It’s difficult to have to work in an environment that often stresses us out and drains us of our energy. Most of us probably spend between 30-50 hours a week dedicated to our job or career. It makes up a huge part of our lives. Yet we seem to accept the mantra that “work sucks,” so instead of trying to adjust our work environment and make it more pleasant, we learn to grin and bear it.
I object to this perspective.
I think a healthy workplace depends on our ability to feel more in control. And while some jobs don’t permit us with a lot of freedoms, there are always a few key things we can do to make our work environment more bearable and less stressful.
So let’s get straight to some of the things you can do.
Ease tension with coworkers and bosses.
Relationships can make or break a work environment. When people don’t get along and don’t know how to communicate effectively, there is a lingering tension in the office that can ruin everyone’s day.
We dread walking into the office, not because we don’t like what we do, but because we have to deal with an assortment of jerk-offs, bullies, whiners, and other vampires who suck up any positive energy in the room. Every office has them.
So what can we do? First, you have to learn how to let a lot of this negative energy just roll off your shoulders. The more you respond to negative energy in a negative way, the more you are contributing to the problem. Trying to reframe some of the negative aspects of work in a humorous or joyful way is often very effective for breaking the cycle of negativity in your work environment.
When someone makes a sly remark to you, just nod your head and smile. When someone gives you an order in a condescending tone, just imagine that person with a baby face talking in a really high-pitched voice. When someone starts a heated argument with you, know how to defuse it as soon as possible (whether that means cracking a joke or politely walking out of the room).
No, you won’t get along with everyone, but there will always be some people who you hit it off with better than others. Build solid relationships with these people. Get to know them better. Have lunch with them. Share interesting stories. Vent about work to each other. Having a work buddy (or two, or three) can really help you get through those tough days.
Also, if you have a bad past with some coworkers, try to fix them. You can try to patch things up with them, apologize for your mistakes, and start again on the right foot. Or – if they are truly that unbearable – try to deal with them on strictly business terms and minimize any excess interaction.
If you can, consider avoiding some vampires entirely. Some people you just can’t get along with no matter how hard you try. It’s very likely your work environment has one or two of these people. Recognize those boundaries. Sure, it’s not the ideal situation to be in, but it’s better than feeding into a destructive relationship and making it grow worse. If avoiding these people means moving to another office or part of the company, consider bringing up your concerns to management.
Make your office come alive.
Despite spending most of our work hours cramped in our office, we often spend very little time keeping it fresh and stimulating. The truth is that our surroundings, even when not consciously noticed, can have a huge effect on our mood and well-being. For example, studies have shown that the presence of plants in the workplace help boost people’s moods and increase cognitive functioning.
Another study has shown that when workers have more control over the design of their workplace, this improves their happiness, productivity, and even health.
Often when working for large companies we can lose a sense of our personal identity. Your office is usually the one place you are allowed to express yourself. Create a work environment that works for you. Something that reflects some of your own values and interests. And something that motivates and inspires you.
If this means changing your office around every few months or so – do it. Keep things interesting. Make your work environment stimulating (but not too distracting).
Have healthy snacks around.
A lot of people get so focused on their work that they sometimes forget to eat. Or they have so much to get done, that they have to skip lunch to make sure they meet their deadline.
I’m a strong believer that we need to stay healthy and nourished if we want to be effective at our jobs. Ignoring our bodies, and focusing all our energy on our work, is going to drain you and hurt your work ethic.
No matter what kind of work you do, your body and brain need fuel to do it. This means drinking water and having healthy snacks between meals to keep your body replenished. The less you take care of your body, the more it’s going to affect your work.
A fatigued body and mind can’t possibly work to it’s fullest potential, so keep yourself hydrated and nourished as often as possible.
This rule is actually pretty simple and easy to follow. Re-stock your office with healthy snacks every Monday: grapes, nuts, water, cheese and crackers, tuna, eggs, etc. If you have the choice, I recommend storing this stuff in a personal office vs. the company kitchen. This just makes it easier to access food when you are in the middle of work (and it prevents other coworkers from taking your stuff).
