If there is one thing the pandemic has taught me, it has taught me work is not sum total of my being. Work is something I do but I still need to be a person. I am more than my 8 hour work shift. But I can still be me even in my workday.
I have made boundaries to keep my mental sanity at work. I work in a field with intense deadlines and stress ( but isn’t that every job…). I also don’t work from home. It’s a lot that can be thrown at you. So keeping a level head is the game plan.
This is my list as a reference. I encourage you to try and cultivate healthy, sane moments in your workday. So here is my list:
- Get UP and OUT of your work space. I try after 45 minutes to an hour after working diligently to get up…whether to go to the bathroom, the break room, or get a snack. I sit for my job so it is good to work out the muscles.
- Honor your lunch break. The work is not going anywhere. My job (and most jobs) take that hour anyways. Thankfully, my office building has a guest area where I eat. It’s a change of scenery. I listen to a podcast or music or call my mom. I get a breather. It’s a time for me to recharge and that’s ok.
- Tea time. The mid-day slowdown is real. I make my tea (I buy it so it is mine alone) and I make it at 3 or before then to enjoy. It soothes me and also helps me to keep working. I get off work at 6PM so I will need a jump.
- Affirmations I Mediate On– The caring, type-A empath wants everything to be perfect but reality does not work that way. Sometimes I mess up or I do not finish all that I need to in a particular day. I am really hard on myself. Affirmations fight the negative. So what I say is: Bianca, you are one person. You can only do so much in 8 hours. You are human. You are learning.
- Working Music-Depending on the assignment I am working on, I listen to music to focus, to calm my spirits, and to add a little “fun” in my work.
- Talk to God– God is only a call away. My anxiety gets the best of me. In a high stress environment, it is easy to fall in despair. But, when I call on God, He helps me manage the day. Whether it’s a meeting I have, working on a case, or a client meeting, God will calm me or make the situation better/manageable. God gave me this job so it’s ok to talk about my job with him.
That’s my game plan. It has helped. It keeps my workday manageable though it is not easy. A job is a part of your life but not the sum of your being unless you make it that way. You can use my list and come up with little, sane moments of joy during your workday and workweek.
Blissfully,
Bianca
Blissfully Bianca 