Imagine a warm sea, golden sand, blue sky... Or a gentle river, a green forest, the scent of herbs... and your own pale body, finally left to the rays of the sun. Or just your cozy apartment, a sunny balcony or the roof of the house - and you don’t have to wake up early or rush anywhere. It would seem, what could be more beautiful? And now, the body is relaxed, a panama is pulled over the forehead, and a lonely thought runs into the brain: “I wonder how it is at work now? Have you signed a contract? Have you looked at all the conditions? What if they don't find necessary documents?" A lonely thought turns into a wasp, then the same one flies, and a heavy, gloomy, stinging cloud begins to circle overhead. And that's it: the sky is no longer so blue, the aroma is not so pleasant, and I want to pack my things and rush back to work.
How not to think about work, So what's this? Psychologists call this phenomenon the weekend syndrome. It was first noticed at the end of the twentieth century, and now this term is known to all post-industrial powers, where they have ever heard of existentialism or the question of existence and the meaning of life. Why? Because the weekend syndrome is very closely related to the simple question "what am I living for?"
Where does it come from? The question is simple and complex at the same time. However, the answer to it is easy to deduce from our lifestyle. How much time does a normal person spend at work? Standard yuppie (this is the name of young professionals working in the office, however, now almost all employees various institutions who spend most of their weekdays at the company) work on a nine-to-six schedule. Options can be very different - and from eleven in the morning to eight in the evening and from five in the morning to two in the afternoon. The only problem is that rarely anyone goes home exactly at the time indicated in the job advertisement. And this is not only Russian specificity. If we add to this the cost of the road, it turns out that work takes two-thirds of life. And at the same time it acquires incredible importance. There is another subtlety.
It is known that married people achieve less in professional activity than idle (if you look at the statistics as a whole). Why? This is easy to explain: imagine that a free person wakes up on a day off. It's good if he has friends with whom he can go somewhere. But this is in the evening. And from morning to evening he sits, watches TV, which is unlikely to cheer you up - it will rather bore you, read books or ... think about work or even do it. Gradually, week after week, he accumulates a phobia before the weekend, before the terrible "doing nothing", and he passionately desires only one thing: for "Monday to start on Saturday", so that he again finds himself in a circle of people, if not close, but not indifferent to him, to be needed again, necessary and important. And in the presence of the second half, the person is busy at least (this is in the worst case) swearing with his spouse. On the other hand, if personal life fails, where does a person seek solace? Of course, at work, and then the fear of the day off is associated with returning home, to quarrels, problems and a showdown. But a day off is one day. A vacation is a lot of days off. And gradually it turns out that you really don’t want to rest at all - you want to go where everything is clear and clear, where you are definitely needed. And the vacation turns out to be some kind of rehearsal for dismissal and mental trauma, which is not so easy to survive. The management team feels especially hard at such moments: after all, it is impossible to do without them. And if possible, why not replace them or fire them altogether?
How to deal with it?
There are several solutions to this problem, how not to think about work:The first method was suggested in one capacious phrase by Captain Jack Sparrow in "Pirates of the Caribbean": "Boy, find yourself a girlfriend". Of course, it sounds like a quote from a men's magazine, but love (or at least resort love) is a very powerful therapeutic tool, it allows you to switch to more everyday topics, and also contributes to evening meetings (that is, it provides an opportunity to breathe fresh air), long-term walks (physical activity), writing poetry or at least diaries and romantic letters (relieving intellectual stress, developing humanitarian thinking in technical specialists) and good mood (tonic).
Method two: cross-stitch (repair an old falling apart motorcycle, tidy up the roof in the house of your beloved grandmother, pick mushrooms, solve an eighth grade math textbook taken from a younger relative)- that is, a couple of days to work out handmade, which will relieve emotional stress gradually - on vacation this load disappears too quickly, causing a kind of decompression sickness. After that, you can safely draw up an action plan for the remaining time, or simply do nothing. The main thing is that the activity is enjoyable.
Method three: read several light books in a row. You just need to clearly understand that a light book is a very individual concept. For some, these are detectives ( different levels language and talent of the author), for some - Russian fantasy, and for some, love stories are to their liking. Light books, as a rule, do not leave a lasting trace, but at the same time erase the heavy information that has been stuck in the head since the pre-holiday period. You can, of course, watch TV, but this is fraught with depression from serials and irritation from TV shows, because on vacation you usually find out that, in addition to news and films after nine, during the day there is a huge number of channels great amount meaningless information that causes melancholy and does not give any work to the brain.
The fourth way came from logotherapy (meaning therapy), it is a paradoxical intention. Its essence is in the presence of a basic sense of humor (at least at the level of an amoeba): if you suddenly want to work on vacation, you need to strive to want it as much as possible: "I really want to work! I will show everyone how I want to work! Here you are in the last row you can see how I want to work? As a result, this thought will only cause a smile. The main thing then, after the vacation, is to return to a normal state and not laugh to the point of hysteria at the thought that you need to go to work. However, the paradoxical intention always has a reverse course: you can force yourself to not want to work as much as possible, and the dangerous effect will gradually disappear.
