by FutureLab | 13 Sep 2018
TAKE A STEP BACK
Everyone needs a break every now and then, but don’t spend it wallowing all sad and hopeless! Use these precious moments to assess what is happening around you and come up with why some things are not working out or are growing in a negative light.
Making a physical list helps. Simply observe your work routine and ask yourself some simple questions – how do you feel? What are the pros and cons of your current job? Most importantly, what can you do to change the things that are not helping you grow?
Work in a little "comfort routine" if you are unable to take some time off. This could be in the form of going for a walk every three hours or switching your coffees to juices every once in a while. You may already be feeling completely burnt out, so put your health at the highest priority.
SPEAK TO SOMEONE YOU TRUST
Sometimes you will be able to find a kindred spirit who empathizes with your stagnancy, and could possibly offer some advice on how to overcome it. It might be a colleague who is familiar with your surroundings, or possibly a friend who knows your rants back to front. You may be surprised to find that quite a few of your peers are struggling with a similar dilemma.
Gaining an idea of what’s happening from a second opinion can often get the gears in your head moving, and spur you to finally take action.
GROW YOUR NETWORK
It is always good to stay connected to a solid group of people with similar interests. Meeting more people with different and/or deeper understandings of what you want to know more about will help you in the long run. Communicating with a network that is beyond your workplace and school groups will help you expand your network, get out of those bubbles and explore the larger picture of all areas, even if it's for fun.
GO BACK TO STUDYING
If you are feeling lost and frustrated after having a taste of the working world, returning to something familiar could bring you out of that rut. Most, if not all of us, have gone through at least 12 years straight of being a full-time student, so going back to an educational atmosphere would be like throwing a fish back in the water. Not only will you be in a place you are inherently familiar with, seeing things you are doing that actually progresses and gaining feedback will lighten your mood tremendously.
Signing up for an online course, whether it be something completely new, or starting on postgraduate pursuits will put you back in an environment where you know yourself best. With the added comfort and flexible timetable, you will also be actively gaining skills to add to your repertoire without affecting your ongoing responsibilities.
RE-ESTABLISH YOUR AMBITION
Remember how determined and optimistic you were when you set out to do something before this slump? Chasing after a career can take a lot out of you, so take some time to affirm what you want to do for the rest of your working days. Once you’ve got some idea, take initiative, focus on getting there and shed the negativity your slump has brought about along the ride.
If your workplace can not offer any avenues for you to gain more skills, the option for studying to add and hone skills is always open – in the age of technology, the university comes to you! Online courses are becoming increasingly popular as a mode of study. It neither require you to shuffle your existing commitments upside down nor does it take up as much time and money a full-time on-campus course takes.
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