Calm in the Chaos



On Monday this week I logged onto work only to find that our CEO "retired". I use scare quotes because if you know anything about corporations, sudden changes in leadership are typically because the leader is being forced out.

I'm a little bummed by this news. I liked our CEO. Even though not everyone agreed with his vision, he loved the company and would do anything to make it successful. There isn't a person I can think of that was more passionate about the company than him.

I spent some time on a website called Blind reading anonymous comments from company employees. Think of this site as a social media site where employees can vent to each other. The comments were incredibly negative, talking about how the company is in a death spiral and is screwed. Everywhere I looked there was negativity, apathy and cynicism. It really crushed my mellow reading through them.

I think people get frustrated over things they can't control. And rightly so. If you hang your happiness on things outside your control, you're going to be frustrated because your expectations of reality will never line up to actual reality. It's a itch you can never fully scratch.

My trainer has this metaphor from her athletic training. Picture a 6 inch box sitting right in front of you. When everything around you is in chaos, focus on that box. The box represents the things that you can control. Think about what's in your control and place it in the box. Then ignore everything else and focus solely on the contents in the box.

I have no control over what happens in the company. I have zero impact to the selection of a new CEO or what the direction of the company will be. I have no control over any downsizing or shakeups they may do. All I can control is how I show up to the work in front of me. So I'll focus on doing my job and let the chips fall where they may.

I'll also focus on my health, specifically exercise and sleep. Stress increases cortisol, which makes you bloated and disturbs your sleep. My trainer told me to expect some fluctuations on the scale. I'll make sure I'm doing my walks and taking my exercise snack breaks. I'll also make sure I'm taking my sleep medication and going to bed on time. Those things are in my box. Everything else, I'll notice the emotions they bring up, observe the feelings with detachment and then let them go. That's how I can be the best version of myself in this situation.

So, to reiterate, focus on what you can control and ignore the rest. That's how you can find calm in the chaos.

Down a pound.

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