficult to achieve. As we then balk at or stop doing our tasks, chores or even getting out of bed our self-esteem takes a nosedive and we feel less in control than ever.