Ever wake up on the wrong side of bed knowing that if you continue with the day as is, things may not end well? I bet you have, we all have done it. We cannot just roll over and quit, we must keep moving even when things are not going our way.
Then you walk into work and the chaos hits. You’re fighting fires, customers are blowing up your phone, someone called off and dumped their work on you and since everyone else around you is stressed, making you extra stressed.
This happens to me a couple times a week during our busy seasons. And the “quick walk for fresh air doesn’t work” on those days. What works for me is hitting the gym real quick, I turn some music on and lift. Nothing crazy, I just tune out the work noise around me and try to release some stress on the weights.
If that isn’t an option, then music is my next best escape. Close the door, put the phone on DND, flip your cell phone over and just zone out. Maybe you do full on meditation or watch some funny videos on YouTube for 5 minutes, whatever it is, do it and decompress. We all need to decompress, most of us are wound too tight and it is only a half of turn more on the rubber band before we all snap.
There is a book called The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*** that I have only skimmed, but it may be worth a read to you. One thing I learned long ago is to not stress the petty things. You know those people that are just looking for things to get mad about and I say that is a tough way to live life. No one really has time for it, but some people find satisfaction in it.
For many things, you really just cannot give a F. There are things that matter and those that don’t. Don’t stress yourself out about things that are petty or don’t matter. And when issues arise for the things that matter, take a deep breath and know that you will figure it out.
You need to comprehend what sets you off and why. Start asking yourself why do I feel this way right now? And if you cannot figure out why, then maybe you need to work on feeling that way or stop it all together.
If you know why you feel that way and it’s not a good or valid reason, here is another moment to work on your feelings and reactions to things around you. Are you an over-reactor? Stop!
So now you’re focusing on the things that matter. You can better understand your stresses and manage your behavior and feelings as you go. The hot head never gets anywhere or has anyone follow them. Keep a cool head and others will respect you as a leader.
Look, amidst chaos everyone is going to lose it once in a while, but finding some sense of peace and serenity for a bulk of your day will be imperative to finding any kind of long term happiness.
Originally published at medium.com