Last week I wrote about losing balance. Having that feeling of falling into a swirl out of your control, when you decided for right but are wondering if it isn’t wrong. When you are wondering if it’s not taking too much freedom or joy out of your heart. Have you been there? In the part 1, I gave you tricks to practice Introspection and look at yourself. To restore balance, you must know what to work on. In the part 2, I will give you ideas of things to focus on when facing changes to get better at it.
This article is mainly for work, but you can adapt it for any similar change. Because caring can’t be wrong!
Let’s become better at catching waves smoothly
In the end, becoming good at adapting yourself positively to any change is like becoming good at travelling. It seems impossible but the more you do it, the easier it gets.
- Establish boundaries
This is probably the hardest but surely the most important. You must learn how to disconnect yourself. That means that when you are at work, you are at work and you can think about it, dream about it, make change and take actions. But when you leave the office or are done with your day, you must let go. That doesn’t mean that you can’t make an introspection about your day or share with someone, but you shouldn’t think about it if there is no possible way you can act on anything. You will have time to be creative and find solutions for work on the next day. If you don’t have a choice and need to do extra work at home, determine a specific schedule for it, stick to it, and in between, work on learning to disconnect because it will most definitely help you deal with change. This is not easy, but only trying will get you slowly somewhere and it can only improve. Trust me.
People that are constantly having background noises about work in their head and carrying it to dinner, to sleep and to breakfast are the most likely to be permanently transformed into a corporate Zombie.
You don’t want to be a corporate zombie
For instance, try meditation to have better control over your thoughts. You can also use reminders on your phone, use post-it on your computer or draw on your hand. Just something to remind you to come back to now and get away from work. Anything that will remind you to observe your thoughts and correct them. When you catch your head wondering back to work, always try to redirect yourself on what you are doing. Whether it is taking a bath or having dinner, bring your awareness back to the moment, focus on the feeling, the taste, the shape of the moment or the person you are with. Anything that makes sense to you and help you come back to the actual sound of your life.
If it’s hard for you, just go back to your breathing. In any case, just noticing patterns and invasive thoughts of thinking is good. Be proud and keep trying, you matter the most!
Allow time for your mind to be free
Don’t let work define who you are or how you think
Keep in mind your goals and let them grow
Don’t let someone else’s goals come to your mind when you are off work
- Take care: sleep and eat and do sports
These are always an important matter. But you should be careful about it. When there is a big change such as a new job happening, you should quickly create a new balanced routine around it of things you have control over. It cannot be that everything is out of control, there will always be at least one thing to hold on. You don’t have time to have breakfast? Bring it to work. Find tricks to save time but still eat healthy. Your brain needs it. For example, take a day in the weekend to prepare big quantities of rice and pasta and you will only have to quickly cook sauce and vegetables for it a day ahead. Well if you don’t forget it in the fridge! Think clever about how you can make your life easier every day. Do sports. I won’t explain why because you felt the why already! Admit it, isn’t sport awesome? Haaaa!
Also, don’t forget to sleep. It might be hard to adjust to your new schedule, but you should be strict with your sleep schedule when you have a new routine to make sure your body and mind stays healthy and have energy to deal with all the changes.
Do not snooze. Snooze is evil
It brings you to a sleep state that makes you even more tired and you just lose time to relax before work
Instead of snoozing, put an alarm, sit on your bed and close your eyes for 10 minutes
Keep screens away from you at any hour before sleep and at least 30 minutes after waking up
If it were the last day of your life would you want to have waken up to a Facebook feed? I guess not. Make yourself some tea, stretch your body, eat something sit with some articles and just enjoy the morning light while it lasts.
- Define your goals and the purpose of this change
Why are you doing this? What is the point behind it? Is this just for money or just because it is your field of study? Is this because you care or because you are trying to please someone else? Should it be temporary or should it be permanent? Are you trying to grow within it or to go as soon as another opportunity presents itself?
Make a list of why and a list of how.
Why are you there now and how will it bring you where you want to be? If you are not happy now, you need to know that it is necessary you stay a while if you want to get where you want to be. Because if not, you must change again and soon. Find a possible way to get closer to your goals because they matter the most, not someone else’s. Make sure you are not getting away from your true purpose, even if your purpose is to find one. Really, change can be hard, but you must know why you are doing this. If you can’t find a reason start asking yourself questions. Unless you are fine with it now and willing to wait for the reason to come later, don’t accept to do something you hate just because.
Nothing is lost, everything bring you one step further. You just need to decide which direction you will be taking.
- Make a list of the skills you are improving
If you are doubting there is a reason to what you are doing, remind yourself everything you’ve learned so far or worked on, it should help you to keep up with everything. For instance, in just a week at work I radically improved my speed on the keyboard, learned how to manage stress quickly before it grows and realized that with absolutely no access to distraction I am more efficient than ever and can accomplish way more. I have missed that discipline being a student for so long, but I will bring this with me outside of work for sure! Make sure you are absorbing the good and carry it out of work.
What have you been improving?
- Keep playing
Life is a game. You shouldn’t take it too seriously. Sometimes you get unlucky with the number on the dice and feel like you are losing it. You get frustrated and confuse and hopeless and it’s out of your control, but it is just a game. Does it matter? Not really, it just feels like it does. You will win next round, just don’t give up. Keep trying, keep pushing forward, keep knowing your worth and you won’t lose yourself.
See friends
Talk to strangers
Watch series you love
Eat awesome food
Challenge yourself
Try a new way home
Stay fit
Write down some stuff, anything
Find time where there isn’t
Be crazy
Don’t get caught in the swirl of work. No matter how tired you are or how exhausted you are, there is always a way to see those tiny things and beauties in life and yourself. Open your eyes on the good, because you will always find some.
See who you are, where you are and why you are there and keep moving. You’ll be just fine.
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