So entertaining that you might forget it is a nonfiction book.
After a long day on the job, what is your conversation like at home? If your day went well, maybe you’re celebrating your successes. More often, though, the conversation likely circles around incompetent leadership, obnoxious coworkers, or other repetitious frustrations from work. This cycle not only perpetuates stress but brings it into your home and allows it to permeate your whole life. The constant BS, a simplified term denoting all kinds of workplace stressors, can take both an emotional and physical toll, a fact we’ve known for a long time. Everything from high blood pressure to depression can be rooted in stress, and the last thing any of us wants is to lose our health. If you’re looking for “practical, evidence-based ways to create change” and increase personal contentment, then you need the refreshing guide, Boost Your Bullsh*t Resilience At Work.
Divided into six practical sections, this book facilitates realistic personal evaluations of our work life. How can that BS-filled scenario get a positive upgrade? Should we put our heads down and stay in a miserable job? Can we afford to forge a new path? Would the grass really be greener? Chapters include activities that allow readers to put into practice what has been presented. From dealing with wrongful accusations to office brown-nosers, the exercises offer relief where it’s needed most. Tips range from performing honest assessments to developing patience, but invariably keep the focus on what is in our control. Reavis cites numerous studies in appropriate measure, just enough to convince audiences of the value of the advice, but not so much that it reads like a medical journal. Between real-life anecdotes, welcomed humor, and relevant pop-culture references, the writing is so entertaining that you might forget it is a nonfiction book.
Motivation is served up in palatable doses with regular quotable, memorable, and useful lines. “You are always bigger than the BS you are experiencing.” “Daily volatility can be like turbulence on a plane. It’s uncomfortable, maybe even scary, but it will pass.” “Forgive yourself. Let it go, choose different actions and move on.” A big takehome, one that resonates with crystal clarity, is in chapter 11 where the author discusses how the body’s fight, flight, or freeze mechanism can work against us. We don’t do ourselves any favors by circling the drain of negative thought and speech patterns, and through purposeful, positive visualization the author demonstrates exactly how we can take back our health and mental balance. No matter what career you’re in, Boost Your Bullsh*t Resilience At Work will allow you to unburden yourself of workplace toxicity and fall in love with your job again.
