I was writing a report for a meeting and I got caught up in wanting to finish it faster than was possible. This created an internal struggle because I knew that I should be flowing with my work. When the thoughts and actions come naturally and I don’t try to push forward or pull back, my job is so easy and fun. It flows so smoothly that it doesn’t even feel like work.

Trying to rewrite this one paragraph was really getting under my skin. Irritation set in and I was clenching my jaw. Working when you’re angry is hard, especially when you’re mad at the work. I may as well have been randomly stabbing at the keys because nothing was getting accomplished.

I took a much-needed break by fixing myself a cup of herbal tea. As I dipped the tea bag in and out of the hot water; it made me deal with the frustrated feelings. I was shocked at my reaction to rewriting a tough paragraph. I can normally flow pretty well, but lately I seem to expect too much of my thoughts and my ability to write them clearly. As a result, I’ve found myself rushing through my work at times, rather than truly focusing on the details of the task.

I thought I’d kicked this bad habit, but I had let my guard down and found myself writing to finish instead of enjoying the process. It’s a part of the old me that doesn’t want to die. I had to corral my thoughts back to the present so I could write without obstacles. I needed to rediscover the ability to relax with my thoughts instead of rushing them along.

Awareness is imperative to staying relaxed. By being aware I was able to release my desire to get home and stop my thoughts from agitating me any further. I did this by bringing my awareness to my breath, relaxed my shoulders and sipped my tea.

When I finished, I sat back down and finished the paragraph in fifteen minutes. The report was complete and only needed one more pair of eyes to catch any grammatical errors. The hard work was done and I felt that I was able to “Flow with My Work” once again.

Sometimes I get sucked into my expectations, but when I recognize my emotions pulling me toward anger or exacerbation, I wait patiently for my brain to come back around. The warm cup of tea really helped me to slow down and gave my mind a chance to settle.

When the brain grows attached to what it wants to happen instead of dealing with what is happening, we recognize this and release these feelings so we can get back to the “Flow of the Work.”

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This entry was posted on Thursday, February 8th, 2007 at 7:55 pm and is filed under Stress Management, enjoy everything.