I have enjoyed all of the exercises we studied in this class. I have to say the most beneficial one that will help me most in my personal and professional life is the loving kindness. Let's face it, in our professional lives there are always people that are going to frustrate us and make life a little difficult to get through the day. By stopping and thinking about loving kindness, I am able to put it all back in perspective. That is important when working with others because you can't be fighting and arguing like in high school. It is just too unprofessional. The other exercise that will help me the most in my personal and professional life, is the subtle mind. Witnessing mind helps to keep the focus. There are many distractions in both the personal and the professional life. Calm abiding helps the mind to stop racing and be more on a stillness level. Then with unity consciousness I am able to bring it all back in order.
The examples I can give are dealing with some of the women I work with. some days it is all about constant complaining and whining and it can wear on my nerves. I take a few minutes to think about loving kindness because I should not get upset with them.
With subtle mind the example I can use is my life itself. I am busy and some days I feel like I am being pulled in many directions. Being able to focus and bring it all into perspective helps to get things done that I need to do and not feel so stressed.
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Laurie,
ReplyDeleteIsn't it nice to have some coping mechanisms to deal with the drama at work. Some days I wring my hands in frustration and other days I want to wring some necks. However, like you, I'm trying to exercise more loving-kindness in situations and with people who irritate me. In many ways it has had great benefits. One major one regards the gossip chain. I admit to quietly listening to the gossip but doing little to stop it. Now it bothers me because I'm so aware of the negativity and cattiness it brings out in others. I've taken to shutting down those who offer me gossip and warning them to be careful of what they say. I warn them that their words may come back to haunt them. In all liklihood my co-workers probably think I'm crazy, but my lighter thoughts have made the workplace an easier place to be.
Laurie-
ReplyDeleteI can definately relate to the constant bickering at work. I think as a nurse, working with a staff largely female is a bad combination. Rumors, back stabbing, and bickering are all daily occurances. I think this class has helped me tremendously to deal with this situation. I am always the one to disregard the rumors and bring people back to reality. I think the key thing to remember is that peopel who are miserable want everyone else to be miserable, and by presenting a positive attitude, we frustrate them. But, great work and keep up the positivity! I know it's been difficult, but people who refute the gossip and stay positive are the ones who shine :)
Oh let me tell you, I have worked with complainer's, whiner's....all of the above, and you know what they are, energy vampires! Unhappy people tend to suck the life right out of us, so much so that we (sometimes)become unhappy ourselves. Consciously or subconsciously they are bringing us down so they have a companion in their unhappy existence. I choose not to give into this drama and these practices help with that goal. Unhappy people can not stand positive people, like Laurie said.
ReplyDeleteLearning to cope with all that negative energy is hard and your right it sometimes just drains the life right out of you. Sometimes I find if I can just get some fresh air and think some positive thoughts and remember those exercises of loving kindness, subtle mind, etc., it does help. Some of my patients come in with anxiety and tend to mask how they really are. It is not always easy as you say but looking for the good and trying to understand their stress helps. Now does it always work...not always, but with these exercises I am trying to apply them more each day and with practice who knows. You all are right unhappy people really can't stand a chipper person.
ReplyDeleteI picked the same two exercises that you did this unit! While meditation and visualization are great, I really found loving kindness and subtle mind to be most beneficial in my life. These are such great tools to have for ourselves and also to help others!
ReplyDeleteLaurie:
ReplyDeleteI hear you, the workplace is full of differing personality types, communication styles, and power-play political tactics; at times it can be a real challenge to express yourself constructively and still remain diplomatic. Loving-kindness and subtle mind are definitely helpful to re-center our thoughts and calculate our actions to avoid regretful behavior.
Glad to hear that you've been able to adopt some of our exercises and apply them in your everyday life. I have found that meditation and visualization are helpful to keep me calmer and set my mind on long-term goals rather than short-term problems.