Identify the purpose of what you do.
I don’t expect everyone to romanticize the importance of their job. It’s true that not everyone has a career that really resonates with them deep-down. I respect that. But I also think most jobs serve an important function in our society. And when you recognize that you are an important part of what keeps society going, you sometimes find a new sense of purpose and pride about the things you do.
Ever seen the documentary The Philosopher Kings? It’s an interesting portrayal of some custodial workers at major universities (Duke, Princeton, U.C. Berkely, etc.) who are really passionate about their job. Now normally a custodial worker may not be a very revered job, but these workers clearly had a fire in their souls for what they did. They cared about where they worked and how it looked, and they recognized the importance of their job.
We could all learn something from these custodians. No matter what type of work you do, it plays an important role in our society. Sometimes you just need to look at the “bigger picture” of your actions, and how it fits into the grand scheme of things.
Question:
- What are some things you do to create a less stressful work environment?
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1
“The moment you think you understand a great work of art, it’s dead for you.”
- Oscar Wilde [Tweet]
2
“The least of things with a meaning is worth more in life than the greatest of things without it.”
- Carl Jung [Tweet]
3
“Meanings are not determined by situations, but we determine ourselves by the meanings we give to situations.”
- Alfred Adler [Tweet]
4
“Silence is better than unmeaning words.”
- Pythagoras [Tweet]
5
“Our obligation is to give meaning to life and in doing so to overcome the passive, indifferent life”
- Eli Wiesel [Tweet]
6
“You see, it’s never the environment; it’s never the events of our lives, but the meaning we attach to the events – how we interpret them – that shapes who we are today and who we’ll become tomorrow.”
- Tony Robbins
7
“Reason is the natural order of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning.”
- C.S. Lewis [Tweet]
8
“To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.”
- Friedrich Nietzsche [Tweet]
9
“Man – a being in search of meaning.”
- Plato [Tweet]
10
“Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness. It is far better take things as they come along with patience and equanimity.”
-Carl Jung
11
“There are many truths of which the full meaning cannot be realized until personal experience has brought it home.”
- John Stuart Mill [Tweet]
12
“When a finger points to the moon, the imbecile looks at the finger.”
- Chinese Proverb [Tweet]
13
“There is more to life than increasing its speed.”
- Gandhi [Tweet]
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“One can choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.”
- Viktor Frankl [Tweet]
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“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.”
- Confucius [Tweet]
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“Your imagination is your preview to life’s coming attractions.”
- Albert Einstein [Tweet]
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“There has been much tragedy in my life; at least half of it actually happened.”
-Mark Twain [Tweet]
18
“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
- Albert Einstein [Tweet]
19
“The purpose of life is a life of purpose.”
- Robert Byrne [Tweet]
20
“The purpose of our lives is to be happy.”
- Dalai Lama [Tweet
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"I learned at least this by my experiments. That if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."
- Henry David Thoreau
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"The very meaninglessness of life forces man to create his own meaning. If it can be written or thought, it can be filmed."
- Stanley Kubrick [Tweet]
23
“Religion is something which stands beyond, behind, and within the passing flux of immediate things; something which is real, and yet waiting to be realized; something which is a remote possibility, and yet the greatest of present facts; something that gives meaning to all that passes, and yet eludes apprehension; something whose possession is the final good, and yet is beyond all reach; something which is the ultimate ideal, and the hopeless quest.”
- Alfred North Whitehead
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“Success demands singleness of purpose.”
- Vince Lomardi [Tweet]
25
“To forget one’s purpose is the commonest form of stupidity.”
- Friedrich Nietzsche [Tweet]
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“There is one quality which one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it.”
- Napoleon Hill
27
“Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.”
- Helen Keller
28
“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.”
- Pablo Picasso [Tweet]
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“The purpose of morality is to teach you, not to suffer and die, but to enjoy yourself and live.”
