Divorce causes turmoil both in your home life and on the job, where the stress of custody hearings and depositions may leave you unable to give 100 percent. Your compromised performance could lead to undesirable feedback, demotion, or worst of all, job loss.
Your job could be the one element of stability that remains in your chaotic life; don’t let a difficult divorce destroy your professional journey. Follow these tips to minimize the impact of your divorce on your work performance:
Take Brief Meditation Breaks
Worrying may strike at the most inconvenient moments. Take a moment to
breathe deeply and acknowledge your feelings. Let them float away, and
shift your focus back to your work. Repeat at least once every hour, or
whenever you begin to feel overwhelmed.
Complete a Brain Dump
Stressed about your long to-do list? Take a blank piece of paper and spend
a few minutes writing down every worry that enters your head. Known as
a brain dump, this tactic allows you to transfer obtrusive thoughts to
a different medium, where they can be addressed at a more convenient time.
It’s amazing how much better a few minutes with pencil and paper
can make you feel.
Don’t Forget Your Personal Appearance
You may somehow continue to perform spectacularly in the workplace, but
if you neglect your appearance, your supervisors or fellow employees may
still think you’re slacking off. Don’t have the time or energy
for a shave, haircut, or laundry? Pay somebody else to take care of these
essentials. Not only will you look better, but your crisp appearance will
also impact your self-perception, prompting you to feel more confident
and behave accordingly.
Decide Whether to Tell Coworkers
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to letting coworkers and supervisors
in on your personal crisis. What’s heard at work cannot be unheard;
dirty details about your
divorce could put fellow employees in an awkward position. A general outline of
your situation could help, however, especially if your divorce court proceedings
conflict with work obligations.
If you’re not quite on your game at work, give yourself a break; stress from multiple arenas will only further hinder your job performance. With patience and self-forgiveness, you can and will weather the storm.