Worrying is a waste of time. When I was younger, my father was adamant that I should not worry about things that I could not change. He was right, but telling this to someone with anxiety is like telling an upset person to calm down, you may as well ask the tide to stop turning. I would later learn, that his father had suffered severely from mental health issues after returning from the war, and growing up watching that taught him to believe worrying unnecessarily is bad. Needless to say, he did not want his children growing up with the same condition. Having experienced anxiety as an adult, it was undiagnosed for a long time before I realised what it was (I used to call it an impending sense of doom, like I was a clairvoyant or something), I now have a greater understanding of what drives this worrying, and it in most cases is not rational. For me, it comes from overthinking, a feeling of overwhelm and not paying enough attention to calming my mind. My observation from workplaces is that anxiety is increased by overwhelm and the requirement to multitask. The YouTube video by Jim Kwik explains the mental load that multitasking creates exceptionally well, he offers some good tips to reduce your overwhelm from digital overload. Listening to Jim, it makes perfect sense why we are overwhelmed and worried about all the things that we must do. A few tips to stop worrying and get sh!te done:
Break it Down: Tackle one task at a time.
Focus: Allow each task the focus that it deserves to get it completed in a timely manner.
Write a List: But don’t let that list become a reason to exacerbate the overwhelm.
Acknowledge What is Really Urgent: Prioritise and let go of that which you can’t control.
Delegate: Some of the things on your list are likely not your responsibility.
The most important thing that overarches all the above is having a clear mind, and the best way that we can get this is through meditation. It can be a quick 2-minute breathing exercise, an app for calming the mind, a yoga practise, a 5-minute silent walk, a 10-minute still-minded meditation, whatever you are comfortable with and able to do when you feel the worries start to set in. I have learnt that practicing breathwork helps fall into the meditative state and that is why I have created the brethwork to balance course. When we can harness the energy that we spend worrying about something that may never happen and release it into focusing on one task, we are more productive. What many people do not realise is that anxiety in the workplace is not just a mental health issue, it is also a productivity issue. There are many high performers who are suffering from anxiety - the ability to find stillness and focus is a superpower they all have the potential to achieve.
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