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In honor of WTS Philadelphia's 45th anniversary, our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Committee is highlighting 45 female transportation pioneers, leaders and rising stars throughout the year. These 45 women in transportation have made an impact, continue to make us proud, and demonstrate the inextricable link between women and the success of our industry. Join us in celebrating Lindsey, one of the 45 women!

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By: Lindsey Graham Dixon, PMP, CMIT
Director of Chapter Relations for WTS Philadelphia & Senior Office Engineer at HNTB Corporation 

Sometimes it’s ruthless being a professional: threatening deadlines, excessive assignments, disagreeable coworkers, waning motivation, unsupportive management, unrealistic expectations – all this chaos stoking a fire inside that grows until I am beyond irritated, my productivity sucks, I’m an emotional rollercoaster, and I want to burn it all down!! – before completely burning out. That was me in 2017; I didn’t heed my waning mental health flashing warning signs before I succumbed to mental and physical exhaustion. 2017 was a rough year.

The theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day (October 10th, 2024) was “My Mental Health at Work” which inspired me to think about how I fiercely protect my own mental health. Working in construction management often means ambitious deadlines, constantly changing parameters, unpredictable schedules, and difficulty handling conflicts and disputes. I enjoy my job and the industry, yet still I need occasional breaks to protect my sanity. Below are strategies I use to reset my mental health, so I can present my best self while at work.

1. Practice empathy. I don’t know what’s truly going on in everyone’s complex lives, particularly if someone displays condescending or crass behavior towards me – and this certainly can happen at work. I try to extend an empathetic attitude toward my colleagues and remind myself to pause, breathe, and set boundaries so I’m not dragged down by their behavior. I find that leading with empathy also helps me forgive myself when my own behavior is less than optimal. Admittedly this is tough in practice as its often easier to respond to meanness with meanness. Compassion is the goal here.
2. Get outside! Nothing beats sun and fresh air to clear my mind and put me in a better headspace. Afternoon slump? Brisk walk. Overactive mind? Take a lap. Stuck on a problem? Hoof it. A plus side of working in a field trailer is easy outside access when I need it – multiple times a day! Kudos to you if you work near a park like me so you can get in some therapeutic recreation. Rejuvenation of my mental health is almost immediate and I’m ready to face the next task.
3. Move ya body. Although I genuinely set gracious intentions each day, I am a fallible human and sometimes allow anxiety and stress to creep in. This is where I turn to movement to take my stressors out on the dance floor. I dance with BollywoodTech Philly, a competitive Bollywood fusion dance company, where I pour my energy into learning a challenging routine while pushing my body to do hard things. I leave feeling energized and, best of all, at ease. My mood is always lifted when I exert focused physical activity into my day.
4. Find your mantra. I signed up to have a daily mantra sent to my inbox each morning at 8:00 am, about an hour into my workday. If a day starts out stressful, the email is an interrupter to that stress, allowing me to take a minute to breathe and read. Little did I know that these morning mini mantra breaks are a part of mindfulness practice which aids in self-compassion and improves my relationships with colleagues. I’ll share with you my latest mantra: “I am open to solutions, new possibilities and things working out better than I imagine”. Yes, absolutely.
5. Talk it out. I am grateful to have support from my husband, family and friends, colleagues and coworkers, and my boss. I’m never short of a listening ear when I need to talk about work. There are times however when life’s varied challenges overwhelm (work included), and I need additional tools to learn how to cope. Enter therapy. Even after my 2017 burnout it took years to admit to myself that speaking to a professional would do wonders for my mental health – and even now I’m struggling with this vulnerability I’ve created by disclosing that I “do therapy”. Therapy should be normalized in society already. With a professional, I work through my own feelings to understand how my actions and emotions affect others. It is through therapy I have developed the above strategies that protect my mental health, avoid burnout, and make me a better communicator and collaborator.

These strategies, while not the most earth-shattering, are what works for me, and I face my workday knowing that I have tools at the ready to safeguard my mental health. I encourage readers to take a moment to identify your own strategies for managing mental health at work and put them into action. Take care of yourself out there.

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Lindsey Graham Dixon works as a Senior Office Engineer at HNTB Corporation and is the Director of Chapter Relations for WTS Philadelphia Chapter. You can find her dancing with BollywoodTech Philly, as a Big Sister spending quality time with her Little Sister or catching an international flight with her husband.