Category: Uncategorized
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The Al-Anon closing offers this practice for preserving the serenity of a meeting: “Talk to each other, reason things out with someone else, but let there be no gossip or criticism of one another.” Gossip and heated personal criticism take a toll on a workplace too. When I engage in these two behaviors, I undermine…
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Sometimes when things happen around me, I make them about me. If people are losing their jobs, I worry I’m about to lose mine. If someone gets angry, I analyze my relationship with that person, wondering if they’re mad at me too. It’s good to be aware of how my behavior is affecting others, or…
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My ego usually comes to work with me. When a work meeting starts, often a set of feelings rushes in: the need to prove myself, along with a fear that I’ll be perceived as incompetent or failing to contribute. I begin to feel very conscious of saying something smart, or at the very least not…
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Is there something I’m resisting at work today? An initiative I don’t like, a technology that doesn’t make sense to me, anything that feels pointless or counterproductive? Before recovery, I probably worked against these things in any way I could. But today I know that I can’t recover without honesty (and doing my own thing…
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When a setback hits me at work–a lost promotion, an earnings shortfall–disappointment can hit hard. I can quickly turn into a resentful mess, feeling victimized and fretful about the future, inwardly harboring anger at everyone I feel is keeping me down. But these automatic thoughts are usually what cause the most pain. Fortunately, they can…
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Am I fixated on a problem at work today? If so, what is outside my power? Maybe it’s a boss’s attitude toward me (or people in my demographic). Maybe it’s the way my company hires and trains people. Maybe it’s a coworker’s abilities. Whatever it is, I can allow my life to become unmanageable when…
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“The right of decision makes effective leadership possible.” When we take on service roles in recovery, we usually find that we’re trusted to do the job given to us. No one micromanages, no one slyly takes over, and everyone (mostly) even seems to avoid giving us unsolicited advice. This is an empowering experience for many…
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When my mind starts stirring the pot–dwelling on someone else’s faults, anticipating conflict or difficulties, etc.–if I stop and remember what happened right before those thoughts showed up, I can usually see why they’re drawing me in. Sometimes it’s my circumstances. Maybe a boss is stirring up old feelings or traumas, or my finances are…
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I can slip into distrust and resentment with very little provocation, it seems. Those feelings are familiar, and quick, and they tend to insulate me from any discomfort and uncertainty. A workplace is a very easy place to get discontented. But to recover, I need to learn a new way of life, one in which…
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Sometimes in one area of my life or another, I become aware that I need a lot of work. I don’t like the way I set boundaries (or don’t) at work; I see that my family life needs lots of attention; I recognize a pattern in myself that seems hard to change. This can feel…
Recovering at Work 