👥 Serves: 1 person

🎚 Difficulty: Medium

⏳ Total time: Ongoing

🥣 Ingredients: Dedication

🤓 Wholebeing Domains: Accomplishments, Discomfortability, Liberatory Learning, Positive Emotion

💪 Wholebeing Skills: Autonomy, Determination, Flourishing, Gratitude, Hope, Liberation, Mindfulness, Optimism, Resilience

👣 Steps

Step 1 – H is for Hope (10’)

Charles Robert Snyder, an American psychologist, defined hope as “the belief in oneself to create the pathways to meet desired goals and to self-motivate using agency thinking to stick to those plans”.

Nurturing hope can alleviate self-doubt, anxiety, fear, and stress by reducing uncertainty. Hope can also increase self-confidence and self-belief through the development of resilience during tumultuous times and the ability to problem solve.

Moss suggests starting with small, achievable goals to create and sustain hopefulness. Ways to nurture hope include: 

• Make your bed each morning.
• Make a priority list at work every single day, and aim to check off at least 3 tasks (check out our recipes “Done list” and “Drop the to-do list guilt” to reframe to-do lists if you have a negative experience with them).
• Re-organise your desk/workspace for efficient working space and decrease stress.
• Remain curious by asking questions when experiencing something new or different at work and outside of work. Love questions? Check out the following recipes: “Asking powerful questions in your organisation”, “Collaboration questions”, “Guidance from within”, “Organisations as inquiring systems”, and “Wicked questions”.
• Practice 5 minutes of meditation every day. We have so many quick practices on our website, including: “4–7–8 breathing technique”, “Alternate nostril breathing”, “Box breathing”, “Colour-breathing meditation”, “Creating ripples”, “Draw breath”, “Embodied breathing meditation”, “Heart-breathing meditation”, “Mountain meditation”, “Simple breathing exercise”, etc.
• Use the sky as a guide for hope, by looking up every day and remind yourself how others share the same sky and to appreciate the beauty of every day.
• Make time for healthy comic relief every day or share a joke or anecdote with your colleagues as humour can increase hopefulness.

Step 2 – E is for self-efficacy (10’)

Self-efficacy empowerment involves the belief that you are capable of succeeding at something new. At work, it means being empowered with enough autonomy to take reasonable risks or to new approaches to the same old. Rather than “fail forward”, (which is the idea that people use their “failures” as lessons for better future results) you should instead encourage a “culture of try” (try new things and be innovative) in your organisation. To develop your self-efficacy, you can:

• Get out of your comfort zone by trying something new. When you do something different, it’s a direct, first-hand experience that can help what is needed to achieve a final goal. You may start small by practising cooking 3 nights in a row, taking on a new project at work, or taking a one-day class that teaches a new skill or visiting somewhere new.
• Find inspiration from others. By observing other people succeeding or failing at various activities, you are able to assess your own likelihood of success or failure when trying the same thing and in doing so motivates you to do the activity to a high level. 
• Encouragement! Your self-efficacy can be greatly increased by words of encouragement from your colleagues or friends, making it important to foster in a workplace. Encouragement and words of praise should be delivered specifically and regularly.
• Reflect by reminding yourself of how far you’ve come with developing a new skill or habit you started a few months ago or even a year ago.

Step 3 – R is for Resilience (10’)

Resilience is the ability to keep a positive outlook, deal with challenging situations, and manage negative emotions during difficult times. People with strong resilience are skilled with bouncing back from adversity and can manage challenges at work.

People with low resilience are four times more likely to experience burnout. Resilience is associated with decreased stress, improved work engagement, job satisfaction, and organisational commitment. Rather than giving up due to the inevitable setbacks in their work, resilient people can focus on the bigger picture. Ways develop resilience include:

• Workout regularly, drink plenty of water, and eat nutritious food. People with good physical health are 3.5 times more likely to be more resilient.
• Focus on improving sleep hygiene with 7–9 hours of sleep every night. People who get adequate sleep are 4.2 times more likely to be more resilient. Here are a few recipes to improve your sleep: “Body scan meditation for sleep”, “CBT strategies to help you sleep”, “Narrative reframing for sleep”, “PowerPoint for a peaceful sleep”, and “Sleeping well”.     
• Improve your emotional regulation, which in turn helps with reactions to others by developing relaxation techniques such as meditation, yoga, drawing, cooking, gardening, therapy, etc. We already shared a few mindfulness meditation practices, so here are a few other recipes you might want to try: “Calm your nerves”, “Catharsis through clay”, “Coping with panic attacks”, “Managing stress”, “Mandala drawing”, “Mindful colouring”, “Releasing energy”, “Tea meditation”, and “The gift of poetry”.        
• Try reframing challenges at work as exciting new opportunities and focus on remaining flexible by adapting to changes with positivity and curiosity. 
• Spend time with others inside and outside of work. Socialising with colleagues can help with managing stress and problem solving.

Step 4 – O is for Optimism (10’)

Optimism is the ability to remain positive and hopeful for the future. An optimistic outlook is linked to better coping skills, lower stress levels, better physical health, and increased persistence when pursuing goals. Optimism strives to view challenges as learning experiences or temporary setbacks. 

