Stuck about slowing down at work

Where are you stuck?
I am talking a lot about wanting to slow down at work, so that my nervous system is regulated more of the time (rather than dysregulated for 40+ hours a week at work, then pulling out all the tools to regulate in the other hours). I am talking a lot but not doing much about it.

Why are you stuck?
I have thoughts like: if I slow down/give myself more time to complete my tasks, I’ll drop the ball, be seen as lazy, not be effective. I can’t move slowly at work and do my job well and make good money. If I slow down, I’ll be overlooked and other people will be given opportunities instead. If I slow down, my to do list will get even bigger and be like a tidal wave – I need to move quickly to keep it at bay and stop myself from going under.

What’s one small step I could take?
Bringing this to AAC and creating a model for a specific example:

C: plan to set 3 hours aside to reflect on and integrate learnings from leadership course

T: I should spend that time responding to things from my team, which they’ve been chasing me up about

F: Pressured

S: sick, heavy gut, clammy, shallow breathing, tense

A: don’t set the time aside to reflect on learnings or take actions I committed to, accept meetings that fill up my calendar, prioritise what’s important to my team and my boss, tell myself I need to be available for my team all the time, focus more on transactional tasks that are easy to tick off, believe it’s possible to finish my to do list, don’t take a step back and think strategically, work with tunnel vision, skip meals, stay up late.

R: I focus on other people’s needs at the expense of my own

I’d love your coaching on shifting out of this!

 

 

Answer:

Your model is doing a good job of showing you what is happening. Take the time you need to really sit with it and understand why you feel so stuck. Give yourself loads of compassion. The way you make shifts is to be willing to look straight at what’s happening now.

Speaking of time, what do you notice about the language and the story your brain is telling. Slowing down, moving quickly, being chased…? What energy do you sense? A tidal wave also paints a clear picture. What is that about?

Do you notice anywhere else in your life where you feel this same energy?