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Tag: Mental Health at Work

  • How ‘Micro Joy’ Can Help You Feel Happier Every Day

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    In a world of hustle culture and stressors of all kinds, joy can seem both illusive and impossible. But despite barriers, you can create the conditions for happiness.

    Well-being and joy are critical issues today, with 69 percent to 77 percent of Americans feeling stressed about factors like the economy, current events, violence, and lack of connections, according to the American Psychiatric Association. In addition, a global mental health study of 17,000 people across 16 countries by Ipsos/AXA found that 64 percent face stress, 43 percent are suffering from depression, and only 25 percent of people are flourishing.

    But strategies for “micro joy” can be a solution to the struggles and a way to build both well-being and resilience. Micro joy is made up of the small moments of happiness, presence, and mindfulness that we can find in the midst of challenge or difficulty. It is about embracing the power of little delights in the everyday.

    How can you create micro joy in your life? Here’s what works best.

    Take action

    Perhaps most important to micro joy is realizing that you have power over your actions and reactions. There may be a lot that is getting in the way of your happiness, but you can take action to contribute to your mental health as well. Even if you can’t change your situation, you can adjust your thinking and your habits.

    Remind yourself of all you’ve achieved and all you’re capable of. Reframe problems as opportunities to learn. When you’re faced with a new opportunity, instead of resisting it, motivate yourself to move out of your comfort zone by saying “Why not?” Take a walk, spend time outside enjoying nature, get enough sleep, and stay hydrated. Also consider keeping a gratitude journal.

    These kinds of actions have positive effects, according to a study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research of almost 18,000 people in 169 countries. They contribute to improved emotional well-being, greater positive emotions, feelings of empowerment, reduced stress, increased health, and better sleep. 

    Taking action contributes to happiness because it helps you feel empowered, and it reinforces your agency. It also gives you an opportunity to learn. When you attempt to solve a problem or you address a challenge, you get feedback about what works, what you can improve, and the best ways to keep going.

    Focus on small wins

    You can also create moments of micro joy by focusing on small wins. It’s natural that work may include good days and not-so-good days. But in a study of 12,000 people over three years by Harvard, the people who tended to be the most motivated were those who felt like they had made progress on any given day. It wasn’t always the big achievements that created satisfaction, but simply the feeling they had moved things forward. Another study published in Health Psychology found that frequent, small experiences (think: small steps) had measurable positive impacts on emotions and physical health and reduced depression and anxiety. 

    Small acts like keeping a gratitude journal or tracking your progress on a project at work can help you reinforce small wins. You can also track small wins in your personal life like monitoring your streaks—including the days you meditate or the times you go to the gym or take the dog for a walk.

    Focus on others

    When we’re seeking happiness, it can be natural to focus on our own needs, but ironically, focusing on others can help us even more. In fact, a surefire way to achieve happiness through micro actions is to do small kindnesses for others. We all have an instinct to matter, and when we help others, we not only help them but also ourselves.

    Based on a survey by BioLife, when people helped others, 45 percent felt a greater sense of purpose, 36 percent felt happier, 26 percent experienced greater mental well-being, 20 percent improved their self-esteem and self-confidence, and 11 percent said they were less stressed. And fully 49 percent volunteered because they expected to feel personally fulfilled.

    Set a goal that every day you’ll actively help another person, visit a friend who needs support, or reach out to a neighbor who is sick. Do a random act of kindness for a stranger.

    Focus on the present

    You can also increase happiness with moments of micro joy that are focused on the present. If we ruminate too much on the past or worry too much about the future, we can exacerbate mental distress. Of course, you want to reflect and learn and you want to plan for the future, but when you keep enough focus on the present, you also stay grounded.

    One way is to focus on your senses. Smell your freshly brewed coffee and enjoy that first cup in the morning. Step outside and notice the sun on your face or enjoy the new crispness in the fall air. Listen to the children playing in the yard down the street or pause to hear the trickle of the stream as you walk through a park on the way to work. Any of these will help you pause and enjoy where you are.

    You are also wise to focus on what you’re grateful for. When you think consciously about the people and experiences you appreciate, or the skills and capabilities that you celebrate in yourself, you’ll reinforce what you have, rather than what you’re yearning for. When you express more gratitude, you’ll also tend to feel happier, according to research conducted by the University of Montana.

    In a 1991 movie called The Fisher King, Robin Williams plays a man who is without a home and who has had a psychotic break. Despite his suffering, he says that he has all he needs and holds out his hand to show a few stones. Each one represents a memory or special moment. They are his touchstones for healing, redemption, and a new beginning. And they remind him of parts of his life he’s grateful for.

