In the competitive landscape of finance and accounting, maintaining optimal health is essential to overcome constant demands and intense periods such as budget closures, month-end processes, year-end activities, acquisitions, system deployments, restructurings, and many more. For professionals facing these numerous challenges, it becomes crucial to cultivate a daily life balance.
This article proposes concrete strategies focused on essential aspects, easy to integrate into your professional and personal life.
Well-being Starts with Good Personal Discipline
When daily life suddenly seems heavier and less positive, it’s not always wise to make hasty decisions and change your external environment based on sometimes temporary circumstances. Starting by taking care of yourself, resting or changing your perspective can help clarify your thoughts, face life’s challenges more easily, and subsequently make better decisions.
Restful Sleep
As cliché as it may sound, adequate rest is fundamental, especially in demanding fields like finance and accounting. Quality sleep plays a crucial role in maintaining vigilance and performance, promoting informed decision-making, and reacting appropriately to stressful situations. Here are three tips to improve your sleep quality:
- Establish a Routine: Consistency in your sleep schedule is crucial. By going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, ideally including weekends, you help regulate your biological clock. This constant routine improves not only the speed at which you fall asleep but also the quality of your sleep.
- Create a Sleep-friendly Environment: The environment in which you sleep plays a significant role in the quality of your rest. Ensure your room is sufficiently dark, quiet, and at a comfortable temperature. Investing in a good mattress and comfortable pillows can make a significant difference. Additionally, limit exposure to blue light from screens before bedtime, as it can disrupt your sleep cycle.
- Limit Caffeine and Heavy Meals Before Bed: Consuming caffeine, alcohol, and heavy meals late in the evening can seriously disrupt your sleep. It is advisable to avoid caffeine at least six hours before bedtime and opt for a light meal. If you’re hungry just before bedtime, choose foods that promote the production of serotonin and melatonin, such as seeds, cashews, quinoa, avocado, bananas, legumes, brown rice, fish, etc.
Move Regularly
Candidates who balance performance and well-being stand out to recruiters. Incorporating regular physical activities into your daily life demonstrates personal discipline and the ability to manage stress in life’s uncertainties. This approach, beneficial for personal health, contributes to professional resilience in a competitive context. Thus, regular exercise helps manage stress and maintain good mental health, essential qualities for excelling in the finance and accounting sector. By integrating these healthy practices into your daily routine, you position yourself ideally for success in this demanding professional environment, distinguishing yourself in the competition.
Surround Yourself with Positive People
Cultivating optimal well-being at work is intrinsically linked to the quality of interpersonal relationships, both personally and professionally. The role of oxytocin, known to reduce stress, promote relaxation, improve mood, and increase happiness, is fundamental here. Beyond academic achievements like the CFA, CPA, etc., which indicate recognized technical expertise, professional success also depends on the ability to project positive energy, establish meaningful connections, and contribute constructively to a team!
Research, such as that published in the journal “Frontiers in Psychology”, emphasizes that emotions are contagious. Thus, positive emotions resulting from healthy interpersonal relationships can greatly influence our emotional well-being and, consequently, our performance at work.
Furthermore, oxytocin, released during positive social interactions, strengthens these interpersonal bonds and contributes significantly to creating an environment conducive to flourishing.
In the financial and accounting sector, where technical skills are an essential part of professional success, building strong interpersonal relationships becomes a distinctive factor for accessing high-level positions.
Contrary to the positive effects of oxytocin, chronic stress and pessimistic attitudes, which spread just as easily within a team, have the potential to compromise the performance and motivation of several individuals, exerting a detrimental impact on both individuals and the organization as a whole.
By choosing a work environment characterized by positive relationships, not only does productivity improve, but also collaboration and a sense of belonging, conducive to sustainable professional success.
Reconnect with Your Purpose – Your Why
Think about the impact and meaning of your work.
Being involved in the financial management of a company may sometimes seem far from the real impact we can have on others, yet it is crucial to ensure the economic stability of the company, create employment opportunities, stimulate growth, and ultimately contribute to the financial well-being of employees, shareholders, and the community at large.
When facing professional challenges or when motivation diminishes, take the time to reflect on the initial motivations that led you on this path. Whether it’s for learning and advancement opportunities, the desire to make a difference, passion for the industry, or alignment with the culture and values, remembering these motivations can reignite passion and help overcome difficult periods.
As Friedrich Nietzsche aptly said, “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” When there is meaning in your daily life, you are much more capable of enduring and accepting challenges in work and personal life with resilience. In a sector where professional opportunities are vast, recruiters at Kenova always recommend ensuring that the chosen career opportunity aligns with each person’s needs, values, and ambitions to ensure a more fulfilling career alignment in the long term.
Furthermore, how you approach and carry out your daily work makes all the difference, both for yourself and your colleagues. Ask yourself: Am I in the present moment, focused, and appreciating what I accomplish each day?
Communicate Transparently
Don’t hesitate to discuss your needs and concerns with your manager.
Recruitment advisors at Kenova notice many situations where a lack of clear and honest communication between the employee and the employer causes misunderstandings and dissatisfaction. Transparency and trust are inseparable and remain essential for maintaining long-term professional satisfaction on both sides.
Here’s a brief reminder of three tips for approaching these delicate conversations, especially with a manager:
1. Prepare for Your Discussion
- Identify your key points: Before the meeting, think precisely about what you want to address and what is important to you. Whether it’s a specific problem or a need for support, having clear points in mind makes the conversation easier and helps your interlocutor better understand your message.
- Choose the right time: Find an appropriate time to discuss, preferably when there’s no immediate work pressure. This could be during a scheduled meeting or by asking for a private moment.
2. Communicate Openly and Honestly
- Be clear and concise: Express your concerns directly and respectfully, without judgment. Avoid accusations and presuming intentions; focus on your feelings and experiences.
- Use concrete examples: If possible, bring specific examples and facts to illustrate your points. This helps contextualize your concerns and avoid misunderstandings.
3. Listen and Seek Solutions
- Be open to feedback: A conversation is a two-way street. Be ready to listen to your manager’s perspectives and consider their feedback.
- Propose solutions: Don’t just present problems. Propose solutions or ideas to improve the situation. This shows your ability to take responsibility and your commitment to working together for a positive outcome.
Addressing these conversations can be intimidating, but it’s an absolutely essential step to improve your work environment and well-being.
In conclusion, happiness at work is essential to allow each professional to shine, perform, and thrive sustainably and at full capacity! In industries where demands, rigor, and tight deadlines are part of everyday life, such as in finance and accounting, it is important to rethink your personal lifestyle to present health that allows you to perform your work with care, build constructive relationships at work and at home, find meaning and have a positive impact on others, and communicate transparently in real time with your employer before it’s too late.
If despite these efforts, the results remain unsatisfactory, it is probably time for a significant change. The thoughtful choice of a new professional opportunity is crucial because it impacts all aspects of life, including health, the sense of accomplishment, family finances, daily energy and motivation levels, and by extension, the quality of life at home.
Our recruiters are available and well-equipped to support you in your steps and reflections, no matter at which stage you find yourself. Their expertise allows them to offer personalized support, whether you are exploring new opportunities, considering a career change, or preparing for interviews.
Feel free to seek their assistance to maximize your chances of success in your next strategy.
