Office emotions

18 February 2013 - 02:26 By Shrink Rap
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It takes planning to avoid personal stresses distracting one
It takes planning to avoid personal stresses distracting one

When i have trouble in my personal life, I find it hard to leave my issues at home and concentrate on work

SHRINK RAP

IT IS important to remember that you are the landlord of your inner life. You have the power to decide who and what gets time, space and attention.

It is a discipline to manage your inner world in ways that serve and prevent you from becoming enslaved to worry . An advantage of a separate home and work life is that when one is causing you stress, you have an escape and haven in the other context.

When you allow your home issues into work and vice versa, you have no escape, no sanctuary where you can feel good or even just get respite.

Bringing your personal life to work, albeit hidden away in the privacy of your thoughts, is actually a form of theft from your employer, who pays you to give your full attention and best resources to your job. Half-baked attention is withholding resources you have promised to give in exchange for money.

It takes planning to avoid personal stresses intruding on other contexts. For example, it is a bad idea to plan a break-up before exams or when you have an important deadline looming. If you take time to work out your plans on paper and commit your worries to a journal, you will find you feel less compelled to try to hold onto the thoughts all the time because they are filed away in your notes.

Confiding in someone and getting concerns and troubles off your mind by sharing them is an age-old tried and tested way of relieving stress. Have one person whom you can phone at lunch or tea time for a chat as this also eases the pressure. - Leonard Carr

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