3 Things Leaders Need to Do When Current Events Create Stress at Work

How are you doing? No, really. How are you doing right now?

It’s been a stressful week. Maybe current events are making your team anxious. Maybe the tension is being felt all the way up to the CEO. Consciously or unconsciously, people are leaning on you for comfort, strength, or a sense of stability during an uncertain time. Your presence is undoubtedly making a difference.

But when will you look after your needs? Who is giving you comfort? Where are you drawing strength from? How are you finding stability in this moment? And perhaps most importantly, what boundaries are you setting to protect yourself?

Your Work Matters

You have tremendous potential to impact your organization’s culture. Leaders can set the tone and defuse difficult conversations. They’re one of the biggest factors in whether workers feel like their organization is a great place to work.

Being able to inspire others and show empathy are two of the leadership abilities that are most important to employees, according to SHRM Research. But when asked to assess their own leadership abilities in today’s VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) environment, just 23% of HR executives said they were thriving, while 26% say they’re either outright struggling or coping while experiencing some difficulty.

That pressure is isolating, and it takes a toll. Leaders are more likely than their employees to feel overwhelmed, lonely, and depressed. Under pressure, a leader’s strengths can be undone by their weaknesses.

Caring for those around you has to begin by securing your own mental health. This is especially important during a crisis situation that may involve enduring high stress levels over a longer period of time. You have to put on your proverbial oxygen mask first.

Here are three things you can do this week that will help you be a more effective leader and help the rest of your team better cope with the stress caused by current events.

Set Boundaries

You need to create limits around your availability. If you work through lunch to help one employee and then you’re short-tempered with another because you’re hungry, you’re helping one person at the expense of two others. Yes, you count in this equation.

Instead, you should adopt what psychotherapist Leah Marone calls a “Support, Don’t Solve” approach to other people’s stress. Instead of assuming responsibility for their well-being, take the role of a coach. You validate, emphasize, ask questions, and motivate, but you ultimately trust the other person to handle their own affairs.

Set Aside Time

Take moments throughout the day to check in with yourself. Create self-care rituals that give you a moment to reflect. If finding that time is difficult, build it into your schedule and protect it. Do these things with someone else if that helps you follow through.

What gives you strength and comfort will vary from person to person. There’s no one right way to care for yourself. But intentionality is important here. Don’t just take a walk; remind yourself that you’re taking a walk because you have the ability to create space for your own emotions and regulate your own stress. That recognition can be as powerful as the downtime itself.

Set an Example

Don’t feel the need to hide your self-care. Be honest about why you can’t take additional meetings. Let people know you’re taking a mental health day. Be upfront if you’re not at your best right now.

That honesty makes it easier for you to maintain your boundaries and fulfill your commitments to yourself. It helps people understand why those things are important. But more importantly, it gives others permission to take care of themselves, either alone or with a mental health professional.

This is your chance to encourage healthy habits in the next generation of leaders. Be the example you would have wanted to see earlier in your career. Together, you’ll get through the week and continue to thrive.