    Micro joys are like this as well. You can tap into micro joy with strategies to focus on small things in the present, as well as your own ability to embrace moments and memories with gratitude and fulfillment.

    By Tracy Brower

    This article originally appeared in Inc.’s sister publication, Fast Company.

    Fast Company is the world’s leading business media brand, with an editorial focus on innovation in technology, leadership, world changing ideas, creativity, and design. Written for and about the most progressive business leaders, Fast Company inspires readers to think expansively, lead with purpose, embrace change, and shape the future of business.

    The final deadline for the 2026 Inc. Regionals Awards is Friday, December 12, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now.

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    Fast Company

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  • Why a Quarter of Employees Don’t Take Any Company-Provided PTO

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    If a sizeable portion of your workplace seems to be dragging a bit these days, there’s a good reason why many staffers may be feeling fatigued. New data indicates a full quarter of U.S. employees took no personal time off (PTO) last year to unplug from work and recharge their batteries. Meanwhile, a third of workers who did merely caught up on their sleep.

    It remains a source of astonishment in many countries — and in some cases smug superiority — that even a quarter of the way into the 21st century, the U.S. remains the only advanced economy that doesn’t guarantee a minimum number of employee vacation days. Often overlooked in that gloating is that most American employers voluntarily provide PTO and most national holidays off to their workers. In recent years, that’s allowed U.S. employees to take an average 10 and 14 days annually, according to most estimates — even if that falls well short of 42 days in France, 36 in Spain, 30 in Australia, and 25 in Canada.

    But in spite of employers’ efforts to provide paid leisure time to staff, a little more than 30 percent of the workforce still has no access to PTO. Now, new survey data from remote job listing site Flexjobs finds that nearly a quarter of employees, or 23 percent of the 3,063 people it questioned didn’t take a single day off during the last year.

    The reasons? Even though 82 percent of those respondents said their employer provided paid time off, many failed to take some or all of those days “due to heavy workloads, manager expectations, and unsupportive company cultures,” the report said.

    Concretely, 43 percent of respondents said they had too much work to take PTO days, with 30 percent saying stepping away from the office risked them falling behind tasks they’d managed to keep pace with. Nearly 30 percent of survey participants said they’d feel too guilty, or be worried about looking like a slacker by going on vacation.

    More problematic was the 19 percent of respondents who said they didn’t dare take PTO in a workplace that “clearly doesn’t support taking time off.” That pressure dissuading employees from taking an extended break from work was felt in other ways as well.

    A quarter of survey participants said their managers discouraged them from taking a full week off, resulting in 42 percent of respondents saying they’d limited total PTO they took in the last year to between one and 10 days.

    “Most employees have some form of paid time off, but there’s a big difference between a company that offers this benefit and one that actually encourages workers to use it,” said Flexjobs career expert Toni Frana in comments accompanying the survey’s results. “Without a company culture that supports rest, many workers feel they can’t really step away without risking their professional reputation.”

    Despite those concerns, it’s clear most U.S. employers aren’t mistreating their workers in Miranda Priestly’s ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ fashion.

    Eighteen percent of survey participants said they took more than 15 days of PTO during the last year, and nearly the same number stepped away from work for 11 to 15 days. That may not match the six weeks — plus 11 national holidays — employees in France get annually, but it beats the five paid days workers in Nigeria have free each year.

    So how are U.S. workers who do take PTO spending that leisure time? While a majority still take to the beach, mountains, or global tourist destinations, a recent survey of 1,200 employees by mattress company Amerisleep found over a third use vacation time to just sleep.

    Its polling found 37 percent of respondents said they’ve used PTO days primarily to catch up on their shuteye. At 43 percent Millennials were the most likely to spend time off hitting the hay, followed by 34 percent of Gen Xers, 33 percent of Gen Z, and 20 percent of Boomers.

    That PTO slumber option also has the advantage of economizing the heavy costs of gas, airfare, and lodging that more traditional vacations require. On the down side, it also virtually eliminates the opportunity to cross paths with all those French and Spanish people on perpetual holiday.

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    Bruce Crumley

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  • 80 Percent of Employees Say Working at a Startup Is Bad for Their Mental Health

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    Can working at a startup company harm your mental and physical health? A new study by Startup Snapshot strongly suggests the answer is yes.

    In an anonymous survey of 270 startup employees, 80 percent said that working at their startup had negatively affected their mental health in various ways. Fifty percent said they experienced burnout, 52 percent said they suffered from anxiety, and 10 percent admitted to having panic attacks. In fact, the research showed, working at a startup can be even more stressful for employees than it is for the startup’s founder or founders.

