{"id":9978,"date":"2021-11-15T08:11:47","date_gmt":"2021-11-15T08:11:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/careers\/?p=9978"},"modified":"2021-11-15T08:12:32","modified_gmt":"2021-11-15T08:12:32","slug":"monthly-musings-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/careers\/monthly-musings-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Monthly musings"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Each month I\u2019ll pick three of my random musings, in the hope they\u2019re useful. They might have been things I\u2019ve experienced, read about or become aware of. Enjoy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

These are the November monthly musings. Three short ideas to give you something to ponder\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018We often judge the pleasure of an experience based on how we feel at the end\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Woah. I read this in an article and it stopped me for a brief moment, not because I thought it was wrong, but because I appreciated it was probably right. Sometimes, this can be really helpful; if we\u2019ve spent all day doing some hard work, we\u2019re probably going to have enjoyed that less than the little rush of adrenaline and satisfaction we get when handing in the work at the end. But, how does this skew how we do things?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was talking to a mum, and fellow runner recently, who explained difficult long races like giving birth \u2013 it\u2019s painful at the time, but you go on adrenaline, and soon after you\u2019ve finished, you forget the challenge, and remember the victory. This completely ties in with the above. So maybe the fact we forget the struggles is a good thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I wonder what that means for our reality. Are we spending long periods of our lives stressed and unhappy, but forgetting them because at the end of each project we feel a rush of joy? Well, quite possibly. Does this also mean we could have enjoyed a wonderful social day out, but an argument on the way home totally mars the memory?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t worry. It\u2019s not all bad news, but I am going to give some advice; notice your feelings in the moment on the journey. Are you part-way through a project? Are you part-way through a weekend? Notice what you\u2019re feeling right now. Then take a moment to think about different things going on for you; what\u2019s happening in your studies, and work life? Which bits bring positive feelings, and which bits bring negative feelings \u2013 and what feelings are they? Excitement, fear?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Work won\u2019t always be an easy ride. But if you can identify which parts of work you\u2019re really enjoying, can you re-shift things so you have opportunity to do more of that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Work and Rest<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two polar opposites. Or are they? Can you find work in your rest and rest in your work? Well, I think it has a lot to do with where you get your energy from, and what is an energy stealer for you. I am an introvert. Therefore, I don\u2019t find being around people energy-giving, and sometimes, if I do too much, I even find it quite draining. That doesn\u2019t mean I\u2019m anti-social, and it doesn\u2019t mean I\u2019m not delighted to see you, or that I don\u2019t love spending time with you and giving you support \u2013 I\u2019ve chosen this job because I really enjoy coming alongside people in their journeys of life. But I also recognise that to recharge, or to rest, I need to be alone. What this does mean, is that I can actually rest at work. Let me clarify; I\u2019m not putting my feet on the desk and having a snack, but what I mean is that if I\u2019m able to re-charge my batteries by quietly getting some work done alone, I feel the benefit of that \u2018rest\u2019 \u2013 even though it is still, technically, work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does that mean for you extroverts? Well, a colleague mentioned the other day that they feel like catch ups, meetings and 1:1s can feel restful. They really enjoy chatting and gain energy through being around people. They come back from a meeting feeling and looking visibly energised, and would hate to be sitting alone to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what does this mean for you, now, in this post-pandemic world? Well, it means balance. It means looking out for colleagues of different temperaments to you, and as a community help to fill each others metaphorical cups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notice what\u2019s work, and notice what\u2019s rest. It\u2019s ok to make sure you balance as you return to the office. Or make sure you balance as you look to your future career plans. Where do you find rest? How can you build that in to your working routines?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beware of shiny things<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recently I\u2019ve been talking with friends in a range of sectors about work benefits. Especially as the return to office happens, but equally during the pandemic, there was a great range of \u2018staff wellbeing\u2019 activities or concepts, but one piece of feedback seemed to come from each of the people I spoke to; beware of the shiny things. What do I mean by this? Well, in some places the wellbeing stuff can be a bit\u2026 tokenistic. There might be a free drinks trolley on a Friday afternoon, or there might be a ping-pong table, or there might be training sessions on wellbeing\u2026 but if in an interview you ask what their commitment to staff wellbeing looks like and these are the answers, just beware. Because a free drink on a Friday afternoon doesn\u2019t erase a blame culture. A ping-pong table doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019ll get to take your lunchbreak, and a training session on wellbeing I have heard a number of times, are obligatory sessions, late after work! Make sure when you\u2019re seeking the right workplace for you, that there are genuine nods towards caring for staff. Does the CEO watch her child\u2019s nativity play? How do they celebrate team birthdays\/ life moments? How do they endorse and encourage a culture of work\/life balance?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consistently going home on time might feel a lot less of a shiny benefit than free snacks, but according to all those I spoke with, it\u2019s a lot more highly valued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting further support from The Careers and Enterprise Team at CCCU<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You can get ongoing careers support via the following ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n