5 Ways To Maintain Intellectual Wellness In A Stressful Workplace

Today, almost everyone works for an organization to provide wellness for themselves or their families. In most cases, however, this monetary compensation is much more rigid.

Wellness, especially when you talk about corporate wellness, in the modern work culture, post covid is much more than just providing basic health care insurance or a gym membership.

Today's employees want wellness programs to be multifaceted, ones that address all aspects of their wellness and health. Personal development is often overlooked as a mental health component when discussing creating a holistic wellness program.

In order to achieve intellectual wellness, organizations must open their doors to programs that increase their skills and improve their overall quality of life. This article will help you better understand what intellectual wellness is and how to maintain it in a stressful environment.

What Is Intellectual Wellness?

The first thing that comes to mind when you hear the term intellectual is that it refers exclusively to something you learn in a school or institution. Intellectual wellness, however, is much more holistic and involves more than just academic knowledge.

Intellectual wellness, by definition, means your ability to engage in mentally stimulating activities to expand your knowledge and experiences. It is not limited to what you might have to learn at school or college and has nothing to do with your IQ.

In other words, you can acquire knowledge, experience, and personality, as well as your book smarts, street smarts, hobbies, skills, and personal interests. All of these factors influence your overall intellectual wellness.

To have intellectual wellness means to have -

• Good mental health

• Focusing more on improving your mind

• Embracing creativity

Workplace Intellectual Wellness: Why Is It Important?

Intellectual wellness in the workplace can be incorporated as a personality development program. It will allow you to learn and develop various skills and interests, which will further help you become more self-aware of your caliber and drive you through a path of holistic wellness.

Intellectual wellness at work refers to your ability to engage in various activities to promote learning, critical thinking, and creative thinking in the workplace. It involves the development of knowledge and skills that can further contribute to your personal and professional growth.

Here are a few ways you can promote intellectual wellness in your workplace -

• Encourage education to upskill

• Promote cross-functional teamwork

• Encourage mentoring as a part of your training program

• Provide with better range of professional development programs

• Practice critical thinking exercises

• Encourage creative thinking for ideas

The Importance Of Intellectual Wellness At Work

The importance of intellectual wellness at work lies in curiosity and seeking new skills and experiences to increase intellectual growth and expand your interests. Here are a few reasons why it is essential to introduce intellectual curiosity or wellness in your workplace -

1. Increase job performance

When intellectually stimulated and engaged, you are more likely to be aware of the latest industry trends, open to new ideas, and equipped with more knowledge to develop innovative problem-solving skills. It increases your productivity skills and efficiency at work.

2. Promotes personal development

When discussing intellectual wellness, you are talking about ways to enhance your personal growth. It is important because it motivates you to learn and pursue new skills, step out of your comfort zone, and explore new ideas, which can result in job satisfaction and increase your sense of purpose.

3. Improve communication

Intellectual wellness at work can greatly help with effective communication and team collaboration. It improves your ability to communicate with your colleagues as you are more stimulated when you're intellectually healthy and can better engage and articulate your ideas more flexibly.

The importance of intellectual wellness in the workplace cannot be overstated. It improves productivity, job satisfaction, innovation, communication, and teamwork. Wellness programs or organizations prioritizing intellectual wellness among employees are more likely to succeed.

Who is an intellectual and why to achieve it at workplace?

An Intellectual person is someone who is more perceptive and responds empathically to human emotions. It gives them an advantage over most people who do not have such abilities. He who is intellectual is kind and open-minded, ready to accept challenges and support teammates at any cost.

It is important to note that, intellectual wellness evolves through personal and professional development, cultural and community involvements, discovering hobbies and by being kind to nature and its surroundings.

So, organizations must create such an environment where employers and employees and grow together.

Stimulating mental health and wellbeing should be on everyone’s to-do list. It helps to develop skills and discover new potential abilities at work.

Intellectual Wellness exposes an individual to new ideas, people, and beliefs that are different from your own. The negligence of intellectual wellness can make a void that will impact social health and well-being.

Thus, Intellectual wellness for an individual is as essential as water for the plants. Staying intellectually sound is vital for both personal and professional growth as well as development.

Read our blog on: Everything About The 9 Dimensions Of Wellness At Work

How to define an intellectually thriving employee?

When intellectual curiosity develops, people tend to be more innovative and creative. Modern workplaces always look for an intellectually thriving employee.

An employee must thrive for the ability to think critically and creatively. Such employees show higher levels of retention.

These are some characteristics;

• Who is compassionate about himself and his co-workers
• Eager to grasp opportunities stimulating mental activities
• Also, engages in the intellectual and cultural activities of the workplace
• Tend to explore authentic ideas and,
• Appreciates the fellow mates or team members
• Open to share and work with new ideas
• Interested in developing new skills in the workplace

Also Read: 11 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Techniques For Employees At Work

5 Ways To Expand Your Intellectual Wellness At Work

Work can be stressful and can take a toll on your mental and physical health. Workplace stress is one of the leading causes of employees' poor health across the globe, yet only a few organizations or employee wellness programs try to look deep into the matter. And as a result, not only do you lose out on productivity but retention too.

