2 minute read
How to prioritise your wellbeing
How to prioritise your wellbeing
Thinking about your career and applying for jobs can be an exciting and rewarding process, but sometimes these activities can present challenges. Here’s how to look after your wellbeing:
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Stay positive when thinking about your future direction
■ Prioritise your wellbeing when exploring career options – as well as thinking about how you can use your skills and qualifications, consider what types of jobs and workplace environments will help you to feel happy and motivated, and check out how employers support staff and encourage healthy approaches. ■ Permit yourself to think short term – focus on what you’d like to do for the next year, be open to possibilities, and enjoy the journey rather than putting pressure on yourself to find a
‘perfect’ lifelong career. ■ Focus on what you can control – instead of dwelling on uncertainties about the future and what this might mean for your career, allow yourself to let go of anything beyond your control and turn your attention to identifying small positive actions that you can take now to make progress. ■ Avoid comparing yourself to others – it's easy to think that everyone else is ahead career-wise, especially with people shouting about success and showcasing seemingly perfect lives 24/7 via social media, but remember, messages are often highly polished, and in reality, most people suffer knock backs and face challenges.
Read our Career Wellbeing blog series
Be kind to yourself when job-searching and making applications
■ Structure your job hunt – spending hours googling can be draining. Instead, give some thought to what you’re actually looking for and list criteria to guide your search. Then, identify relevant sources of vacancies and take a little and often approach to working through these to avoid becoming overwhelmed. ■ Switch self-criticism to self-compassion – if you find yourself endlessly reworking applications because they’re not quite perfect, perhaps you’re being too harsh on yourself. Seek fresh perspective rather than agonising over it alone, this will help you to spot strengths and feel confident.
Channel a calm, capable, and confident vibe during interviews
■ Make time to prepare – not knowing what to expect at an interview can make you feel anxious, so read guidance carefully and ask questions if you’re unsure.
Employers want to see you at your best, so they’ll be happy to provide clarity. ■ Reframe interviews as an exciting opportunity – think of them as a conversation with interesting professionals who believe you have potential and want to help you succeed.
"The careers process, whether that be researching potential careers, applying to vacancies, or anything in between, is often accompanied by imposter syndrome, fear of failure, and feeling overwhelmed. Unfortunately, there’s no quick fix for such feelings. But, after 21 long years of getting quite impressively stressed, overwhelmed and worried about anything and everything, I’ve found a few things that help me, follow the link to read my tips."
Read Bryony's blog post
Bryony Adshead
Final year BA English
