Challenges In The Workplace

The Aspie Insiders met up this week to talk about the challenges they have faced in the workplace. From the issue of stress to the matter of prioritizing, our members had some incredibly introspective things to say about the professional world and offered their own perspectives on it — including many things that most people don't often consider.

During our discussion, it seemed the Insiders focused on only a handful of challenges in the workplace. These will be listed below along with the highlights of our discussion.

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• Stress

Stress can be an extremely debilitating factor that often negates a person's success in the workplace. It is silent, unseen, and affects everyone differently. Therefore, it is often a hard thing to deal with. The Insiders had some answers here, however, sharing their own tips for dealing with anxiety. Some members described their stress as being very physical in nature, and so they deal with it accordingly by using therapy balls or even a small trampoline to bounce on and get rid of that built up energy. Other members shared more conventional methods of managing stress, such as listening to calming music or exercising.

The trend over the past twenty years for most people in the workforce has been a drastic increase in productivity matched with income levels that have roughly stayed the same. As such, many in the workforce feel overworked and stressed out, handling by themselves what two or three people managed in the past. With this in mind, we concluded that stress is something that has to be managed. It should be an important part of any person's life and should be addressed on a daily basis.

• Boredom

Some of our Insiders expressed an interesting challenge they have while on the job — that of boredom. While many jobs present high-stress situations, there are also jobs out there that include lots of down time. To the aforementioned overworked individual, this might seem like a good thing, but as any person who has worked in retail during slow hours will tell you, it can truly be a nightmare.

One of our members prefaced our entire discussion on boredom by stating that he often seeks out things to do when things get slow at the place he works. By doing this, he said, he avoids boredom and shows his supervisor that he values his job and has a healthy work ethic. With the popularity of smartphones, I imagine this as an opportunity often overlooked. An employee cannot complain of boredom if there are still responsibilities to meet.

If, however, you find yourself bored to tears with nothing else to do, there are some things you can do. If it doesn't interrupt your ability to meet customers' needs, listening to music or audiobooks might be the way to go. One member said that he does just this at his job as a document processor. Speaking of customers, interacting with them is a great way to avoid boredom (and it shows a proper work ethic). And finally, you might consider making menial tasks fun in your own way: challenge yourself, get coworkers involved, inject some humor into the task. A little creativity can truly be a boredom killer.

• Multitasking

When this topic came up in discussion, one of our members made a very clear, decisive statement: "Multitasking is a myth." In researching this a bit since our meeting, it seems to be the case. From an article featured on NPR, this statement rings true: "The research is almost unanimous, which is very rare in social science, and it says that people who chronically multitask show an enormous range of deficits. They're basically terrible at all sorts of cognitive tasks, including multitasking."

The article can be found here.

• Prioritizing

If multitasking, then, is essentially a dead end, what are we left with? Basically, the Insiders determined that prioritizing rather than multitasking is the way to go. That, of course, can be a challenge in and of itself. Figuring out what tasks one has to complete is the first step, but then figuring out the order in which to do those things is the next one.

Making lists is always helpful. One member said that he lists out everything he can think of that he has to get done. Purging one's mind of those thoughts instantly reduces anxiety — you have gotten it "out of your system" — and it helps to see those responsibilities laid out. After this, ask yourself what requires immediate attention. You can work your backwards from here, deciding what needs to be done before the day's end, what needs to be caught up on, and what can wait. Essentially, designating a system for this is the way to go — it might take some practice to effectively gauge the order in which tasks should be completed, but this will go a long way in helping you make correct decisions.

BELOW, SHARE YOUR OWN CHALLENGES IN THE WORKPLACE. HOW HAVE YOU DEALT WITH THEM? WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE THOSE WHO ARE RELATIVELY NEW TO THE WORKING WORLD? LET US KNOW!

Ahhhh, Memories!

Memories are powerful things. Whether it be in the form of a flashback or for the purpose of acing a test, memories have both function and purpose in our lives. And even though memories are very much the things that make up our lives and help define who we are, we hardly ever think about memory as something that can be trained.

The following TEDTalk gave a wonderful outline for just how memories are more than what they seem, and how the mind can perform even mundane tasks in wonderfully creative ways. Check it out! Then, let us know your thoughts on, well, your thoughts (or at least your memories). 

BELOW, LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THE VIDEO! HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT OF MEMORIES IN THIS MANNER? AND WHAT DO YOU THINK IT SAYS ABOUT THE WAY OUR MIND WORKS?