Post-pandemic, employees are keener towards a company that provides a more holistic wellness program than traditional ones.

So, how do you develop an effective and holistic program? As a starter, you need to ensure that your wellness program covers at least 6 out of the 8 dimensions of wellness and provides practical solutions or tools for the same.

You shouldn't overlook the multifaceted approach that can help your employees address their holistic well-being. Incorporating or emphasizing the importance of having intellectual wellness at work is crucial as it helps you to lead a more balanced life and maintain a healthy work-life balance .

Here 5 ways you can expand or maintain your intellectual wellness at work -

1. Create a culture of learning.

Intellectual wellness at work is often seen as your employees' personal development. And when you create a culture of learning and a space for personal development opportunities for your employees, you allow them to develop various skills and interests beyond their job profiles.

Curiosity is important when it comes to expanding or developing your learning skills. By incorporating curiosity in your work culture and providing them with more opportunities to expand and gain knowledge, your employees will be keener to learn and grow. By doing so or participating in these programs, employees become the best of themselves their take a step further toward their overall wellness.

2. Provide a more custom-made personal development plan.

When providing or creating a wellness plan, one of the most important factors you must not overlook is that the one-size-fits-all approach does not apply to everyone. Personal development can mean different things to different people, and approaching everyone universally might not be the most effective way to help your employees meet their personal goals.

Discover what each employee wants from their personal development and what growth means. Curate a list of activities or programs that will cater to their needs so they can develop in ways that matter to them.

Also Read : How To Control And Manage Emotions In The Workplace

3. Organize informal training sessions on time management skills.

When it comes to learning new skills or improving your goals for personal development, it doesn't always have to be done in a professional space like an institution or school. It can be done by organizing various informal training sessions on soft skills and on-time management skills.

You can improve your intellectual health by learning time management skills. Several work-related problems arise because multi-tasking isn't everyone's expertise, so they have lost track of their time, preventing them from personal development.

Again, poor time management skills can cause unnecessary stress and affect your productivity skills. So helping your employees learn about new ideas and understand how to manage time effectively to be organized. It can further help them achieve their targets without feeling overwhelmed and anxious.

Providing or organizing in-house training sessions on enhancing your intellectual skills and staying organized and on time can help your employees become more efficient and productive at work.

4. Make learning soft skills a priority.

One of the other ways to create a holistic plan for enhancing your employee's intellectual wellness at work is by emphasizing their soft skills. Soft skills are your employees' interpersonal skills, ability to manage and control their emotions, communication skills, and problem-solving skills.

These are important factors in building your organization and in your organization's success. So when you emphasize these skills and offer opportunities to develop and improve their soft skills, it will eventually help them grow and adapt more effectively to any new organizational changes.

5. Encourage the acquisition of non-technical skills.

Only providing room or opportunities limited to technical skills is not enough when it comes to your employees' personal development. It involves more than just learning skills required at work; more importantly, it is about learning or improving your other skills, which give you a sense of accomplishment or joy.

Anything that provides you with mental satisfaction will work, whether learning how to paint, playing an instrument, taking up a hobby, or even dancing. It is important for companies to provide employees with opportunities to discover themselves rather than become machines of the corporate world.

As part of your company's employee engagement or wellness program, you can offer sessions or activities encouraging employees to develop skills or hobbies. Employees will be able to grow in many ways as it demonstrates to them that your organization cares about their health and well-being beyond business impact.

Moreover, personal growth helps employees feel better about themselves, enabling them to feel happy and competent at work.

Indulging few Intellectual Wellness practices at the workplace-

It is crucial in modern workplaces to identify wellness practices. We have mentioned 8 such steps here:

1. The habit of reading

Reading books is considered to be one of the oldest forms of leisure.

The workplace should provide an option for free books on tablets or laptops. Also, every office must have a small library for the employees.

Employees can gather their favorite collection of books in their workplace library.
Also, read and refer them to their co-workers. They should try new genres of books and change their taste from time to time.

Conversations on good books, magazines, journals or learning a foreign language can build intellectual positivity among co-workers. Organizations should produce monthly newsletters, where the employees can publish things related to their hobbies or passion.

Reading can be an excellent escape from work-life stress. Also, reading wellness books or guides can help you stay motivated and mentally fit.

2. Workplace games

Bonding over fun games in the workplace can be the most exciting and relaxing part. It not only promotes enthusiasm but also promotes a sporting spirit. It shows an individual’s team building, logical and analytical capability, and intellectual wellness.

