Overwhelmed

@creativeHuman1729 A new job is always tough because we are trying to learn so much that we don’t know and trying to look like we can handle it competently. I believe I heard someone say you can still do the deep breathing without making it obvious, if you can slow it down. You can try something like squeeze your leg with your hand if you’re sitting at a table, just to have something to focus your attention on. Meditating before or after work for or at lunch a few minutes might clear out some tension before you have to face more. You might be able to anticipate stressors before you have to face them. For instance say you have a know it all co worker, when you have to interact with them, maybe just remind yourself, “yeah this person gets on my nerves because they act like a know it all, but that just is part of their personality and part of the obstacle course I must face in this environment.” My therapist said I should write down some phrase like that and just prepare myself with it each time I had an interaction with that person. In addition, are there things that you notice about yourself, perhaps habits that add to your own discomfort. For me, I often am in a meeting and people are talking about a course of action that I “know” is less than efficient. Sometimes I feel my adrenaline rise and feel the urge to correct their course. I’ve gotten better at noticing when that happens and keeping my mouth shut - sometimes by remembering the saying, “Not my circus, not my monkeys.”

• Get a good nights sleep
• Try not to get over caffeinated or over hungry
• Try to diminish stress you might normally carry into work by meditating beforehand or take the stress at the end of the day and exercise and or meditate so you sleep well and don’t carry residual stress into the next day.
• No screen time an hour before bed
• Limit exposure to news
• Learn mindfulness techniques to be more aware of how you are feeling throughout the day

— All the best