In recent weeks I got more and more tasks, and after a relatively calm period, I found myself back in the rat race. Near the return of time constraints and the need for strict planning to be in the right place at the right time, the constant underlying tension, which I hadn't missed, reappeared, too. Naturally, this comes with a buzzing nervous system and disrupted sleep, swiftly transitioning me from a state of relative calm to zombie mode.
Of course, I began to analyse what was happening and what could be done to change it. I quickly realized what the issue was. Over the past twenty years, I've read numerous books, tried various methods, teas, and even crazy stress-relieving rituals, and I roughly know what specifically helps me. While time was available, I regularly engaged in these self-care activities. I took walks in the park, learned to meditate, and even experimented with breathing exercises, which I previously lacked patience for, experiencing different degrees of success. However, when assignments came and time became a luxury, these self-care activities were the first to be pushed aside, and they generally fell by the wayside amidst the daily hustle and bustle.
Even though my mind understands their importance for maintaining health and well-being, and that I can only perform at my best when I am well-rested, I somehow inherited the notion from my family that work always takes priority. The ingrained belief that one must work whenever possible overrides logical considerations. Work somehow always comes first, and I struggle to maintain good habits.
I discussed breaking this cycle on several forums until I got a brilliant idea from Barbara Németh MCC.
The solution is discipline. It's a clever solution because discipline is fundamentally associated with work; it provides the backbone. We commit ourselves to the task at hand and persist until it's resolved, regardless of whether we fail numerous times, because there's a "need to solve it." In leadership roles, this internal expectation becomes even stronger and more indispensable. It's my task, and I'll do everything in my power to accomplish it.
When this kind of discipline is established and functional, it can be applied to other areas, such as paying attention to my breathing for five minutes daily or not forgetting to have lunch. We need to transfer well-being tasks onto the work list and ensure we don't set unrealistic expectations for ourselves. Change is easier in small steps, and here, where we're inherently battling a strong habit; forming a new routine requires strength and commitment.
I've identified three things to start with: listening to a 10-minute meditation before getting up in the morning instead of scrolling through my phone, stopping at least three times a day to take five deep breaths, and not skipping my usual workouts. It may not seem like much to begin with, but discipline is needed every morning to remind myself to open the meditation app instead of social media and to consciously take deep breaths when my phone buzzes.
It's like Sisyphean work, but all in all, it's just another task. Why couldn't it be solved in the same way as any other task?
What would you move from the list of incidental losses to the well-being TASK list?
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