Five hours after moving from one task to another since I arrived at my place of work, I finally saw an opportunity to take a break, and so I walked stressed to my office, adjusted my chair so it'll help me sit in a relaxing manner that'll allow me to place my feet on the desk, and had already envisioned the posture in my head and couldn't wait to bring it to reality.However, immediately after I sat down and was about to place my leg on the desk, our office errand woman poked her head through the door and said the boss would like to see me immediately. I was so mad and disappointed. I mean, I finally get an opportunity to rest, and I had barely even done that, and now my attention is needed again. Reluctantly, I drag myself out of the chair and office to meet my boss.
The above is my ordeal earlier today at work, and you would have thought all of the tasks I did during those five hours would be under the roof of the office, but no, they weren't; they were in the open, under the scorching sunlight. Although tired, I know I have to be there, and so I stood firm with the hope that once I'm done with that task, I'll be free for the rest of the day and relax till I call the day off. Unfortunately fate has other plans, and that's why I was called by my boss, who I thought would simply just give me another task to do. Believe me, I would have preferred that to what I was graced with. Apparently she has been trying to reach my department boss with no success, and so immediately I got to her office, she commanded me to dial my department boss's number and put the call on speaker.
The conversation that follows that call is one I don't wish I was involved in, because the person I was calling didn't know where I was and so spoke freely, even words against our boss, and by the time she realized our boss heard the conversation, it was as though I was a traitor who set her up. I was literally going through it all; I mean, I was just under physical stress, and when I taught, I could take a break. Emotional stress was being added to the lot. To say I was stressed or facing anxiety from that moment would be an understatement because if there were bigger words than those, I'd outrightly settle for them.
I'm sure you'll be wondering what all these stories are all about. Well, not to bore you with them, all I'm trying to say is that stress and anxiety are almost like daily bread that life presents to us at every given opportunity. However, it's now left for us to either give in to them and let them take over us completely or find a way to get over it. I won't say I'm an expert at overcoming stress and anxiety, and neither do I have the hack to sail through it. I've been privileged to navigate my way around them through different means, both conventional and unconventional, be it running away from some responsibilities just to stay sane or avoiding doing some work or a task I know would take a toll on me and lead to such.
To overcome them, I often train my mind to slow down from different thoughts that plague my heart. I also try as much as possible not to indulge in anxious thinking, as they are what bring about anxiety. I also try as much as possible to simplify my commitment, such as letting go of some tasks and not overdoing anything. Additionally, I make sure to speak up when I'm going through something; it has its way of reducing the weight. All of these put together are what have been my saving grace and actions each time I'm wallowing in stress or anxiety.
All photos are mine.