- Ayn Rand [Tweet]
30
“All successful people men and women are big dreamers. They imagine what their future could be, ideal in every respect, and then they work every day toward their distant vision, that goal or purpose.”
- Brian Tracy
31
“The universe may have a purpose, but nothing we know suggests that, if so, this purpose has any similarity to ours.”
- Bertrand Russel [Tweet]
32
“Being is. Being is in-itself. Being is what it is.”
- Jean-Paul Sartre [Tweet]
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“A purpose, an intention, a design, strikes everywhere even the careless, the most stupid thinker.”
- David Hume [Tweet]
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“The highest purpose is to have no purpose at all. This puts one in accord with nature, in her manner of operation.”
- John Cage [Tweet]
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“Occasionally in life there are those moments of unutterable fulfillment which cannot be completely explained by those symbols called words. Their meanings can only be articulated by the inaudible language of the heart.”
- Martin Luther King Jr.
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“Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can.”
- Danny Kaye [Tweet]
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“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”
- Anne Frank [Tweet]
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“Carpe diem! Rejoice while you are alive; enjoy the day; live life to the fullest; make the most of what you have. It is later than you think.”
- Horace
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“Life is the art of drawing without an eraser.”
- John W. Gardner [Tweet]
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“Words, he decided, were inadequate at best, impossible at worst. They meant too many things. Or they meant nothing at all.”
- Patricia A. McKillip [Tweet]
41
“The stars we are given. The constellations we make. That is to say, stars exist in the cosmos, but constellations are the imaginary lines we draw between them, the readings we give the sky, the stories we tell.”
- Rebecca Solnit
42
“If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be without meaning.”
- C.S. Lewis
43
“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
- Howard Thurman
44
“When we are dealing with human beings, no truth has reality by itself; it is always dependent upon the reality of the immediate relationship.”
- Rollo May
45
“If we possess a why of life we can put up with almost any how.”
- Friedrich Nietzsche [Tweet]
46
“Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted.”
- Albert Einstein [Tweet]
47
“The meaning of life consists in the fact that it makes no sense to say that life has no meaning.”
- Neils Bohr [Tweet]
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“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”
- Henry David Thoreau. [Tweet]
49
“Good design is making something intelligible and memorable. Great design is making something memorable and meaningful.”
- Dieter Rams [Tweet]
50
“I became aware that all sounds can make meaningful language.”
- Karlheinz Stockhausen [Tweet]
51
“Old friends pass away, new friends appear. It is just like the days. An old day passes, a new day arrives. The important thing is to make it meaningful: a meaningful friend – or a meaningful day.”
- Dalai Lama
52
“On a cosmic scale, our life is insignificant, yet this brief period when we appear in the world is the time in which all meaningful questions arise.”
- Paul Ricoeur
53
“Meaning lies as much
in the mind of the reader
as in the Haiku.”
-Douglas Hofstadter [Tweet]
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“Human action is purposeful behavior.”
- Ludwig von Mises [Tweet]
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“Ever more people today have the means to live, but no meaning to live for.”
- Viktor Frankl [Tweet]
How does our spiritual identity affect our actions and how we shape our world?
Modus Operandi
When I think of the “spirit” of something I think of its modus operandi; what is its “method of operating?” What makes it function? What drives it to work?
When I think of the spirit of a human being, I ask myself, “What does that being live for?” What makes him or her get up every morning? What makes his or her life worth living? What source of energy does that person draw upon to do what they do?
Unspoken Values
Evolution and biology can describe the reasons behind a lot of basic instincts and behavior, but they don’t answer a whole lot about the values we hold implicitly through our traditions, customs, culture, and art.
We all go through rituals that define our existence. It could be watching TV, going to church, reading books, meditating, playing sports, doing your job, eating, videogames, working out at the gym, writing, taking care of your kids… you get the point – if you do it periodically then it is a ritual – and these habits implicitly tell us what we value out of life.
But how often do you ask yourself, “Why do I do the things I do?”
