Divorce causes turmoil both in your home life and on the job, where the stress of custody hearings and depositions may leave you unable to give 100 percent. Your compromised performance could lead to undesirable feedback, demotion, or worst of all, job loss.
Your job could be the one element of stability that remains in your chaotic life; don’t let a difficult divorce destroy your professional journey. Follow these tips to minimize the impact of your divorce on your work performance:
Take Brief Meditation Breaks
Worrying may strike at the most inconvenient moments. Take a moment to breathe deeply and acknowledge your feelings. Let them float away, and shift your focus back to your work. Repeat at least once every hour, or whenever you begin to feel overwhelmed.
Complete a Brain Dump
Stressed about your long to-do list? Take a blank piece of paper and spend a few minutes writing down every worry that enters your head. Known as a brain dump, this tactic allows you to transfer obtrusive thoughts to a different medium, where they can be addressed at a more convenient time. It’s amazing how much better a few minutes with pencil and paper can make you feel.
Don’t Forget Your Personal Appearance
You may somehow continue to perform spectacularly in the workplace, but if you neglect your appearance, your supervisors or fellow employees may still think you’re slacking off. Don’t have the time or energy for a shave, haircut, or laundry? Pay somebody else to take care of these essentials. Not only will you look better, but your crisp appearance will also impact your self-perception, prompting you to feel more confident and behave accordingly.
Decide Whether to Tell Coworkers
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to letting coworkers and supervisors in on your personal crisis. What’s heard at work cannot be unheard; dirty details about your divorce could put fellow employees in an awkward position. A general outline of your situation could help, however, especially if your divorce court proceedings conflict with work obligations.
Conclusion
If you’re not quite on your game at work, give yourself a break; stress from multiple arenas will only further hinder your job performance. With patience and self-forgiveness, you can and will weather the storm.
