Stress…and what to do when everything starts falling apart
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The document discusses mental health issues and problems with perfectionism, pessimism, and imposter syndrome. It notes that approximately 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year. It addresses building digital capabilities in a changing world and emphasizes that there is no such thing as perfect, mistakes will be made, and choosing to be positive.
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Stress…and what to do when everything starts falling apart
- 1. dundee.ac.uk Andrew Millar, Head of Web Services Stress…and what to do when everything starts falling apart A World Top 200 university, Times Higher Education 2018 @millaraj #iwmw18 #p4
- 2. Pagedundee.ac.uk I remember very clearly… …the night I nearly died. @millaraj #iwmw18 #p4
- 3. Pagedundee.ac.uk Approximately 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year. https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/statistics-and-facts-about-mental-health/how- common-are-mental-health-problems/#one @millaraj #iwmw18 #p4
- 4. Pagedundee.ac.uk How do you build your digital capability in a world that keeps changing? @millaraj #iwmw18 #p4
- 6. Pagedundee.ac.uk The problem of perfection @millaraj #iwmw18 #p4
- 7. Pagedundee.ac.uk The illusion of perfection @millaraj #iwmw18 #p4
- 8. Pagedundee.ac.uk The problem of perfection There is no perfect! @millaraj #iwmw18 #p4
- 9. Pagedundee.ac.uk The problem of perfection “Perfect is the enemy of good.” Voltaire @millaraj #iwmw18 #p4
- 10. Pagedundee.ac.uk Minimum Viable Product (MVP) @millaraj #iwmw18 #p4
- 11. Pagedundee.ac.uk You will make mistakes @millaraj #iwmw18 #p4
- 12. Pagedundee.ac.uk You will make mistakes “Some mistakes will be made, but that’s good, because that means that decisions are being made.” Steve Jobs – WWDC (1997) @millaraj #iwmw18 #p4
- 13. Pagedundee.ac.uk The problem of pessimism @millaraj #iwmw18 #p4
- 14. Pagedundee.ac.uk A national pastime? @millaraj #iwmw18 #p4
- 15. Pagedundee.ac.uk A national pastime? @millaraj #iwmw18 #p4
- 16. Pagedundee.ac.uk The problem of pessimism @millaraj #iwmw18 #p4
- 17. Pagedundee.ac.uk Choose to be positive @millaraj #iwmw18 #p4
- 18. Pagedundee.ac.uk The problem of pessimism Count your many blessings, name them one by one… @millaraj #iwmw18 #p4
- 19. Pagedundee.ac.uk It’s not the end of the world @millaraj #iwmw18 #p4
- 20. Pagedundee.ac.uk The problem of the imposter persona @millaraj #iwmw18 #p4
- 24. dundee.ac.uk
Editor's Notes
- It was 2005 and I had gone to bed that night without any clue of what was going to happen. When I look back, it’s clear that all the signs were there. I woke around 2 in the morning in a state of sheer terror. I was sweating buckets and I could swear you could see my heart hammering through my chest. My arms and legs were locked straight, my teeth were clenched shut, and the scariest thing of all was I was shaking violently. I was absolutely convinced that night that the end had come. The night continued and every time I managed to get the shaking under control I felt like I would pass out, and then the shaking would start again. Eventually the morning came and I managed to drag myself downstairs. I was still living at home at the time and my Mum was able to get me an emergency appointment at the docs. As I sat in the docs surgery, my pulse rate was around 140-150. I was given an ECG and the doc had some concerns. Bloods were taken, I was given beta blockers, and sent home to rest. Over the next 6-8 months I underwent tests to try and find out what was wrong, and everything more or less came back clear. Eventually my doctor sat me down and said “Andrew, I think you’re stressed, go home, relax and forget about it”. In hindsight he was right, I was getting married, moving away from home, buying a house as well as all the other stresses and strains of modern life. I thought being “stressed” was for those that are weak and lazy, but I’m not alone.
- UK population is around 66million. 16.5million people every year. In an audience of around 150, statistically speaking, 37 of us will have experienced some form of mental health issue. Look around, can you spot us? Can you tell who is struggling at the moment? I’ll give you a clue “Hello, my name is Andrew, and I suffer from chronic panic attacks”. I’m not a health professional, but I am going to talk about the problems I face and how I’ve started to overcome them.
- It’s a question for us as managers, as teams and as a community of practioners. Everytime you learn something, it’s now old, and there’s a new way of doing things.
- Instagram generation We’re hiding the failures Perfect is the enemy of good – Voltaire What it succeeds in doing is crippling any forward momentum. Perfectionism is not the same as doing a good job. In fact, you can do a great job, and still not get it right. Example of Google Analytics policy
- In response to a question about OpenDocs.
- In response to a question about OpenDocs.
- Keep your scope small and your releases frequent
- This is one of the most liberating statements. Example of growing up a twin. I’d always let Liane go in first. This is something that I’ve understood more now I have kids.
- In response to a question about OpenDocs. Everyone makes mistakes, we can only make decisions based on the information we have at the time.
- We cannot get angry with people for not knowing what we know. Chris Tarrant used to say, the answers only easy if you know it. Is it a Scottish thing? It’s very easy to sit round and moan and complain. Sometimes that’s a good thing. I can pretty much guarantee that over the course of this conference, at some point, you’ll have a good old moan about your job, your institution or some unreasonable academic. It’s cathartic, it helps us destress. It’s a sigh of relief. And in gatherings like this, it’s good to know that others are going through exactly the same things as you are.
- We cannot get angry with people for not knowing what we know. Chris Tarrant used to say, the answers only easy if you know it. Is it a Scottish thing? It’s very easy to sit round and moan and complain. Sometimes that’s a good thing. I can pretty much guarantee that over the course of this conference, at some point, you’ll have a good old moan about your job, your institution or some unreasonable academic. It’s cathartic, it helps us destress. It’s a sigh of relief. And in gatherings like this, it’s good to know that others are going through exactly the same things as you are.
- Once you’re into the mindset of catastrophic thinking, it’s really hard to see the wood for the trees. You’re probably doing better than you think. The sun will still rise, the world will keep spinning, and even in the darkest of times, there’s some light at the end of the tunnel. Take it one step at a time. Example of driving lessons with Walter. Coming up to a junction where there were traffic lights everywhere. You just break it down, take it one at a time. The thing with panic attacks is that they pass. The body cannot physically sustain the flight response for a prolonged period of time.
- We’ve come from a legacy of our jobs being addons to other jobs. We come from a culture of openness, sharing good practice, and that’s brilliant, but we’ve hidden the failures. I have suffered my whole career from imposter syndrome. The crushing feeling that you’re not really meant to be here. That it was just by some fluke that you’ve got to where you’re going to. The fear that at some point, you’re going to be found out and fired. You will listen to others and criticise yourself for not thinking of that sooner, or not understanding a problem. Feeling like you missed that class at school.
- External to your team External to your organisation One of two things will happen You’ll see just how good you are You’ll figure out how to do it better
- If you’re having similar struggles, think about speaking up and seeking help. You might find that others are experiencing the same thing. Look out for people who are struggling. Help us and we’ll often be your most loyal and hardworking of colleagues.