Method five: extreme. Even if you don’t lie flat on the beach on the warm sea, but go diving, surfing, sailing or going to the mountains, then such a variety and great physical activity will allow you to completely escape from office affairs, and then easily return to the team to work. Such hobbies, as a rule, stimulate the motive for achievement and the desire to grow above oneself, and this (at least in work) is for the better.
In conclusion, answering the question: how not to think about work, I would like to note: that if there is nothing in a person’s life except his profession, then sooner or later this can lead to a loss of the meaning of life: either the job will be lost, or the position will be the same for too long. And if there is nothing else in the world to cling to, this blow will be tantamount to a global catastrophe, leading to depression and despair. Therefore, in addition to work (even the most beloved), there should always be something else very important and expensive - as a second support in life, allowing you to move through it more confidently and get more pleasure from the simple joys of life, without which it turns into a permanent deadline, for who never rest.
7 chose
Some people, even when they are on a fabulous seashore, stubbornly scroll through their thoughts about work in their heads: they consider the last project, calculate the losses, bitterly recall unsuccessful negotiations. And then secretly look into the work mail. This is especially true for men: they are ambitious and it is more difficult for them to switch to vacation mode. But first of all, our head needs rest. And if we think about work during the whole vacation, there will be no sense from it. Let's figure out how to get rid of such obsessive thoughts on vacation.
All year long we dream of a vacation, and in it we cannot stop thinking about work. Why is this happening? The reasons may be different. Someone is afraid that without him the company will not cope. Or vice versa, he cannot even admit the thought that his colleagues will do without him, because then he will lose the feeling of his own indispensability. For creative people, work is often their main passion, and they are not going to give it up even for two weeks. Unfinished business or unresolved problems do not allow someone to sleep peacefully on the beach. And for someone - persistent colleagues who call for any reason. In any case, if during your vacation you dream about your home office every night, then you need to change something.
Get ready
First of all, you need to prepare for the holidays. Finish important things, transfer other tasks, assign responsibilities, appoint responsible people, promise a terrible punishment to everyone who decides to call you, break a laptop and a mobile phone.
In general, you should not plan a vacation during the period of active activity of the company, when work begins new project, important contracts are concluded or tax reports are submitted. The boss won't thank you for this. And you, instead of enjoying the rest, will constantly return your thoughts to work.
Learn new things
New information inevitably crowds out intrusive thoughts. This is one of the reasons why women on vacation like to go on excursions. While we are thinking about the features of the Venetian baroque, thoughts about the harmful boss Vasily Petrovich somehow fade into the background.
It's not just about excursions. The more new impressions and new interesting information we receive, the less chance Vasily Petrovich has to settle in our head. Therefore, you should try to make your vacation as rich and interesting as possible.
Set sports records
Men have their own methods. Sports, especially extreme sports, often help them forget about work. Perhaps for this reason, among young workaholics today there are so many "adrenaline junkies" It is unlikely that thoughts about work visit them during a paragliding flight or extreme descent from the mountain. And during a difficult trip, you can even forget the name of your company and the name of your boss. And, of course, all work problems during this period seem distant and insignificant. Verified by myself.
Find a new hobby
In general, any activity that is not related to your work will help to distract. Get creative, try your hand at drawing, music or dancing. No wonder they say that the best vacation is a change of occupation. New activities will help you switch and relieve emotional stress.
fall in love
This is sure to instantly knock all thoughts about work out of my head. Love or even fleeting love generally knocks almost any thought out of your head. And if you already have a loved one, try to fall in love with him again. It improves mood, improves well-being and makes us happier.
From childhood we were taught to count our time in the world. Birthday is a special ceremony that fixes life in quantitative terms, the unit of which is the year.
What does this quantitative measurement mean? What content is it filled with and how to comprehend it? Is it possible to conceive of pure time without reference to certain events that fill it with meaning?
Time is a very abstract category, which is difficult to visualize, and therefore comprehend. Time is not an easy task. In science, it is customary to divide time into objective and subjective. Objective time is usually the subject of physics, subjective time is a research problem for psychologists and philosophers. Since we cannot influence the course of time, then at least we can change its perception, change our attitude towards time, present it as a creative, and not a destructive movement. Following Aristotle and Aurelius Augustine, we propose to divide time into three categories according to the way a person experiences it.
The present of the past
The present of the past is our memories. The brain remembers everything, but far from all the events of our life fall into the zone of our understanding of the past. The events of the present can actualize long-forgotten memories.
For example, the strongest stimuli that actualize memories are gustatory and olfactory sensations. The smells of cinnamon or peppermint tea can instantly transport us to the childish state with which these smells are associated. M. Proust has a novel “In Search of Lost Time”, where the smell is able to transfer the hero several decades back.
The song can also resonate with the experiences of a whole forgotten period of our lives, such as first love and relationships.
