Human Energy Crisis - What Can We Do?

People. So complex and so dynamic! If you have ever led a group or team of people, and you probably have at some point in your life, you know what a challenge that can be. Just leading ourselves can be a challenge! I am going to share some insights that are serious and seem bleak. Why? Because there is still time to change the trajectory if we heed the warning signs. There is hope! As uncertain as our world is, there are things we can do for ourselves and others that prepare us to face the challenges ahead. First, we have to understand people and what is impacting them. Here we go...

State of the Heart

Spoiler alert. The secret to understanding people is to understand the "state of their heart". In this context, that means the emotional environment they are living in and operating from. Too many people discount the importance of emotions in our lives. Why? Discomfort, fear, anxiety, and worry that a focus on emotions will somehow create a loss of some kind. Funny. Notice that the drivers for people to discount the importance of emotions are emotions in themselves. Our emotional environment is directly tied to our ability to thrive. The more logical mind wants proof, so here you go:

• The World Economic Forum Future of Work report identifies 8 emotional intelligence skills on the list of TOP 10 SKILLS for 2025. (see the report)
• The world is facing a human energy crisis - at home and at work. Wellbeing scores continue to decline; rates of burnout, social isolation and emotional detachment are at all-time highs. These issues are especially concerning for younger generations. (SOH Report 2023)

• In 2020, our society concluded that sickness and potential death by a coronavirus must be stopped at all costs. The United States subsequently shut down a $20+ trillion economy -- bankrupting countless small businesses -- and closed schools. All of this combined to put employees, families and kids in an unimaginable state of uncertainty. This new state of uncertainty grinds the life out of people a little bit every day.  (Gallup - The Mood of the World)

• In a 2020 worldwide survey, Gallup found that roughly seven in 10 people are struggling or suffering in their lives. (Gallup - The Mood of the World)
• Microsoft’s Work Trends report found that over half of employees (53%) say they are more likely to prioritize health and wellbeing over work than before the pandemic, particularly parents (55%) and women (56%). (Microsoft (2022, March 16). 2022 Work Trend Index:Annual Report)
• More than half of managers (53%) report feeling burned out at work. (Microsoft (2022, March 16). 2022 Work Trend Index: Annual Report)

This is pretty concerning, right?! It should be. The data is clear, people are struggling. Mental health issues are rising at an alarming rate. All of this impacts people's lives and work. Here is a look at how burnout is impacting different generations:

All generations are experiencing greater burnout, but younger generations are feeling it more. This is creating a human energy crisis.

Emotional environment is a choice

The emotional environment we live in is the one we choose. Let me explain. The initial emotions we have about something we experience are short lived. It is what we choose to hold onto that creates our emotional environment. Example...if we have an event that negatively impacts us, every time we "relive" that event in our minds, we generate similar emotions. If we do this long enough, we create a pattern (neural pathway) that gets reinforced. The stronger a pattern, the more difficult it is to change it.

We can choose to stay in that pattern, or we can choose to focus on something else. No, it is not easy to do when something impacts us negatively but it can be done. Here is the catch...we can choose a more positive and productive emotional environment when we have the right tools/skills to do that. This is where EQ skills come in.

Story

I was coaching a young professional recently who was struggling with burnout and a lack of engagement and energy. She shared the things in her life that were draining her of energy. When I asked her to share what she was feeling about each of these, the actual emotions by naming them, she struggled to be able to do that. That is a basic EQ skill to be able to name your emotions and understand how they impact you. As we talked, we started to define the emotions she was having. Then we were able to explore the impact of each emotion. As she became more adept at naming her emotions, she was better able to navigate them instead of simply staying stuck in them. She began to understand that the things that were draining her energy and focus were not the primary problem. It was allowing herself to stay in a non-productive pattern by constantly reliving the emotions that was the source of the drain. We worked on a few ways to reframe her thoughts, navigate her emotions, and create a more agile and resilient mindset to attain better outcomes and reduce the drain she was feeling.

Human energy crisis and what to do about it

This is a real thing. The fact that we know about it means we can do something about it. Here are some practical ways to start:

• Slow down and listen. To yourself, to other people. Take the time to observe the "state of the heart".
• Grow EQ skills...in yourself and in others. Here are 3 free training videos to help: Grow my EQ skills
• Don't get stuck in old ways of doing things that are not productive. They don't work well in our changing world. Be open to new ideas and new models.

The stress and anxiety in our world are at all time highs. Individual energy is declining, along with engagement and innovation. This does not have to be the new norm. We can change the trajectory. It will take effort and new ways of thinking.

The Hope ahead

I said there was hope and there is. We know the challenges, we know the solutions. Now we need to know people better. Think about the people you know. If you had to place them in one category, stressed or non stressed, which category would you place them in? What percentage of those people are in which category? Where are you?

So many things in life are out of our control. Our emotional environment, the state of our heart, is not one of those. We do have control over how we choose to live our lives. Will bad things happen...yes. Will we struggle...yes. But that does not mean we can't live a more successful and enjoyable life...if that is what we choose! Let's thrive...not just survive!

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 Copyright © 2023 EQFIT® - Author: Steven Goodner. All rights reserved. No portion of this material may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permissions contact: [email protected].