The hardest part of a job can be navigating the energy of the people you encounter. At work, you have an unspoken agreement to avoid certain topics or suppress unacceptable emotions. That means you have to guess, assume, or use your intuition to figure out what is left out of communications.
Reading a situation to discover hidden agendas, or simply trying to understand what’s not being said, opens the door to more than the answer. It allows other people’s energy into your space, changing the way you feel.
When another person’s energy alters your nervous system, it stresses your body and stimulates anxiety. Anxiety is a signal your body gives you that there is a threat.
Yet it is more than worrying about the threat of an unknown outcome that causes anxiety, it is the threat of making choices from an altered state. You are in an altered state when someone else’s needs, wants and desires are affecting your nervous system.
Everyone shows up at their work with a history both personal and professional, as well as a unique collection of patterns. This includes: how they respond in a new relationship, how they respond once they believe they have established themselves, what they think you expect of them, and what they expect of themselves in their role.
It's natural to read the people around you to get a feel for their expectations and unspoken needs. Yet it can allow their energy to get in your space and that causes stress.
I learned a lot about the impact of doing this during my 22 years working in the technology industry. I was opening myself up to read those around me each day at the office until I learned a simple visualization to manage my stress level before work each day.
It transformed my life, reduced stress and eliminated my anxiety. With these five steps you’ll set your boundaries and protect your energy so you don’t absorb negative energy from people around you, a primary reason for anxiety.
In five minutes, using five intentional visualization steps, you can set your boundaries and protect your energy so that you don’t find yourself anxious from encounters at work. It’s simple, you can do this visualization in the shower, while in bed before getting up, or while walking your dog. |
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