It can seem like a stupid question because we take these things for granted. Maybe you do them because you have always done them and that is just who you are. I hear people give me that response a lot, but that is circular reasoning; saying those things only reinforces who we are, even if that modus operandi isn’t doing ourselves much justice.
Backbone = Identity
I wouldn’t say that our actions define ourselves (although that might be a behaviorist approach to identity), but I do think how we define ourselves plays a significant role in our actions.
Buddism and many Eastern philosophies put a strong emphasis on the “nature of self” as a spiritual guide. They also recognize that how we think of our self determines certain values we hold about our world. For example, many schools of Buddhism recognize a non-dualistic nature between self/other (that we are all interconnected and no one is separate), thus compassion and loving-kindness become logical moral values to hold in our relationships with friends, family, neighbors, coworkers other acquaintances, and nature itself.
Some of the big questions regarding anybody’s life are,
- “How do I fit into the world at large?”
- “What purpose do I serve in life?”
- “How can I improve conditions for myself and others?”
Only you can answer these questions with your own reason and experience, but let it be known that your answers have a profound impact on how you live your life. Thus, I would argue these questions are worth contemplating through daily introspection, meditation, or prayer.
Getting Off The Soapbox For A Moment
Before I conclude this post let me just clear up a few things that often get misunderstood when I write about spirituality. I do not intend to change anyone’s values or how they live their life. What I am suggesting is that we take the time to question why we live the way we do. It is a deep question, directed towards you, but not one that I can provide the answers for.
I think when we try to make a change or improvement in our lives we often take the most basic questions for granted. But often those fundamental questions are the catalysts for the biggest improvements one can make in their life.
I write in order to get people thinking and re-evaluating that world which we take for granted. I want to bring into light implicit assumptions and beliefs, and get individuals to think critically about these ideas they have grown up with all their life. Through doing this individuals can grow a stronger backbone, become more dedicated to what they actually love to do, and drop actions which have become “no good” habits of familiarity that we have wrongly identified to.
But – because we are all diverse individuals with separate interests and talents – it is up to each from their own individual perspective to decide what is right and wrong for them. There is no objective good for everyone; our traditions, culture, art, and tastes (our “pursuit of happiness”) should be particular to our personality. We should not take anything as given just because we have grown up with it or some higher authority has “bestowed” it upon us. Even the values I hold implicitly in my writings should be doubted and questioned.
A Healthy Backbone Builds New Elements, Gets Rid Of Old
A spiritual backbone gives you a center to stand on but it is not necessarily fixed in one place. Just like your spine is built of various bone elements, your spiritual spine too is mobile and multi-faceted. The only thing different is your spiritual spine never stops growing and evolving in new ways (whether you are conscious of it or not).
Your relationship with the world is never fixed, it is always changing; new aspects are constantly arising and fading into the ever-expanding shape of time. From a day-to-day basis things may seem to be moving slow, but when you reflect on months or years they can seem like eternities apart. The world is actually a really exciting and dynamic place if we keep our eyes open to it. Not many things remain the same over extended periods of time. Isn’t that what evolution is all about?
The only thing worse than not having a spiritual backbone at all is having a concrete one, which refuses to change in the face of new evidence and experience. Extreme fundamentalists from all religions share this illness, like when biblical literalism takes precedence over scientifically-gathered facts.
Man is not omniscient nor infallible, that is why God forgives and, most importantly, why we should forgive ourselves. All actions and creations of men, including the Bible, are not perfect. This is why spirituality in all of its form is a never-ending process and not a goal-seeking one.
Living In Congruence
When our unspoken values become spoken we are more conscious of the driving forces in our world. Now we know why we get up every morning and we are proud to live out our lives in congruences with those values.
This requires a higher level of consciousness. No longer is our modus operandi like a puppet on strings, but now we are the puppet masters. We understand the reason behind our rituals; we don’t just live them out obediently but with a sense of joy, flow, and engagement. There is purpose behind every action. We embody what we believe and we act in accordance. As Gandhi once said, we “Become the change we wish to see in the world.” Within that cycle, within every action, we are constantly being born and re-born into a different world.
