Another Stress Related Post

Once again the Harvard Business Publishing blog has caught my eye. This time they are addressing the issue of stressful behaviors among colleagues due to the current economic conditions. I will give you the link to their blog at the end of this post.

What caught my eye was a sentence in their blog: The trick is to tap into your best, not your worst, self. This concept ties in beautifully with Tom Crum's second breath in his Three Deep Breaths tool - the Possibility Breath. In this breath, Tom speaks to the concept of having the best possible version of yourself show up in any situation - the me I want to be. What this means is visualizing yourself in any given role - mother, husband, manager, neighbor - and how you would like to present yourself in the best possible scenario. What qualities would you possess? What values would motivate your actions?

I have found this to be the most intriguing and most challenging exercise. Being simply human, I have all those usual dysfunctional knee jerk responses patterned into my life. But, having trained in self-awareness disciplines for so many years, if I yield to those reactive patterns, I immediately notice and experience a sense of dissatisfaction. For instance, I find it hard to revel in a victim stance anymore. Instead, I am more willing to instead pose the question to myself, What would it look like if I could be the exemplary leader, mother, friend, etc. in this situation? These days I at least want to give it my best shot.

Just for a refresher, here are Tom's Three Deep Breaths:

• Centering Breath: Breathe in the present moment, with balance and energy
• The Possibility Breath: Breathe in purpose, with power and presence
• The Discovery Breath: Breathe in the mystery, let go of judgment

Hope you have a great day. Here is the link for that Harvard Publishing blog.

Judy Warner