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Thoughts about Working Life…
Nov 14, 2024
WATCH OUT FOR TRAFFIC JAM MOMENTS @ WORK
When it comes to DRAINING OUR ENERGY, traffic jams do a really good job. When we are stuck in a traffic jam, we can get all worked up, paint a detailed picture in our heads of all the dire consequences of arriving late, finding culprits to blame, blaming ourselves for starting off late etc. In addition to being late, we then also feel terrible. AND all that CHANGES ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about the situation.
THAT’S THE TRAFFIC JAM MOMENT.
Sounds familiar? What are your trafffic jam moments at work? What do you feel upset about that you have no direct influence on?
Oct 22, 2024
5 SAD FACTS ABOUT MULTI-TASKING
1) IT’S ONLY A MYTH
Doing two things at the same time seems the perfect solution to our too full To-Do Lists and continuous lack of time. Sadly neuroscience seems pretty clear that there is no such thing as multitasking.
WHAT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING in the brain: Doing a task activates a whole network of neurons. Asking the brain to do another tasks switches on another neural network. But: the two networks cannot be active at the same time. So what happens – when we think we are multi-tasking – is a continuous quick switching between the two neural networks.
Oct 15, 2024
BREATHE… 5 GOOD REASONS to take a few SLOW CONSCIOUS BREATHS…
1) It calms the nervous system. Just prolong the exhale (for example count to 4 during the inhale and to 6 during the exhale).
2) It brings more oxygen to our brain. That helps us to think more clearly.
3) It gets us out of the head for a moment: when our attention follows the path of the breath, we stop thinking and bring the focus into the body. That can feel really good for example in moments of overthinking, negative self-talk or when the thought carousel turns.
4) It gives us the space we need to respond consciously instead of reacting automatically when we got emotionally triggered.
5) It gives us a moment to Zoom out of an emotional situation and allows us to take a more objective view. It might even give us the space to ask ourselves why we are so emotional about this particular situation and what we can learn about ourselves.
Oct 7, 2024
BALANCING OUR PERSONAL ENERGY…
Feeling EXHAUSTED in the evening? Already in the morning? Or at the end of a long work week?
Energy is a scarce resource for every one of us. On some days we have a lot and sometimes we don’t. So the overall amount varies according to how we sleep for example, how we exercise, what we eat and what is going on for us.
In fall with shorter days and less light we might feel that we have overall less energy - a reason more to MANAGE OUR PERSONAL ENERGY ACTIVELY.
Imagine it like your PERSONAL BATTERY. Do you – like me – sometimes pay more attention to your e-bike battery than to your own personal one?
Grenzen setzen
Warum wollen wir Grenzen setzen? Und was bedeutet das überhaupt, eine Grenze zu setzen?
Das deutsche Wort Grenze ist irgendwie negativ belegt. Da zieht man irgendwo eine Grenze, die geht von A nach B und zeigt an, wo Deins aufhört und meins anfängt. Nicht immer ist ganz klar, wo die Grenze verläuft, was genau Deins ist und was meins. Das kann zu Reibungen führen. Dann gibt es Grenzkontrollen. Da schaut man nach, ob jemand die Grenzen respektiert, keine unerlaubten Dinge von Deinem Reich in mein Reich bringt etc. Oder da sagt man mit einer Grenze: bis hierher und nicht weiter. Das hat auch etwas Hartes - so als ob es keinen Raum für Diskussion zulässt.
Eine Grenze ziehe ich zwischen mir und Dir oder zwischen uns und den anderen. Als derjenige, der Grenzen setzt, entscheide ich, wer noch bei mir ist und wer auf der anderen Seite - wer oder was ausgegrenzt ist. Das klingt nach viel Verantwortung oder auch Einsamkeit….
16/07/24
10/06/24
Wind in my sails…
Sailing without wind is no fun. When we have the feeling that we are not moving forward – very often we are probably right. But why? Have you checked if the sail is in the right position to catch the wind?
If you have tried wind-surfing you know exactly what it feels like when the sail is not in the right position – stuck, not moving at all, frustrating. But: A few adjustments and we are moving again…
3/06/24
Tell my why - I don’t like Mondays…
It can feel like such a burden sometimes to leave one world – the world of weekend end leisure - and arrive in the Monday work world. It’s like a short hesitation to get on a fast train again. Once we are on it – it’s fine but just that moment before – Uffgh…
HOLD ON A MOMENT…
Summer is well behind us and we fall back into our routines. But – there is still a long way to go until the next break comes up. Fall can seem like a bit of a struggle: shorter days, less light, often less exercise, less energy, mood swings, while the workload is high/goes up.
Managing our ENERGY is KEY to get well through this period.
We start into our work day like getting on a high speed train that discharges us in the evening fully exhausted.
ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT WAYS TO RECHARGE OUR ENERGY: TAKING BREAKS
A BREAK means actually giving the brain a short rest. Our brain consumes about 20% of our total energy. About half of that energy brain is used for visual processing. That’s why being hooked to a screen all day tires us out…
01/10/24