Wellness At Work

For the majority of my career, I’ve sat witness to my own anxiety and inner peace bickering over who got to lead the way. Sometimes, I’d go weeks feeling grounded and calm, while other times, anxiety won out. Big time.

Don’t get me wrong … I tried to steer the ship, drive the car, or insert whatever metaphor you want to throw in here. But it wasn’t always easy. So when the going got tough, I’d slip into old habits, surrender my ability to seek out peace, and shoulder whatever emotions were weighing me down.

Needless to say, I got pretty good at working under the veil of stress. So much so that it felt both comfortable and normal.

Sometime during the last year, however, I started questioning this particular way of living and wondered why so many of us hustle our way through adult life. Sure, the western world tells us to work hard so good things will happen. Which, has some validity. But it’s not the ONLY way.

Taking care of ourselves is cool too.
In fact, it’s just as important. If not more so.

So as we settle and adjust to the new year, I wanted to share a few wellness at work type techniques that have given me the strength to lift back my own veil of stress and lean into peace as much as I can. And who knows … maybe you’ll pick up on something that will help you, too. :)

01. CREATE A PLAYLIST: Most of us have a song, or several songs, that when heard, will immediately take us back to a time and place of significance. Keeping this in mind, I started curating a playlist for myself that ONLY includes music I associate with positive emotions.

Now, what you do with your playlist is entirely up to you, whether that means listening while you work, having a spontaneous dance session in your office, or putting earbuds in while you walk around your neighborhood. Since my playlist is more musically driven and quiet, I like to pair it with impromptu yoga sessions to lift my spirits whenever needed.

It’s a go with your gut / do what you need to do type thing.

02. CREATE A SCENE: The second technique I’ve started practicing was discovered during a meditation session, but don’t let that scare you away. At the time, my mind was wandering (as it sometimes does) until I started creating a peaceful scene in my head. A place that made me feel calm.

So now, whenever I feel like too much is going on or work is getting a little crazy, I’ll close my eyes, breathe slowly, and begin building a similar peaceful scene inside my head. This often includes a cozy couch, blankets, pillows, candles, plants, and a beautiful view out of the window. There are no doors and nobody can come inside. Just me and whatever I need in that moment.

Doing something like this is a reminder that there’s always a part of us that’s full of love and light and joy and happiness, no matter what. It may be hard to access at times, but it’s there. And if you close your eyes, breathe, and visually build a scene that makes you feel any semblance of peace, that’s a wonderful start.

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I could go on and on about wellness at work and all of the ways we can bring a little more peace into our everyday, but hopefully the above techniques pique your interest enough to give them (or something similar) a try. And if not, that’s cool too. The choice is always yours. ♡

Please note: This post was originally published in the Rowan Made newsletter on January 11th, 2018. If you like what you see, you can join us (most weeks) right here. There are no opt-in promises or fancy worksheets on the other side. Just me, being honest with you.