Month: August 2019

Imagine that you are minutes away from an important presentation to your senior management team. This is the first time that you’ve presented to this group and while you’ve rehearsed your speaking notes many times, you can’t help but feel anxious. As the countdown continues and the minutes turn into seconds, you’re now anxious about being anxious. Will they see that I’m anxious? Will I have what it takes to deliver this presentation? What if I forget everything and make a fool of myself?

Has this ever happened to you?  Anxiety usually comes up when you’re extremely worried about something in the future. This could be about an upcoming presentation, an interview for a promotion or even just a monthly touch base meeting with your manager. But we also know that there’s a way to manage that anxiety when it surfaces: 

ਚਰਨ ਕਮਲ ਅਰਾਧਿ ਭਗਵੰਤਾ ॥
ਹਰਿ ਸਿਮਰਨ ਤੇ ਮਿਟੀ ਮੇਰੀ ਚਿੰਤਾ ॥੨॥
Worship and adore the Lotus Feet of the Lord God.
Meditating in remembrance on the Lord, my anxiety has come to an end. ||2||

Ultimately, anxiety stems from fear no matter how minimal it might be. Sometimes that fear might be due to not having enough time to prepare, simply not having done the work, or an overwhelming need to impress your manager. Gurbani teaches us that fear is everywhere, but the ‘best’ thing to fear is the Divine:

ਭੈ ਵਿਚਿ ਜੰਮੈ ਭੈ ਮਰੈ ਭੀ ਭਉ ਮਨ ਮਹਿ ਹੋਇ ॥
ਨਾਨਕ ਭੈ ਵਿਚਿ ਜੇ ਮਰੈ ਸਹਿਲਾ ਆਇਆ ਸੋਇ ॥੧॥
In fear we are born, and in fear we die. Fear is always present in the mind.
O Nanak, if one dies in the fear of God, his coming into the world is blessed and approved. ||1||

A Present Mind 

Perhaps you have some kind of routine or process to help you when you start to feel anxious. Maybe it’s self talk, breathing deeply or staying hydrated. Why not Simran?

Simran is a tool to help us not let past or future emotions or feelings get the better of us. Through the process of Simran, we learn how to keep our mind present and better manage the extreme highs and lows that we may experience in the workplace. Learn more about The Power of Being Present and Steps to Achieve It.

As we work in our respective industries, let’s remember that mental health is just as important as physical or emotional health. Take the time to declutter your mind, do things that bring you joy, and reflect on how to improve certain skill sets. 

Above all else stay present, because a present mind is a powerful mind!

Getting a job or starting a business is exciting at any point in life, and often becomes our primary focus. However, this can result in an imbalance between your work life and spiritual life. When this happens, we tend to become less efficient and less happy. Here are a couple of tips to help maintain that balance:

Scheduling is Key
In what often feels like ‘the storm of work’ there is a simple way to keep things organized- keep a schedule. It should be realistic and manageable. A daily or weekly schedule will work wonders in helping you find pockets of spiritual time. At work we often experience changes in project timelines or meetings. When this happens it’s important to revisit your schedule to see where and when you can slot in some quiet meditation time.

Utilize “Free Time”
Although work demands many hours of the day, many of us are able to find some amount of free time. In the same way we find time to eat, we must become active in finding time to feed our Mind. One easy way is to start waking up a bit earlier or wrapping up tasks earlier in the evenings. 

Master Tip: Wake up early to get your day started when there are few distractions.

ਉਠਿ ਇਸਨਾਨੁ ਕਰਹੁ ਪਰਭਾਤੇ ਸੋਏ ਹਰਿਆਰਾਧੇ ॥
Rise in the early hours of the morning, and take your cleansing bath. Before you go to bed at night, remember to worship the Lord.

Know your Temple
In the same way we visit our places of worship: Gurdwaras, Temples, Churches, Mosques, etc; remember that our Mind is also a temple, but it requires a custodian to maintain it. We work in this world to take care of the body, but maintaining a strong, healthy and distraction-free mind will propel us spiritually. Be the custodian that your Mind deserves and actively find time to continue on your spiritual journey. 

ਮਨੁ ਮੰਦਰੁ ਤਨੁ ਸਾਜੀ ਬਾਰਿ ॥
The mind is the temple, and the body is the fence built around it.

True Occupation 
The occupation given to the Mind, is that of spiritual progress towards Naam. By chanting and meditating each second of the day we can learn to remain attuned with Naam, even while working.

ਊਠਤ ਬੈਠਤ ਸੋਵਤ ਨਾਮ ॥ ਕਹੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਜਨ ਕੈ ਸਦ ਕਾਮ ॥6॥
While standing up, sitting down and sleeping, the Naam, says Nanak, is forever the occupation of God’s humble servant. ||6||

As focused as we are in our worldly occupation, let’s employ the same focus in our spiritual progress. After all, our identity isn’t formed by the job we have, rather the quality of the thoughts our mind is occupied with. 

Let your pure mind be your identity, and spiritual progress be your occupation. Everything else will fall into place.