Today so much of our lives are spent in the office. The
corporate jungle takes an unimaginable toll on the heart. The endless
deadlines, the deadly competitiveness, going from one crisis to another,
negatively impact the body. Nature’s ultimate survival mechanism of fight or
flight becomes a chronic response. Such a response is like using an atom bomb
to kill an ant—totally inappropriate. Due to the modern urge to change jobs
rapidly, many executives find themselves in threatening environments surrounded
by potential enemies. They have had no time to develop friends or trusted
supports. Every day they walk into the modern equivalent of a jungle infested
with wild animals and danger. Family support systems are far away. Nuclear
families build up explosive pressure due to a revolution of rising
expectations, fuelled by the media.
Many of us spend most of our time at work. If we do not
enjoy our work, if we feel overwhelmed by it, it will surely damage us. The
constant pressure of negative emotions causes inescapable damage to our
arteries and other delicate tissues. It also slows down the body’s capacity to
repair this damage. Politics can make the blood boil with suppressed rage and
unexpressed anxiety. ‘Fast tracking,’ being a corporate star, will extract the
inevitable price of damage to arteries if you are not ‘mindful’, if you are not
aware of the impact of everything you do on your system. Mindfulness will help
you unclench and relax the muscles, slow down the racing heartbeat. You can
start by consciously breathing slowly and calmly.
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