If quiet quitting’ was your workplace buzzword for 2022, then maybe this year's more optimistic trend, ‘quiet thriving’, might just be the positive outlook you need. It's definitely the new workplace trend you should all be channelling:
"If you believe your boss is an overbearing fool, you have no control over how they behave, but you do have control over how you react to their behaviour. So go through each of the points and mark ‘control’, ‘influence’ or ‘no control’. It’s then down to you to take the parts that light you up and you have control over, and to work out a plan to incorporate more of that into your every day.
“Look at the parts that frustrate you but you have control over, and work out how you can get less of that in your day. Once you’ve worked on these, go onto the things that you have influence over and do the same. Then consciously agree to let go of the things you have no control over. But know that even with these, you always have control over how you choose to react to them. And it is a choice.
"So to step out of this threat mode, we need to learn to soothe our nervous system and we can do this by starting to become more aware of how our body is feeling in the moment. Are you breathing deeply, are your shoulders and jaw relaxed, are you feeling calm? Or are you taking short breaths in the top of your chest, feeling like you’re about to explode?
“Set a reminder on your phone to repeat every hour and when it goes off, just take notice. Become aware of what’s happening internally. Allow yourself the grace of taking three, long, deep breaths in and exhale as slowly as you can through pursed lips, imagining you’re breathing out through a straw. This allows your nervous system to calm and means that your body can function fully and your brain can work optimally – because you can’t thrive in your job if your body is stuck in threat mode.
“One thing that can help us to feel rejuvenated is to connect with people that make us feel safe,” says Laura. "People who feel good to be around. This is when we can co-regulate our nervous systems and this can give us more energy and motivation in our work day. The key to this is making sure these relationships are built with growth in mind so not hanging around with the group that spend their time complaining about work or their boss.