Individuals can work on developing a more mindset in order to bring an optimistic mindset to work. However, it’s equally important for employers to foster an environment that allows individuals to revel in that optimism. We invite you to read our recipe “Optimistic leadership” for inspiration. Develop an optimistic mindset by: 

• Switching your language. Instead of saying “I have to” say “I get to” to change the value of the activity or challenge you must undertake.
• Avoiding unchanging language such as “always” or “never”.
• Stopping yourself when negative thoughts pop into your head and replace them with something positive.
• Embrace an optimistic role model. Think of someone who inspires you – this can be someone you know, or someone you don’t, such as a celebrity, or philanthropist, or lawyer. For one week, pretend to be in their shoes by asking “what would (chosen role model) do?” then follow suit!
• Writing down your visions for your future – in your personal life and your career goals.
• Limiting your daily media intake. While keeping informed is important, consider setting a daily time limit to the media you consume and what platform it comes from. There are plenty of podcasts that share daily news updates in 30 minutes or less such as The Daily, BBC Global News, or NPR’s Up First.
• Learning to accept compliments, as a way to cultivate positive emotions towards yourself. Instead of saying “No, I am not”, when someone compliments you, simply practice saying, “Thank you.”
• Practising optimism. Studies tell us that it is possible to “trick” yourself into feeling happier and optimistic by going through the physical emotions. So, try smiling, laughing, and speak in a more positive tone.

Step 5 – G is for Gratitude (10’)

Moss calls gratitude “a gateway drug to happiness”, as it gives the brain the same chemistry we experience when “doing all the fun things we like to do”. When you practise gratitude, your brain will rewire itself to focus on what you have versus what you don’t have.

Scientific research also shows that  practising gratitude can lower blood pressure, boost the immune system, improve sleep, increase optimism and happiness, foster compassion for others, and nurture the ability to be forgiving and generous, feel more energised, and less isolated with improved relationships. Way to practice gratitude:

• Start a gratitude journal to appreciate the small moments in your day with our “3 good things” or “Gratitude journal” recipes.
• Set a timer for 60 seconds, and write down everything you are grateful for. Take note of how many things you managed to write down. Try this every day for 7 days and see if you can grow your list with the same time frame.
• Set a recurring meeting on your work calendar at 2:49pmon Fridays, the time that researchers state is when you mentally check out of work. Send a thank-you note, email, or text, for a specific thing a colleague did to improve your life this week.
• Suggest creating a gratitude wall at work and fill it with compliments and success or hosting a gratitude-based activity for your team: “Gratitude bingo”, “Gratitude fountain”, “Gratitude walk”, “Open sentences on gratitude”, “Sugar cubes”, or “The gratitude alarm”.    
• Practise a short gratitude meditation.

Step 6 – E is for Empathy (10’)

Empathy is the ability to perceive and relate to the thoughts, emotions, or experiences of others. Being empathetic can improve the quality of your life. In a workspace, empathy allows you to better understand not only your colleagues and stakeholders but service users, too. It allows for people to feel safe and secure in their place of work knowing that they will be supported and heard when issues come up and for leaders to understand when poor performance may occur.

Empathy involves listening, openness, and understanding. To practice being empathetic, try:

• Being an active listener when someone discloses something personal, especially something challenging. Do not twist their words, help them see silver linings or share a personal story. Instead, simply say something such as, “I hear you and thank you for sharing how you feel with me. That must have been hard.” For more guidance, refer to our recipe “Active listening”.
• Remaining curious and attentive to others. Try speaking to colleagues at lunch break you don’t normally speak to or challenge yourself to chat with strangers. Use the recipe “Cultivating presence” to deepen your listening skills.
• Ask for feedback from your colleagues and check in to see how you’re doing and what you can improve upon. To reframe giving and receiving feedback in a more positive and less stressful experience, consider our recipe “Coaching feedback”.
• Put in the hard work to examine your personal biases against others and how they are impacting your ability to understand or appreciate the experiences of others. Don’t know where to start? Check the following recipes: “Crossing the line”, “Identifying bias in performance evaluations”, “Privilege walk”, and “Take a step forward”. 
• Ask thoughtful and deep questions with colleagues to provoke in depth conversations and creative solutions. Refer to step 1 for suggestions of question-based recipes.

Step 7 – M is for Mindfulness (10’)

Mindfulness is the conscious act of living in the present moment without judgement. When you are consistent with mindfulness, you are better at  regulating your mood, experiencing a boost in concentration and creativity, while decreasing anxiety, depression, and stress.

In the workplace, mindfulness offers your team members the chance and space to think and to be present. This can increase their mental agility, resilience, and self-awareness whilst reducing emotional exhaustion. It can also increase positivity towards new ideas as well as fostering compassion and empathy. Go back to step 1 for quick mindfulness meditation practices. Additional ways to cultivate mindfulness include:

• Avoid bringing your phone or computer to meetings, whenever possible and try our “Mindful tech meditation” to develop a healthier relationship with all things tech.
• Take purposeful pauses by trying “STOP”: Stop for a pause, no matter what you’re doing, Take a breath, Observe, then Proceed.
• Go for unplugged walks with our “Walking meditation” recipe.
• Take your lunch break outside without technology and discover more tips in our recipe “11 ways to improve digital boundaries”.
• Schedule blocks of time with nothing to do. You may be inspired by our recipes “Creativity through boredom”, “Pleasure activism”, and “The joy of uselessness”.
• Spend time in Nature – even hold meetings or conferences outside, whenever possible. And why not engage in a conversation with Nature following the steps in our recipe “Dialogues with Nature”?
• Single task at work rather than multitask.