Spells for Career and Business Success (part 1)

You spend approximately one third of your life at work so it is vital that you enjoy your job as much as possible. Sadly, this isn't always the case and lots of people feel tied to a job they hate or an employer who expects too much for too little. Unless you are in your dream job, working in a vocation you love, you might only be at work for the money, simply because you have bills to pay. This is certainly the case for many people and, while working for a living is a fact of life, it isn't always easy.

The workplace can often be a leading cause of stress, anxiety and depression, with enforced overtime, zero-hours contracts, disgruntled members of the public and difficult colleagues all playing a part in adding to the stress. It isn't easy to create a harmonious team when you have a clash of characters, cultures, beliefs, and personalities. All workplaces bring together very different people who are expected to merge as one and work as a team, but this can sometimes prove to be quite challenging.

In an ideal world everyone would get along and work together towards a common outcome, but this isn't always the case. It is inevitable that at some stage in your career, you will be forced to work with someone you don't like or can't get along with. It is likely that you will have to work alongside someone who doesn't pull their weight or do their fair share, leaving you to pick up the slack. If you are a woman working in a male-dominated environment, or vice versa, then you might feel that you have to work twice as hard to prove that you are worthy they job. Add to this the fact that employment contract are usually skewed in the employers' favor, leaving the employee at a disadvantage, and it's not surprising that workplace stress is one of the leading cause s of sickness and absenteeism.

I know and I can advise what you can do magically to make your working life more enjoyable, including how you can leave a job you hate, gain a promotion, or start a side hustle as a new business venture.

Psychological Enslavement and The Workplace

Psychological enslavement is a term used by psychotherapist when someone's autonomy is being severely compromised. This can happen in any relationship, be it personal or professional. Usually this kind of enslavement takes place over a long-term relationship, or when there is an automatic power imbalance involved. It is not to be confused with the Modern Slavery Act, which is a different thing altogether, although the two things often run in tandem together. Psychological enslavement is a mind game and it is extremely insidious. It can become a negative aspect of any romance, employment or family life.

The main problem is that most people do not recognize when they are being psychologically enslaved. The enslavers themselves might not know what they are doing, or they might deny any wrongdoings. Confront any employer with an accusation of psychological enslavement and they will immediately point out the fact that they are not in breach of the Modern Slavery Act, but psychological enslavement is a completely different thing. Just because your employer isn't breaking the laws on Modern Slavery doesn't mean that they are not psychologically enslaving their employees by facilitating a controlling atmosphere. They may well be doing just that.

Psychological enslavement means that someone has put you into a mental cage. If you feel that you cannot act in any way without first consulting your boss, or that you cannot make plans because your employer expects you to be 'fully flexible and available at short notice', or that you have to check in with your line manager everyday to see if they need you at work - then you have been psychologically enslaved to that relationship.

Furthermore, you are also likely to experience the symptoms of severe stress such as anxiety, high blood pressure, migraines, headaches, nosebleeds, and so on. The longer this continues, the harder it becomes to extract yourself from the situation or change the relationship to a healthier dynamic. An enslaved relationship is a very unhealthy one and it will take its toll on both your mental and physical well-being. The workplace is one of the main arenas of psychological enslavement and this is where you are likely to feel your autonomy is most compromised, right down to how many toilet breaks you are allowed to take!

To be continued to part 2...