How Psychology can Improve Your Work Life

Improve your self-esteem and confidence

Psychology can improve your work life in many ways. One of the most fundamental of these is by enhancing your self-esteem and your confidence. Living with low self-esteem and a lack of confidence can have an impact on many aspects of your daily life, and none more so than your work. Whether you deal with clients to facilitate negotiations, or work closely with your boss and colleagues to achieve company goals and reach your KPIs, having a strong sense of confidence and self-esteem is crucial. High self-esteem and confidence in your abilities means being able to ask for what you need without hesitation, can make you a better negotiator, and means asking for that promotion when you deserve it. It also helps to show professionalism and let those in your workplace know that you are strong, capable, and assertive – ensuring you have people’s respect and are treated like the expert you are. In fact, research suggests that assertive people make more effective leaders and enjoy greater success in their careers. Not only will greater self-esteem improve your ability to achieve your goals at work, but it will also make you happier in general!

Improve your relationships with colleagues and others

One of the most widely reported issues in the workplace is poor interpersonal relationships. Your relationships with your superiors and your colleagues can make or break a job, as most of us with experience in the workforce can attest. Whether or not you find your workmates agreeable, you can improve your relationships at work to enhance your career, and enjoy your work more. This comes down to understanding yourself and any deeper issues you may struggle with when relating to people, as well as taking the time to understand your workmates. Your psychologist will not only delve deeply into your own conscious and subconscious thought patterns, beliefs, and behaviours in order to discover things you never knew about yourself, but they can also help you to develop a greater understanding of why other people think and behave in the ways they do. That colleague who always seems to have it out for you? They may be reacting to your unwitting defensiveness, or may be dealing with their own low self-esteem, stress, and anxiety. Having an understanding of your own behaviours and thought patterns when working with your psychologist will improve your own ways of thinking and acting, and also help you tune into the best ways to interact with others for the best results. Research has shown that those who experience higher-quality interpersonal relationships at work tend to experience higher levels of commitment, lower levels of job-related stress, and an enhanced perception of the social impact of their work.

Improve your goal-setting, time management and priorities

A recent Australian workplace relations study showed that the key drivers of job satisfaction in Australian employers were (in order from highest-ranking to lowest):

• Balancing work and non-work commitments
• The work itself
• Job security
• Total pay
• Freedom to decide how to do your own work
• The hours worked
• Having a say about what happens in the job

Whilst some of these key factors may be out of your control, it is important to note that the number one factor for job satisfaction uncovered by the study – work/life balance – is something that psychology can help you with!  

Whilst balancing work life and non-work life may sound simple, it’s quite the opposite for many of us. Your psychologist can help you to understand how your working life is affecting your personal life, and whether this is creating greater stress for you, for example. A psychologist with experience in life coaching, goal setting, motivation and productivity can help you to better understand where your priorities currently lie, where they should lie, and how to achieve the best work-life balance whilst still dedicating yourself to success at work. Through working with a psychologist, you can improve your confidence and self-esteem – giving you the ability to ask for that promotion, request flexibility in your schedule, or have more control over how you do your work – as well as help you to gain a better understanding of the work/life balance that will reduce your stress, enhance your satisfaction, and improve your work life.

Improve your health to enhance your success

Not only can working with a psychologist directly improve your work life, but it can also improve non-work-related factors that indirectly – yet significantly – impact your work. This includes your general health. According to research, one of the major contributing factors to a reduced life expectancy is stress. Stress and anxiety are very commonly increased by a less-than-ideal working environment, yet outside stressors can also creep into your work life to reduce your productivity and satisfaction at work.

Better managing of stress and anxiety can improve your sleep, reduce your blood pressure, and help you to avoid a range of other psychical health concerns. Better sleep, reduced stress, and better overall health will then go on to greatly enhance your ability to: Concentrate at work; maintain your energy levels throughout the day; reduce irritability; improve your ability to work well with your colleagues, superiors, and clients; and improve your overall levels of happiness, both inside and outside of the working environment.

There’s no doubt that seeing a psychologist can greatly improve your work life. Whether by enhancing your self-esteem, reducing stress, creating a better work/life balance, or getting along better with your colleagues, psychology can make an incredible impact on your work life, which then translates directly to your personal life. If you’re ready to start seeing a Gold Coast psychologist, and improve your work life, get in touch with us today.