    Startup life also makes it tough for those employees to deal with that stress. More than two thirds said they end the workday feeling both mentally drained and physically exhausted. And 62 percent said that at least a few times a month they felt too exhausted to spend time with their friends. Not only that, 45 percent said they’d cut back on physical exercise since beginning work at their startups. Both physical exercise and social interaction have been shown to reduce stress and improve mental well-being.

    So working in a startup packs a double punch. It can stress you out and at the same time prevent you from doing the things that will alleviate that stress.

    “Employees pay a price they never anticipated.”

    Respondents said they never expected this. Only 10 percent said they knew before they did it that working in a startup could take this kind of toll. “The shiny lights of startup life are compelling–who wouldn’t want to be part of that story? But behind the glow, employees pay a price they never anticipated,” said Nektarios Liolios, serial entrepreneur and startup advisor, in a statement accompanying the report. “They enter with energy and belief, and too often leave drained, disillusioned, or
    unwell.”

    Some might be tempted to shrug off these findings. After all, working a startup is supposed to be stressful, isn’t it? Maybe. But no founder or board member should be Ok with the degree of stress in startup life this research shows. Especially because these findings suggest some fairly simple changes that could go a huge way toward making it better.

    1. Make it easier to talk about startup stress.

    Eighty percent of respondents said their mental health was affected by their startup jobs. But only 15 percent said they would ever talk with their bosses about these challenges. While that’s very understandable, it’s not particularly helpful. Creating a culture where people can talk about things like burnout and anxiety is an important step toward solving them.

    2. Rethink your perks.

    When Startup Snapshot asked what their employers provided to support their health and wellbeing, 68 percent said their startup offered remote work. And 62 percent said they had flexible hours. Only 13 percent said their companies offered access to counseling or therapy, and only 14 percent said they had access to wellness activities such as yoga or fitness classes.

    Remote work and flexible hours are popular perks that many employees seek and many startups offer. But a substantial portion of your employees likely want mental wellness support too. In the survey, 38 percent of respondents said they wanted wellness activities, and 24 percent said they wanted access to counseling.

    Employee assistance programs are, of course, more common at large, well-established companies than they are at startups. But making sure employees have at least some access to perks that can support their mental health is a good idea for every startup. With less stressed employees and fewer cases of burnout, it may pay for itself in productivity and employee retention.

    3. Take care of your own emotional health.

    As a founder, you may think no one else at work cares how stressed you are or how hard you’re working. But that’s wrong, the survey shows. “When the leader is overwhelmed, the team feels it, whether it’s spoken aloud or not,” Survey Snapshot researchers write. “In small, fast-moving companies, the founder’s emotional state
    doesn’t just affect them, it shapes the culture.”

    The survey results show that stress in the workplace is contagious, especially when it comes from the top of the organization. And, not surprisingly, most founders appear to be stressed. In the survey, 57 percent of respondents said they saw their company founders expressing stress or anxiety often, at least a few times a month or more. And those who reported having highly stressed founders had 16 percent lower wellbeing at work, and 14 percent more burnout than the sample at large.

    The message is that it’s important for every startup founder, and really every team leader, to take care of their own emotional health, especially at work. It’s the only way to avoid spreading their stress to their team like some kind of awful flu. (There’s lots of information about how to do this in my book Career Self-Care: Find Your Happiness, Success, and Fulfillment at Work.)

    4. Tell your employees the truth.

    Most founders don’t open up to employees about most of their stressors or concerns. Even though more than half can see that their founders are stressed, only 10 percent of respondents said their founders discuss their stress with employees. And only 18 percent said their founders discussed the startup’s challenges with employees.

    Founders who keep their troubles to themselves may be attempting to shield their employees from worry. If so, they’re actually doing the opposite. When asked their main source of stress at work, 50 percent of respondents said it was a lack of information.

    In most situations, knowing the truth, even if it’s not what you want to hear, is better than having to guess at what’s going on. So being transparent with employees whenever you can is probably a better approach than keeping all the bad news to yourself.

    Despite all of the above, the survey revealed some very good news: Employees love working at startups. More than a third said they joined their startup because they were inspired by the founder. And 91 percent said that if their current startup didn’t work out, they’d look for a job at another startup.

    The inspiration and excitement that go with working at a startup are the secret sauce that helps founders attract top talent to their companies. Take care of their emotional wellbeing, as well as your own, if you want them to stick around.

    The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

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    Minda Zetlin

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