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How do you normally react to stress?

Can you be harshly judgemental on yourself at work?

Most people I meet in organisations are incredibly hard on themselves especially when things go wrong or they make a mistake. They tell me that they speak to themselves in a way in which they would never speak to another person.

“What wrong with me? How do I always make a mess? What a disaster I am!”

Harshly judgemental on yourself at work?

What is your typical pattern when you are under pressure?

If you have a tendency towards critical self-talk and harsh judgment, do you find it sabotages you and makes the situation and your day more difficult?

Do you undermine yourself and create a self fulfilling prophesy?

Is there another way? YES

What would it be like if you took a moment to calm yourself and support yourself in those stressful situations. Isn’t that what you would do for a friend in the same situation? For no other reason, except that she/he was in difficulty and felt bad. Would this not be a more intelligent and helpful response?

Useful coping mechanisms when challenged at work…

  1.    Breathe consciously to self calm, pause and take a step back
  2.    Get grounded, move attention to feeling your feet on the ground (like magnets)
  3.    Check in, notice your experience, take responsibility for self
  4.    Notice how you are relating to yourself. Let go of any criticism and see if you can
    –   Soften your body & sooth yourself “Phew, this is hard. How can I help myself now?”
    as you continue to breath with awareness and ground yourself in your body.

Why is there so much anxiety and stress at work?

The truth is that work-life has become increasingly pressured, fast paced with constant distractions.

We are trying to run faster, to ‘get more done’ and have less downtime to just stop and relax. People who are constantly checking phones and social media have been shown to be more prone to stress, sleeping problems and anxiety. 

That’s why Harvard Business Review say:

Mindfulness should no longer be considered a‘nice to have’ for executives.
It’s a ‘must have’: a way to keep our brains healthy, to support self regulation and effective decision making capabilities, and to protect ourselves from toxic stress.

Mindfulness  and Compassion Training teaches participants skills so that people can focus attention and work effectively even when challenged. Because everyone is sometimes. It’s part of being a human being. We all have to deal with difficult emotions and situations. We are all imperfect and will fail sometimes. So, it is vital to have strategies for managing at these times. And, self compassion is the strategy that helps people be more courageous and real. It’s a part of all the training I provide.

Joanne O’Malley, Mindfulness at Work wrote this blog.