Work. work! More work! Extra piles of work! And, the work never gets done. Stress. STRESS! Increased amounts of STRESS! And the agony continues. . .Sigh! Does it ever end? The answer: Yes, it can end.
Remembering those moments of sitting in anguish, knowing that there is so much to do. Getting caught up in the emotions and intensity of having to complete so much work. Not knowing where to start, and then, allowing your stresses to heighten evermore. Mainly because. . .that’s right. You don’t know where to start. So, because you are too busy being frantic, draining your energy from worry, you end up getting nothing done at the end of the day. That’s right! Zip! Nada! And you are left wondering. . .how are you ever going to get through the stresses of handling that pile work.
As opposed to wondering, or worrying about how stressed you are, sometimes the best thing to do is just to. . .get stressed! That’s right! Allow yourself to feel how stressed you are, in all of the discomfort it has to offer. Once that is over, you can start the gradual work of working, during the stressed process. Personal experiences have shown me that part of getting through the stress is to work in it. Work through the stress, and see the actual work, as a release of it. Sounds ironic, doesn’t it? Yet, there is some truth to it all. Work is energy, is it not? Many times we become stressed, when we feel as if we are not moving or directing ourselves in that energy. It’s the stagnant phase, which makes us more stressed. The stillness of sitting in stress is what makes it worse. Gradual work is what transforms the period from more emotional chaos to moving into a period of calm.
Starting with the smallest task always comes in handy. It means that we can begin the process of moving within that stressful period. Even more, it is part of our ability to use the pressure of work, to release the toxins of stress from our emotional and mental psyche. It is through the work, that we are no longer burdened by stress. Meditation helps. Movement helps. And, so does. . .the work. So, start with the work. . .little by little. Task by task. Some people have their own strategy of dealing with the work, and taking it to task. For those multi-taskers, it is best to have different files open, simultaneously working on each assignment. Adding energy to each assignment, until they are completed in a group. One of the beauties of working in that way, is that it teaches you the art of. . .pacing yourself. Flowing with the natural way of time, while keeping measure to it.
Then, there is the linear model. Such is the frame of beginning with the smallest task and ending with the largest. Either way, you are still moving, and involved in the direction of the work. Would it be too farfetched to say that one of the factors of stress is when we feel powerless (having no control) in moving through the work? Thereby, allowing the stress to grow and fester. Leading us to. . . distress. The inability to move in toxic energy does not reap the sanity we seek, when completing work, that is not always. . .fun. Nevertheless, acknowledging that we are stressed, while moving in it, allows the work, to get done.
College years (especially in the sciences) were often met with challenges of being in distress, due to not having the tools of moving through, in, and around it. I was stuck in it. With age, comes experience. At least, for many people. While moving through the professional world, work completion gets easier once we are aware, that we have the power to move through our stressful environments. It is another atmosphere to navigate pressure, matched with time. Taking breaks of meditation and brief exercise can assist through this journey. Finally, there is also the task of understanding that incomplete work can get done. It’s part of that journey in doing so. One of the beauties of doing so, is understanding that you have the power to just move with the flow.
Whether its the different strategies or plans of completing office (and school work), or being motivated to simply handle the tasks as they come, it’s part of the journey of finding one’s own personal brand of working. Working in the natural way. Working in the healthy way. And, most importantly, working in a way that is suitable for one’s own personal enjoyment of. . .working with the flow.
