Have you ever stopped to think — when did your regular work pressure become a source of tension and eventually became a full-blown stress for you? Do you try hard balancing that tightrope walk between performance and pressures everyday? You are aware what it is doing to your life, but too busy to address it? Or do you think it’s quite late already, and too late to change? Has it become you and part of you now? Challenges are your friends, because they keep you agile and creative but the big question arises — is it really possible to do all your work with a Buddha mind?
What if I tell you it is truly possible! You can indeed achieve your life and career goals by being stress-free.
Do a quick check of your health balance:
Physically, imbalances manifest themselves as headaches, disturbed sleep cycle, neck and back pains, stomach disorder, pounding heart, restless bodies. Moodiness, frequent crying, fears of isolation, are some emotional signs of imbalance. A disturbed state of mind shows itself in the form of low self esteem, constant worries, problem focusing. Behaviorally, imbalances are reflected if you snap at others, substance abuse or possibly are accident prone. Jealousy, resentment, anger, despair, racist thoughts, are all indicators that your spiritual balance needs restoration. You can assess your own overall health.
Invest time in yourself, by reading the changes below, and build them into your lives gradually:
Ancient philosophies, martial arts coaches, or spiritual masters, encourage one universal trait in every individual. That quality is the art of ‘riding one’s own senses’. Strike a chord in your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health, and you will see better results in everything you will do. You are a role model, a friend, a coworker, a partner, a parent, a neighbor, a citizen — all these roles may seem demanding, but they are all important. Approach your priorities with a balance of time and attention to your work, family and personality, because each affects the other. Constantly excuses for evading responsibility in any one sphere on account of the other, is really just an excuse. You have the power to change, if you need to see a change in your life.
1. Good diet: Watch your plate and moods to ensure that your diet energizes you instead of making you sluggish or irritable. You are the owner of your own unique body, and your close observation of its metabolism and understanding its impact on you, holds the key to your productivity. It’s hard to give up addictions like smoking, drugs, or even excessive alcohol, but it is a choice you have to make to enjoy a healthy life.
2. Healthy body: A restful sleep is very important. That coupled with an exercise regime like running, a combination of ‘asanas’ and breathing exercises in yoga or a brisk nature walk of 30 minutes, where you are able to intake oxygen and energize with the sunlight works wonders. Consumption of water keeps you hydrated, and do keep a check on frequency of your tea and coffee.
3. Screen out time: Look away from the screen every 30 minutes walk over to the window to intake the greenery, or the sky. If this sounds tough, place a small, beautiful rock or a plant, at your work desk, and observe it for a few minutes.
5. Letting Go: People who have a compulsive need to be in control of situations or being perfectionist often bear unnecessary stress. Getting worked up about people or decisions or situations which are beyond your control is needless. Focus on giving your best to a situation, and let go of worries over circumstances that are outside your circle of control. Plan for future, but stay in the present moment.
6. Tickle your brain: Sharpen your brain responses by reading books, solving crosswords, sudoku, playing chess or strategy games, playing a musical instrument, and so on. Besides being good hobbies, they enable you to think quickly and creatively to complex work problems.
7. Inner-spirit: Unique to each individual, you have to determine which activity helps you unwind and calm your mind. Activities like singing, listening to calm music, painting, reading, nature walk, petting your dog, praying, practicing meditation, are some of the examples. As you grow older, you will realize that these become your support mechanism which you can count on in helping you cope through any phase of life. While life’s struggles are almost guaranteed, your connection with your inner spirit shall make the journey easier.
8. Make Time: Allocate reasonable time to each work activity avoiding over commitment. Rushing to do things at the last minute might lead to shoddy results which will only add to further stress. Take short breaks to relax and recharge and have back-up plans ready. In times of finishing multiple tasks within tight deadlines, it is wise to categorize activities in terms of urgent and important which is a simple method to determine what should be your priority at that time. Write down your tasks and break them down into simpler sub-tasks, and enjoy the process of checking it off as you go along. Remember to pat your back each time. Enjoy small accomplishments and reward yourself with a smile.
8. Human touch: Connecting, bonding and talking out your repressed emotions and feelings within your ‘circle of trust’ can be big stress-busters. Being by yourself and enjoying solitude is fine, but feeling lonely and dejected can take you down the whirlpool. Indulging in group sports like cricket or football, learning to dance, rendering social-service are a few examples which can allow the positive effects of group dynamics to work on you. You will be surprised how little changes outside of work will lead to better collaborations and connections at work.
9. Funny side-up: Whichever situation or whatever the reason, retain your ability to laugh and enjoy good humor. Keeping a positive and an upbeat approach would enable you to attract positive vibes and attitude, helping you cope with challenges and situations at work better. Many times, overthinking leads to imagining a situation to be more serious than it really is. Humor helps to gain better perspective of a situation and diffuses the stress out of it.
10. Little joys: Life is not just about chasing big dreams — sometimes it’s just about finding happiness in little moments. It could be sharing a cup of coffee with a colleague, sending a note of thanks to an associate, receiving a nice email with a good message or simply enjoying a beautiful day. Thank those little interruptions your children make by popping into your office Zoom screen — you’ll be surprised how similar people’s feelings and struggles are everywhere. For a few days, set aside reading those news of gloom and doom, and if you have to, then put it off until later in the day and make sure that the last piece of news that you read, leaves you feeling optimistic and hopeful.
11. Forgive: We are all work in progress, so are projects, and organizations. Mistakes can be either stumbling blocks, or stepping stone, it all depends on your view of a situation. Forgive people and forgive yourself for making mistakes. Biggest mistakes have become history’s bestsellers. Focus on giving your best, plan for shortfalls, but make space for learning and room for improvements. It is important that you lead or contribute to a team that values compassion and empathy.
12. Gratitude: Before you sleep, ask yourself what is that one thing in that day that you feel deeply grateful for. It can be as simple as your good health or as big as being thankful for the big promotion you just received. Try making this a practice in yourself and ask your loved ones what are they grateful for. Positive gestures and thinking are building blocks of a peaceful life.
13. Seek support: If you feel that you are caught in a seemingly endless cycle of disappointment and unable to break away after sincere attempts, don’t hesitate to meet a professional counselor or a physician before it turns into a chronic health condition. While your organization cares about its employees, and you care about your career, your productivity and presence with your loved ones, depends on your health. It is worth every bit of your thought and care to keep it in balance.
The Bigger Picture:
Nitpicking on trivial issues and irrelevant matters simply defocuses you from the bigger picture of accomplishing your life’s goals. It leaves you with just about enough time to deal with the needless clutter filling up your mind. Take time to rewind, rethink and rewrite the rules of your life differently and approach your work life with a Buddha mind.
About the Author:
Rhiya is a published Content and Copywriter, and loves writing in both English and Hindi. She often writes on topics of human resource, relationships, book reviews, spirituality, food, socio-cultural environment and nature. Professionally, she has been a recruitment consultant and career coach to middle and senior professionals, and went on to add working with special education students. She has also been a Public Library Story Reader and loves to engage her young readers in puppets and music as she is a trained singer of Indian Classical Music. Being a strong advocate of diversity in all its forms, she has found herself in leadership positions at Rotaract (Rotary International) for her dedication to social causes and community service. Her academic qualification includes a Post Masters certificate in International Business from IIM Calcutta, Masters in Business Administration, and Bachelor in Commerce (Honors).