The employees can organize virtual online games that can provide excellent incentives. Games like Sudoku, chess, and crossword puzzles can also help in intellectual wellness. Playing brain games can be one of the best ways for the brain to relieve stress.
Starting a sports team in the workplace for various indoor and outdoor games can also be encouraging.

3. Cultural activities

Encouraging employees to organize cultural activities can be fun. It will help employees connect and learn more about each other's culture and traditions.

The workplace can conduct events and celebrate festivals or New Year's Eve to promote diversity and uniqueness.
Employees can plan to prepare traditional foods and along with music or lecture sessions. It will host an excellent cultural evening in the workplace.

Such activities in the workplace are necessary for social wellness as well. Admiring food, music, arts, and dance is a good way to practice intellectual health.

It can also create a sense of extravaganza in the workplace. Thus, cultural activities in the workplace can develop positive relationships and encourage social engagement among the employees.

The feeling of community building, teamwork, and bonding amidst colleagues is essential for employee engagement. Especially when people are working, such things are essential for intellectual growth.

4. The need for conversations

For a new joiner, initiating conversations can be nerve-wracking for various reasons.
But, the best way to build a good relationship with the team and gain confidence. When you can get along well with the team, it makes work manageable and enjoyable.

Initiating conversations with co-workers is the key to learning and aspiring.
This can always start with asking for help or suggestions, talking about weekend plans, discussing popular cultures, etc.

While conversations can be stimulating, they can also reduce social challenges in the workplace. While conversations can be intellectually stimulating, they can also reduce. It can make the individual open-minded and the workplace lively.

5. Lunch and Learn Sessions

Usually, "Lunch and learns" are voluntary meetings or training sessions during lunch break in the office.

Lunch and Learn can do wonders many times after a hectic beginning. In this process, employees can discuss various topics, mostly related to health and fitness. Making the lunch scene a gateway to wellness talk on how to stay fit from inside out.

These are the perks of Lunch and learn sessions:

• It will build transparency among employees
• It will create a strong work culture
• Promote individual growth and encourage active learning

Lunch and Learn sessions can be helpful for employees to practice intellectual wellness at the workplace.

6. Plan trips

The benefits of such trips are that is Traveling with teammates can encourage intellectual wellbeing by establishing better bonds.
While planning a trip, it is also crucial to keep everyone on the same page.
Long drives to a nearby hill station or bonfire nights in the outskirts can turn out to be a great weekend hideout.

The benefits of such trips are that it often opens up conversations, from small talk to fascinating topics outside the work life.

Travel encourages engagement in new experiences. For example, it helps you know each other’s taste in music, and by the end, you might book tickets for a music concert together.

Team lunches/dinner or a terrace party can also bring the team together. It can also stimulate the minds with new topics and discussions beyond the professional domain.

7. Keeping a positive outlook

"Stay Strong" and "Stay Positive" are the first things people say when something goes wrong in life.
Little affirmations by co-workers are also required to stay motivated and positive in the workplace.

Positive thinking is an essential element of intellectual wellness.
Having a positive attitude in the workplace will improve the way people look at each other. This will also create a positive culture in the workplace, like cheering on each other's success.

These are the few advantages of having a positive outlook:

• More creative and improves problem-solving skill
• Clear thinking
• Finer mood
• Heals better
• No depression
• Improve your skills and brain power

"An employee with a bad attitude can upset the apple cart in an office and create a toxic environment. Positive attitudes can make the work environment happy and fill it with joy. I would happily take office full of positive attitudes over negative ones, without a doubt."
– Finlay

8. Conduct brainstorming Sessions

Brainstorming sessions among employees promote teamwork. It will help employees discover innovative ideas and quickly learn from each other. Also, improves knowledge and ability.

Brainstorming sessions can include morning scrum, on-site lessons,
and workshops to boost employee's engagement and skills.

Mainly, that helps an employee lay hold to intellectual wellness in the workplace.

Quick tips to start today:

• You can start by improving stress and time management

• By taking notes in the meetings and taking part in open discussion

• Show willingness to try new experiences and ideas in the workplace

• Or start a love for philosophy such as "life-long learning."

Related: 105 Mindfulness Quotes For Employees Health And Wellness

Conclusion

"In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun, and snap; the job's a game!"
–excerpt from the 1964 American musical film, "Mary Poppins"

An intellectually curious employee will always look at the work with great enthusiasm. And make efforts to transform a boring workplace into a cheerful one.
Employees can bring new experiences, expertise, leadership skills, and creativity to the organization.

Through intellectual wellbeing, employees get a better idea on the importance of wellness. Mostly, it motivates employees for the long-run. Also, allows the mind to work more efficiently and effectively at work.

Only when the mind is active, it helps you mingle and understand everything in and around you. Thus, intellectual wellness pushes you to achieve a stable state of mind and a balanced life.