I work in an office that is highly vulnerable to stress and panic. At the same time, I do my best work when I can focus, exclude distractions and prioritize. How can I keep the tendency to join the panic wagon at bay? I find that I'm often caught up in whatever the latest mania is, and it cause me to produce errors, which makes it worse. Most days, I'm simultaneously responding to vague and stress-inducing Lync messages/requests from my boss, while on the phone with a client, while trying to review statistics and spreadsheets that really should have my full attention. And the errors, of course, make it worse because those add to the stress. I try as much as possible to keep organized and parcel out my work, but I'm still often switching constantly from one thing to another and not able to devote my full attention to any one thing.
A lot of the work environment is political (in a capital P sense) and beyond my control. Even my boss, when given the time to stop and reflect and when not caught up in conflicting demands (her day is as I describe mine above but worse) admits that we really don't need to freak out. But I think she 'catches' it from others, and I, in turn, 'catch' it from her and other people. I want to find ways to inoculate myself from the panic of the environment around me.
A lot of the work environment is political (in a capital P sense) and beyond my control. Even my boss, when given the time to stop and reflect and when not caught up in conflicting demands (her day is as I describe mine above but worse) admits that we really don't need to freak out. But I think she 'catches' it from others, and I, in turn, 'catch' it from her and other people. I want to find ways to inoculate myself from the panic of the environment around me.
