While listening to ‘the complainer’ at work, most of us have thought “This is such a waste of my time!” It’s time to stop wasting any more time, and start to use it for improved mental health and wellness.
Take back your time, and watch your mental wellness improve!
I can remember sitting with my zone partner, listening to them complain about everything wrong in the agency. That was wasted time I can never get back. The quote below taught me a valuable lesson I will never forget.
“Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it… you can never get it back.” ~ Harvey Mackay
Since we started RITE over 8 years ago, we always ask in class how much time in the day they think is wasted on negative banter from co-workers? The typical answer is 60% or higher. The national average for all professions is 35%.
The average time wasted at work for public service professionals is 65%. How sad is that?
The average is higher for the public servant due to the constant exposure to career cumulative trauma and stress, effecting one’s mental stability and thought processes.
When you think back to when you first started your career, do you remember how excited you were in the academy? Then over time, that thrill and excitement may have lead to burnout, mental depression, and even thoughts of suicide. We call this the ‘Ticking Time Bomb’.
What is Career Cumulative Stress?
Long-term exposure to stressful factors or situations can cause cumulative stress and ultimately lead to burnout, which is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion.
Elements of Career Cumulative Stress:
- Ongoing stress in daily public safety work
- Internal stress from agency practices and policies
- External stress from criminal justice system and the society
- In-house stress confronting challenging co-workers
In 2024 it is time that YOU own your time at work to help improve yourself, and your agency. Not wasting it listening to toxic behavior from co-workers may be the first step.
(5) Toxic Behaviors that waste your time, Affect your health, and Reduces your mental wellness.
- Ramps up the call then shows zero empathy to the community
- Spreads rumors and gossip
- Complains about co-workers in a negative manner
- Mental Looping over missed promotion 3 years later
- Blockout Syndrome – Angry and Out-of-Control
This negative cycle can diminish your own mental wellness and can stop you from moving forward in life.
Take Your Time Back in 2024
- Be present to who you are listening too, good and bad
- VALUE yourself enough, to make a change
- Make a plan of action of how you will change
- Practice, Practice, Practice
Most co-workers say that part of the problem is that they don’t know how to avoid or move away from the negative coworker without being rude.
Just like the (4) points listed above, first acknowledge that you are in a negative or toxic situation. Then care enough by stating, “this does not feel good for me, and I need to make a change for my mental health and wellness.”
Here are (3) easy steps to help you take back your time. It’s as easy as learning to PIVOT, to see every day as a New Day, and learn to let go using the RITE Release
1) PIVOT using the Gray Rock Method
Listen briefly with little to know emotion… that’s ‘grey rocking’. Let that negative person know that you have limited time for gossip and banter. Give them immediate notice so they are aware that you are not the one to complain to going forward. PIVOT away…. and take YOUR time back.
2) MOVE forward with the New Day Tool:
In our RITE class we provide to instructors physical Emotional Intelligence Tools and Exercises that can help co-workers focus more on their mental well-being.
The New Day Tool is one of the ‘cognitive imprint’ tools our RITE inhouse instructors give to each employee to help them personally work on their mental health while at work and home.
3) RELEASE the Negative (holding you back) Stuff !
If you find yourself thinking negatively, or mental looping over a problem, it may be time for you to ‘release it’ by doing a simple exercise.
Co-Founder of RITE, Randy Friedman, is a sports mental coach and uses this same technique when working with professional athletes, who may have to ‘release’ negative thoughts.
Public safety employees are just like professional athletes who are expected to perform at the highest stress level, therefore carrying negative thoughts can hurt decision making and performance. It you find yourself need to release a bad call, fight with a supervisor or just having mental looping thoughts…. Do the Negative Release!
2024 New Year’s Resolution
What if you stopped listening to the negative banter that occurs during 60% of your workday? Just imagine the amount of time you would have to achieve your own goals, perform at your highest level, and get back to enjoying your career and personal life more.
Take your time back in 2024 and watch yourself soar into the new year!
“The biggest mistake we make in our life is thinking we have time.” ~ Kobe Bryant
Learn more about RITE
RITE agency tools include employee tool kits, training banners, departmental posters throughout the agency, roll call reminder cards, and monthly newsletters to employees.
