Calmness

Your CALMNESS motive indicates the desire to have a healthy relationship with stress in your work life. You want to feel at ease and comfortable at work or, at the very least, avoid chronic stress and overwhelm. You may thrive in more relaxed work environments with easy-going peers. Or perhaps not-so-paradoxically, you may gravitate to fast-paced high pressure challenging work roles. Regardless of the equilibrium you seek, toxic rush, emotional exhaustion, constant busyness, broken boundaries, incessant worry and a persistent atmosphere of unrest will inhibit you from experiencing the CALMNESS you need at work. It’s likely you care about your wellbeing and the wellbeing of others and know when this motive is threatened it can lead to burnout and take a toll on your mental and physical health. You enjoy working in situations where you can manage your own pace, drama is minimal, and you feel your work demands are manageable. This motive does not mean you are unable to handle stress or expect your work to be stress-free, but if your sense of peace is constantly disrupted and work becomes a place of continued discomfort and tension it will inhibit your satisfaction and productivity. You may still enjoy job roles that aren’t naturally calm, or a fun and social work dynamic, but you perform most effectively in a workplace and work relationships that maintain respect for the CALMNESS motive. The more you can be relaxed at work and experience calm in the chaos, the more engaged and happy you will be.

You feel this motive being met when…

+ You feel calm at work, even when you have a lot to do.

+ You are comfortable and at ease in your work life more often than you are distressed or overwhelmed.

+ You are able to leave job-related stress at work when you go home each day.

+ You and your peers are able to respond to workplace stress in a positive way, and protect yourselves from burnout and/or toxic rush.

This motive is at risk when…

– You frequently experience uncomfortable emotions at work, like frustration, exhaustion, worry, or irritation.

– You are burnt-out and/or often feel overwhelmed.

– Your ability to maintain your own equilibrium and sense of peace is consistently threatened by factors outside of your control.

– You experience work-related anxiety for which there is no end in sight.

– Your work culture does not prioritize or protect a calm, stable environment.

A Work Wellness Check-In for CALMNESS

What are the first five adjectives I would use to describe my work environment? How do I feel when I look at that list?
On a scale of 1-10, how calm is my average work day? (1 = high-urgency and chaotic; 10 = tranquil and entirely stress-free) What number would make me happy?
What habits or boundaries can I establish to help maintain my sense of calm at work? When I set boundaries in the past, were they respected? If not, can I address this and determine how to move forward in a better way?

How much influence do I have on creating my own manageable schedule or calm work space? Do I use the influence or control I have to the best of my ability? What could be improved?
Which of the stressors at work are necessary, useful or unavoidable? Can I pinpoint stressors that I or my team could avoid or lessen? Ones that are not necessary or serve a purpose?
Do I show signs of burnout like exhaustion, cynicism, detachment, hopelessness and feeling ineffective at work? If so, am I taking action to address this or get help if I need it?
If I had to name 3 specific things that cause me the most unrest at work right now, what are they? Looking at them one at a time, what is in my power to change or influence? (e.g. take on fewer projects, get enough sleep, resolve not to hold myself to perfectionist standards…) Of those things outside my control, what could I seek help with, whether from my boss, peers, or HR? (e.g. a better heads up about deadlines, clarity about tasks, a buffer from toxic coworkers…)

In what ways do I enhance or detract from a calm atmosphere at work? Do I contribute to a tranquil, grounded work dynamic? If so, how is my contribution received? Is it reciprocated?
Do my peers share my desire for CALMNESS? Do they accept – or even prefer – a less calm dynamic? If my motivation is different from theirs, do they know this? Do they take it into consideration? Could I share how a more calm approach would help support this motive to everyone’s benefit?
On a scale of 1-10, how capable do I feel of managing my own work stress in a healthy way? (1 = not very capable; 10 = extremely and effectively capable) If I’m not completely satisfied with my answer, how can I cultivate an attitude and mindset to increase my capacity to nurture CALMNESS? Have I sought out tools, training, or knowledge that will help me develop “stress agility”? Am I aware of thought patterns that may detract from my meeting the needs of this motive?
What is my personal definition of CALMNESS? How can I cultivate CALMNESS in and out of my workplace, so that I can work from a place of balance and health?
Taking into account my other top 4 motives, where do I personally rank CALMNESS? Is a calm work life paramount, or is it something I would sacrifice (or have been sacrificing) to meet my other motives? If so, is that level of sacrifice keeping this motive healthy enough?