Work,
Work,
Work,
Work,
Work,
Work.
Sometimes things are fine,
Sometimes things are going really well,
And sometimes us humans being as we are.
People are deeply,
Deeply unhelpful,
Deeply challenging,
Deeply irritating,
And feelings arise in us that make us want to slam our laptops shut if we're working remotely,
That make us want to get up and walk out of the room and not come back if we're working with people who are challenging in person,
That make us open our phones and start searching for jobs,
Other jobs,
Any other job,
Holidays,
Courses that allow us to retrain as a tree surgeon,
Anything to get us out of this situation.
And the fact is,
Work isn't also known as a daily grind for no reason,
But economic realities are economic realities,
And for most of us,
Some kind of paid employment is necessary,
And therefore sticking at it through the highs,
The lows,
And the mediocre is also necessary,
But things can get really challenging,
And dealing with difficult people at work can be really very,
Very stressful in a way that eats away at us inside,
And frankly,
There's only one of you,
And work just isn't worth it,
So sometimes we have to remind ourselves,
We have to take 5,
10,
15 minutes out to remind ourselves that we work to live,
We don't live to work,
That it really isn't worth it,
And that actually,
In terms of the hierarchy of stressors,
Work really needs to be at the bottom of the list,
Because if we allow the stressors and strains of work to build up over time,
We will get ill,
We'll become unwell,
And if anything happens to us,
They'll hire someone else,
We're not invaluable,
We're not indispensable,
We're not even necessarily loved in the way that we are by our loved ones,
So we have to maintain a sense of perspective,
But we also have to remain productive and functional,
And part of the team,
And the organisation,
The institution,
So there's lots of things to balance,
But I suppose where I'm going with this is that sometimes it just feels awful,
And we just get so cross,
And feel so compromised,
And you know,
Have to resist every urge,
Every sinew in our body wants to walk away,
And just tell people where to go,
But we can't,
And there's an internal conflict that arises there,
So I thought what we might do today is just practice sitting with that,
And just take some time to connect with ourselves,
And sit with the reality as it is,
Reframing things slightly,
Because the goal is for us to be healthy,
For us to thrive,
For us to take good care of ourselves,
And not get too caught up in the inevitable office politics,
Dramas,
Tricky characters,
And unacceptable behaviour that we all experience in the workplace from time to time,
Some of us more than others.
Find somewhere private,
Wherever you are,
So if you're at work,
That might be the broom cupboard,
The stationary cupboard,
The bathrooms,
The car park outside,
If you're at home,
You're working remotely,
Then maybe just putting your laptop on mute,
Or closing it for a few minutes just to allow yourself the time and space to step away mentally,
Step away physically,
Step away emotionally,
And just feel the weight of the body against the surface you're resting on,
You are here in this moment,
You're alive,
And what a wild ride this is,
You're breathing,
Just notice your breath,
And we're going to take one or two minutes now,
To sit in no set agenda,
Accepting things as they are in this moment,
Noticing how you feel and accepting it,
Just sitting,
Taking a break,
I'll remind you now of a couple of things that i often need to remind myself,
There is only one of you,
You're precious,
And you're much more precious to your loved ones than you are to your workplace,
So please keep things in perspective,
At this moment in time it's likely that you have to work,
And it's highly likely that walking away isn't an immediate option,
So please take regular time out,
Take the breaks you're entitled to,
Book the holiday you're entitled to,
If there's any additional leave or time off you're entitled to,
Take it,
Take it regularly,
So that you have regular opportunities to step away from the workplace,
Away from the dynamics,
Away from the politics,
And live your real life,
Be your true authentic free self,
To take the breaks,
Another thing that's really important is prioritizing your health,
Eating your lunch while working at your desk is unhealthy,
Step away even if it's just for 10 minutes,
And eat,
Make sure you're drinking your water,
Don't rely on coffee and sugar,
Exercise,
Keep the blood flowing,
Keep your muscles working,
So if you're able to exercise before work,
Wonderful,
If not make sure that a section of your lunch break is active,
So you go for a walk,
Do some stretches,
Move,
All of these things will help you to manage the stress which is inevitable from time to time at work,
Now with particular individuals who may at times be uncooperative,
Who may at times be unproductive,
Who may at times not collaborate with you or support you in your work in the way that's necessary,
You need to have a perspective and a sense of humor,
They're only human just like you are,
They have their own stresses,
Their lives,
Other things going on,
We have no idea why they're acting the way that they are,
We only know the impact that other people's behavior has on us,
So it is worth maintaining a sense of perspective,
They're not your friends,
Your family,
Your loved ones,
So to a certain extent let it go,
Breathe,
Let it go,
Breathe,
Let it go,
If there's something serious and you need to raise it in a professional manner,
Then obviously raise it,
But otherwise breathe,
Let it go,
Now overall remember that there's only one of you,
Overall remember that there's only one of you,
You're precious,
You're deeply,
Deeply,
Deeply loved and work is not your life,
I hope that was helpful,
Thank you so much for practicing with me today