Photography is capable of capturing significant moments in our personal history. A photo album is such a family photo archive, opening which, we are transported into the past. We keep many memories of our lives only thanks to the presence of photographs about them, they are an auxiliary tool, a mechanism for memories.
Personality, my "I" directly depends on my memories, they make us ourselves, making it possible to correlate new knowledge and experience with our personal life experience.
present present
Each of us tried to think the present, to seize it with a conscious effort of will, but the very nature of time is such that the present always tries to dodge, to flow away from the attention paid to it. "Everything flows, everything changes" - this statement belongs to Heraclitus. For the perception of time, he offered a metaphor for the flow: a moment cannot be stopped and not repeated.
A moment is a special category denoting the present of the present. Our consciousness is able to catch it already as a fact of the past - the French philosopher Henri Bergson speaks about this paradox of time. He used the same flow metaphor but applied to consciousness. This means that time and consciousness are of the same nature. Consciousness as a stream of thoughts, feelings and experiences, endlessly replacing each other in a chaotic manner, is an incredibly difficult object to comprehend.
Usually we do not experience instantaneous time, a rare experience available in moments of genuine creativity. Music as art, existing only in time, perfectly demonstrates to us the possibilities of instantaneous time. Music is perceived by our soul, capturing the rhythms and moods of our inner self. We begin to move in time with it, which means we get into the present of the present. This experience of the present gives a powerful impetus to the release of creative energy: dance, improvisation, singing.
The present of the future
The present of the future is our expectations of representation and fantasy. It does not yet exist in the objective world, but we can experience the possible future much more strongly than the present. The excitement before meeting a loved one or a big holiday is this experience of the future. Anticipation of the future can be sweet and pleasant, or it can be frightening and negative. For example, the fear of a driving test or a hard day at work.
In any case, we are able to experience the future before it comes. A person tends to worry so much about the organization of the holiday, to worry about the guests and treats, that the holiday itself ultimately does not live up to his expectations. This often happens with newlyweds who are present at the wedding, but experience it even before the celebration itself.
Summing up, we see that our self tends to constantly avoid the present,
Escape to fantasy or access memories.
We are not so often present in the present, which means that life passes us by.
You need to remember this and try to enjoy the moment. today.
How to do it?
Take and do something unusual, out of the ordinary and, most importantly, spontaneous. This will give you the brightest and deepest emotional experiences in your life.
The moments when the Self feels its integrity and harmony with the world, when the world opens up before us in a new creative perspective, when we penetrate into new meanings and become co-creators of the world, are priceless for all mankind. At such moments, our consciousness acquires vivid personal memories, because we are in them and they become part of our Self.
“If you don’t know how to switch off from problems at work in time, then it will not lead to anything good for you - problems will only multiply,” says Peter Schallard, a psychologist and consultant on productivity and work organization. publishes 4 of his tips that will help you learn to really relax and save you from emotional and professional burnout.
First, decide whether you are ready to solve problems or just think about them.
You should always try to make good use of your time. Thinking is good, but constant thinking without any result is a waste of time. If you come home after work with your head full of thoughts and you need half an hour or an hour to think about them and decide on them, after which you can relax, then that's good. But if your thoughts lead nowhere, and this only makes your head hurt even more, then it's time to do something. You can't stay in this state all the time.
Start a hobby
Immerse yourself in something that will take your mind from useless reflections. It can even help you find a solution to a problem that you never thought of before. Constantly focusing on the problem itself, we sometimes begin to think too narrowly, analyze the problem piece by piece, but completely forget about finding a solution. And relaxing the brain, it may turn out that the solution was right under our noses, we simply could not see it.
Schallard calls this "divergent thinking" and claims that one of his clients, who had a stressful job, used it successfully. He began to go to the pool and paid great attention to his form and training results, thinking at that time exclusively about them. Being distracted in this way, he found solutions to problems faster and more efficiently, and also got rid of constant stress.
Shallard says that's why people build small ships inside glass bottles. Because when you can engage your brain with intuitive and creative tasks, it allows you to relax, which leads to solving other problematic tasks.
Change your emotional state
Thoughts are directly related to your emotional state. Therefore, if you leave work angry, depressed or exhausted, then in the same state you will spend the evening if you do nothing to change your mood.
You can buy antidepressants, but in the long run, this is definitely not the best option. Schallard recommends exercise, healthy food, good music, or another way you enjoy getting your mood back on track. Frowning thoughts on the couch will certainly not help in any way - neither solve the problem nor improve the mood.
With a different mood, the problem may simply disappear, even if only temporarily, but it will give a good respite. At the same time, we will free up recently occupied psychological resources that were not available in a stressful state, and which will now help to find a way out of difficult situations.
Don't talk about problems
Some people have a habit of discussing work issues at home. Perhaps you should make rules about this. Discussing a work day over dinner is fine, but plunging back into the abyss of problems and turmoil is not. You will simply again fall into the same whirlpool of bad mood as during the day.