It is not the weight of the load, but how we carry it, that determines the pressure it puts on us. Most of us feel that the work we do is more than we can handle, but most of the time the work pressure is in the head. It is like holding a glass of water in your hand. Hold it for a minute it seems okay. Hold it for an hour and your hand aches like you have done 200 push ups on one hand!! But the weight of the water remains the same! The mind carries that weight of the workload like a suitcase full of rocks when it is just a bunch of post it notes.
Even a lazy Sunday of binge-watching Netflix and stuffing our face shamefully with snacks ends up feeling very exhausting, when we haven’t done anything to tire us out.
This is because of the weight of the guilt of unfinished work, half-baked relationships and tardy self-care that you carry in your head.
And this weight follows you like a dark shadow to bed, to work, to the shower, to your lover and you wonder why it feels so exhausting. And you wake up in the morning feeling like you have singlehandedly mowed the entire football field.
When my father passed away a few months ago there were so many things to be done for and by my mother in terms of documentations and bank work and asset management. As my siblings wheeled away their large suitcases after the ceremonies to leave for their homes, I realised I also carried one – only mine wasn’t physical—it was stuffed with post-it notes. Loud ones. Heavy ones. All in my head.
But in time, I realised that only if I put that suitcase down and take a fresh look at it can I reduce my overwhelm. And guess what, when I did it – most of them were outdated irrelevant stories of eons ago and the few that remained didn’t seem like heavy chores.
So it is the mind that causes stress not the actual work. The mind is like an inconsiderate boss who wants you to potter around and stresses you out even if you are super-efficient. The longer you carry this burden in your head the more exhausted you will feel.
So you need to step back and reflect on the weight on your head with a fresh perspective. Put that heavy burden down.
Examine it.
Pick one task to be done (An important one – not cleaning up your inbox)
Do it.
Repeat.
That is when you will find space in your mind and the load lightens like setting down a sleeping child down after carrying them for hours.
Bell The Mind 