The Brain Matters!

Featured below are a couple of articles that show the importance of both nutrition and sleep to our brains. At first glance, one might wonder what these things have to do with social skills. After all, the first article tested for scores on cognitive tests; nothing about social skills was mentioned at all. But if we look at human beings as a whole rather than just on the basis of a test score, we might be able to bridge some connections. The second article argues for the importance of sleep, that it contributes greatly to our physical health. It also helps us solve problems and think more clearly. A person who is well-rested is also more capable of handling stress as well.

Focusing on the health benefits that proper nutrition and sleep can provide is wonderful. It helps us perform real-world tasks as best as possible and keeps us in tip-top shape for everything from our jobs to our friendships. And let's not forget, a large part of being a responsible adult means that we take proper care of ourselves. Without proper nutrition or sleep, one may feel too sick or tired to perform their responsibilities at work. Or one may forget about a commitment they made with a friend. Or... well, the list goes on and on!

The first article -- which you can find here -- showed the link between good nutrition and good cognition.  The researchers used biomarkers in the blood to correlate vitamin usage to brain health.  Here are some of the things they found:

• People who consumed higher levels of vitamin B (as well as vitamins C, D, and E) had higher scores on cognitive tests than people with lower levels of those vitamins.
• People who had higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids also performed better on these cognitive tests.
• Higher levels of trans fats was associated with a poorer performance in thinking and memory tests.  The researchers also found that higher levels of these fats led to more brain shrinkage.  Trans fats are found in junk foods like friend, packaged, and fast foods.
• Author Gene Bowman said that the team's findings "need to be confirmed, but obviously it is very exciting to think that people could potentially stop their brains from shrinking and keep them sharp by adjusting their diet."

The second article -- found here -- revealed the important role that sleep has for our brain.  Researchers again used biomarkers in the blood to reveal that sleeping has an anti-inflammatory effect on the brain.  The study also showed that people who have trouble sleeping are more at risk for metabolic syndrome.  Interestingly enough, it was also mentioned that sleeping on a problem is actually an efficient way to solve them.  According to the article, "During sleep, our brain's memory centers are busy consolidating recall for more effective memory when we're awake.  Sleeping well is an important way to improve your memory ability and may lower risk for cognitive decline."
With the importance of sleep explained, the article gave some tips for sleeping soundly at night:

• Stay up during the day. A daytime nap can be invigorating, but if you already suffer from sleeplessness at night, try not to nap so you'll feel more fatigued at bedtime.
• Avoid evening liquids. After dinner, try not to drink large quantities of water or other drinks. A full bladder can awaken you during the night and you may have trouble getting back to sleep.
• Stay mellow in the evening. Watching lively nighttime sports or an exciting movie thriller tends to hype some people up, making it harder for them to fall asleep.
• Avoid caffeine at night. Whether it's from tea, coffee, soda or even a chocolate bar, caffeine can keep us awake, so avoid it in the evenings. Try to skip coffee entirely in the late afternoon and evening.
• Maintain good sleep habits. It helps to get into bed at the same time each night. Try to skip watching TV, eating or even reading a book. Simply turn out the light and take a few moments to get settled. If you are not asleep after 20 minutes, get out of bed and do something else until you feel tired again. Once you go back to bed, get settled, and give it another 20 minutes. Every time you get into bed to sleep, try remaining still and focus on slow, steady breathing.

DO THESE STUDIES CONFIRM YOUR OWN NUTRITION AND SLEEPING HABITS?  AND DO YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL TIPS FOR EATING OR SLEEPING BETTER?  IF SO, ADD THEM TO THE COMMENTS SECTION BELOW!

The Divided Brain

During discussions with our Aspie Insiders, we have referenced the idea of "emotional intelligence" a few times, usually when having a conversation about how we react to the actions of others. While this isn’t a new concept, it’s still something that many people don’t quite understand.  One of the things we’ve talked about as a group is how our mind works — that is, sometimes it reasons while other times it empathizes.  For a long time, we explained this by referring to how our brain is divided.  One side reasons while the other feels emotions, one side analyzes and the other creates, and so on.  The interesting thing is, this activity in the brain isn’t really as divided as we thought.  Check out the video below to find out more.

IF YOU HAVE A VIDEO YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE, LINK US TO IT BELOW! AND DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE YOUR OWN THOUGHTS ON EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE BELOW AS WELL!