So don’t stay static, never be afraid to re-align your spiritual backbone, and keep living the life you want to live (as you see fit). The world depends on your moral courage and aptitude.
Writing is a way of organizing our thoughts and making better sense of our world. I would even consider it a form of contemplative meditation. When writing, we connect different concepts together in our heads, mull over different ideas, and often aim at trying to paint a picture or tell some kind of story, narrative, or theme.
- Jeremy Taylor
Whenever we write we are embracing these ideas, allowing them to be expressed, and letting their energy flow through us onto the paper.
Throughout this creative process we too are changing. We are not only becoming more aware of our inner world of meaning, but at the same time we are given a medium to release these built up thoughts, ideas, stresses and desires. We are practicing a form of alchemy – by channeling our energies from something psychological to something material and tangible.
It’s a healing process
Like all forms of art therapy, writing can be healing; that is why I encourage everyone to pursue some kind of creative endeavor. It allows us to step back and put the world into perspective. It also gives us a sense of power and purpose, so we don’t feel completely swallowed up by our daily anxieties, stresses, and fears.
When we create we have something to be proud of, something to show for our efforts, and something that is distinctly unique and ours. This builds up our self-worth and inspires us to be more productive. Pursing any art has shown to do some incredible things for mental health, and it plays a big role in what Positive Psychologist Martin Seligman calls The Meaningful Life, which he considers a central component to happiness.
Carl Jung saw the manifestations of our dreams as ways in which our psyche maintains homeostasis and balance. I believe art and writing can have the same effect. This one video supports this point by showing how art therapy can be used effectively in treating those with schizophrenia.
Do a little everyday
Whether your thing is writing, painting, dancing, or playing guitar, try to do a little bit of it everyday. Think of it as your daily meditation or prayer. It is your way of provoking reality and creating a world of meaning and purpose.
Many people find it therapeutic to keep a journal or diary. Personally, I have been maintaining this blog since June of last year and I already feel ten times better mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I like to write music too, but writing is something that resonates with me at a level I can manage the best. It clears up my thoughts in ways that I find hard accomplishing with other arts. But, everyone may be a little different.
Writing is easy to become engaged in
For many, pursuing an art or writing is a lot more fun and exciting than meditation. While meditation is about stillness and silence, art gives us a way to find tranquility through active expression. When you finish a piece of writing or art there is a wave of relaxation and comfort, not to mention a distinct sense of pride and accomplishment.
So for those who find it difficult to spend time on the cushion, why not turn to writing and art as a secondary form of meditation? It could even still be considered a spiritual practice. After all, who says we need religion and false dogmas? Maybe the true evolution of man is when we recognize that we can harness the same creative power of nature that we so often attribute to God. In a sense, our capacity for creativity and innovation may even make us out to be our own gods and goddesses. In this recognition, we are aware of our own divinity.
When we find something we love doing, it becomes much easier to be engaged in. And engagement is an important aspect to any meditative or spiritual practice.
A stronger sense of self
When we walk away from a piece of writing we have a stronger sense of ourselves. We are a part of the transformation and by the end of the process we have been re-born into something new.
And – isn’t this often the crux of any meditation practice? To increase self-awareness and to watch ourselves grow and change with time? Shouldn’t we all practice this to some degree, even if it is only to facilitate our own personal development and well-being? Just a few minutes a day of reflection and writing can aid one’s life in so many different ways.
The mental state of writing
When we are physically in the state of writing it is just like a state of deep contemplation. We become absorbed in the process of our ideas, thoughts, feelings and emotions. We then attempt to integrate them all in a way that reveals a clear message.
When I am in a state of writing that cannot be disturbed it is like I am in a trance. All my focus is concentrated on the task at hand and on accomplishing what it is I am setting out to do. All of my being is dedicated into channeling my energy outwards into my creation.