How to stay grounded when you can’t get away: Workplace coping 101

If you’re like many of us, you know this drill far too well. It’s 1pm, probably in the middle of the week. Your routine work meeting has run far too long and your protein drink you had after your strength training workout in the morning wore off hours ago. Your sister broke up with her boyfriend and she won’t stop texting you about it. That one coworker that begins all responses to you with the words, “Well, actually….”

You feel like you’ve had it, but no meditation or yoga here.

Daily practice in activities like yoga and mindfulness meditation are wonderful for long-term ability to remain grounded and centered, but as I mentioned in a previous blog post (from way back), taking brief moments to engage in every day activities to remain grounded and centered is extremely useful as well.

So, what tools are at your disposal to continue to show up as your fiercest, most empowered, self when you can’t get away?

1.)Notice what is happening in your body

Take a breath. Notice what spaces are comfortable and which are uncomfortable. If your attention to drawn to and you find yourself giving a lot of “love to pain”, so to speak, rub your hands together and see if there is a way to get back and grounded again. See if you can feed the relaxed, pleasurable, or neutral areas in your mind. Notice what’s going on in your body before it takes hold of you.

2.)See if you can create space there.

After taking step one, see if there’s a way to create space inside of yourself. Take a second (or a third breath). Once again, these do not have to be breaths that you learned from your yoga instructor. All our bodies are just as unique and special as our minds are, so our breath should be as well. See if you can create an opening in your body and appreciate it.

3.)See what your body wants to do. Then move. Just enough.

See what your body wants to do. Then move. Do your hands want to rub together? Maybe the subtle sensation of your fingers touching gently will suffice. Some of you will want to run or pass out. Remember that so you can attend to that sensation later by either going for a long run, catching up on your sleep, or getting a massage.

4.)Find your alignment

Where is your head, in relation to your back, in relation to your hips, etc? This is something I have to check myself on all the time. At this point Icheck my alignment without even realize it’s what I’m doing until afterwards.

5.)Find your voice

With the moments that the above steps give you, check your gut, the find your voice and figure out if it has something to say.

I’ve been there, like we all have. What do you do to not go off at work?