How Do you Reclaim your Peace at the Office?
We can spend hours in conversation with our friends, moms, sisters, boyfriends, husbands, whoever has a listening ear giving them the pre-text, text, and post-text of “how crazy today was”. We can discuss why Brian couldn’t “just do it himself” or “why is it that I’m being called every time…” and my formerly favorite “I’m not getting paid for this.” We can even reject encouraging words with a simple word, “but” and the famous gossip intro, “Did you hear about…” Whatever attempt to self-soothing you choose, at what point do you take responsibility for your entitlement to peace?
You are absolutely right, “that is not fair” and yes I know, “she didn’t have to use your idea during the pitch.” But we can’t control how others behave. We can’t waste anymore time analyzing what a co-worker was thinking when they made that comment. It’s unproductive, leads to a road of misinterpretation, thus, clogging your mind. A clogged mind is unclear and unfocused.
Define what eliminates your peace.
Think about what actions and reactions stir up your emotions and distract you from being the best you. Write them down. Spend time analyzing these statements and find, if any, a commonality. This can help you learn more about yourself and what you can or can’t handle at the workplace. Thus, finding peace.
Plan your reactions.
People reveal themselves through their actions. And most of the time, their actions are redundant. Earlier last week, I mentioned on IG that I keep a bible verse on the tip of my tongue. I do this to help me deal with the annoying moments in my day. We can plan our reactions to eliminate bitter feelings, address a negative response and walk out of any situation with a peace of mind. Control yourself. You are not a puppet, guided by someone else’s action. You have a mind of your own and you have the freedom to understand that most people’s actions are “NOT ABOUT YOU”. Unfortunately, we are receivers to people’s unhappiness, but on the other hand, don’t accept that. See it for what it is, unhappiness, choose to address it but leave it with that person. Thus, walking away with peace.
Begin to think about your future.
Most of our frustration at work comes from not being happy with what you do or having no vision. Somehow people have embedded this false notion that their current situation is their future situation. If you’re not happy, you need to change it. Take the time to invest in yourself and make the proper adjustments so that you are working towards a career that makes you happy and implement a plan to get there. Or figure out what the vision for your work entails. Thus, owning peace.
Take a break. ALONE!
if you aren’t taking time to eat throughout the day, change this immediately. I spent many years, plunging through lunch as if being overworked is empowering. With all the thoughts and decisions you have to make in a day, its important to eat and include a moment of quiet time. It’s not a luxury and its something you CAN afford. Lunching with friends can clog our minds with work gossip that we were better off just not knowing. You should value time to be with yourself; sorting your thoughts, enjoying your peace, and/or revitalizing for the remaining work day. There is power in being at peace with yourself.
I encourage you to try something different.