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Calm at Work

The Big Idea

Work can often be one of the most stressful situations in our lives. We have to work with people that we don’t necessarily have anything in common with and perform boring and repetitive tasks. In the United States and other parts of the world, you are supposed to look busy at all times. This can add to the stress since you feel like you are being watched constantly. Calm at Work offers over 100 practical exercises and techniques to help you remain calm at work. Here are the main ideas offered in both Calm at Work, along with Wilson’s condensed Little Book of Calm at Work.

Key ideas

Act calm — When you pretend you are calm, and adopt the characteristics of a calm person, you’ll convince yourself you’re calm in no time.

Go bonsai — Sometimes, even the smallest glimpse of nature is all you need to escape the pressures of life. Add plants to your office and try to take your breaks in nature as often as possible.

Carry a notebook — Write down your worries and watch them diminish. Have a half-hour worry session where you deal with all of the concerns in a concentrated and focused way.

Worry when the time comes — Worry always relates to the future. So if you devote your full attention to what is going on now, not only will you feel calmer, but also the future will take care of itself.

Separate major from minor — You can add harmony to your day simply by dividing your day into `big picture’ times and `small picture’ (detail) times. The less they overlap, the calmer you will remain.

Space your engagements — Allow a fifteen-minute buffer zone between each appointment. Call ahead to make sure that the other person is running on time.

Do the `Type A’ sidestep — If you have too many Type A (driven, competitive, tense) personality traits, avoid other Type A’s as much as you practicality can.

Do it over and over again — You can make a calming and meditative exercise out of any repetitive task or action (such as filing papers), if you concentrate on it, to the exclusion of all else, for an extended period of time.

Be clear with ambition — When ambition is coupled with unclear goals, you have a stressful combination. Make it your ambition to stay calm with clear goals and objectives.

Back up religiously — To always feel calm about using your computer, make a routine of backing up your work. To be really safe, store a backup copy away from the computer in case of fire or theft.

Turn down success — It is not essential that you succeed in everything you do. Some people stay calm by walking away from `success’.

Nap if possible — when you take a brief naps throughout the day, you’ll be surprised at how much peace you can derive form just a couple of minutes - even while sitting at your desk.

Soothing scents — certain scents stimulate the production of the relaxing chemical, serotonin, in the brain. Among the more effective of these scents are lavender and chamomile. . . . .