at work, it was a legislative session year, my 3rd session in this job. i stayed busy the whole time, january through may, unlike previous sessions. in addition to publishing various versions of the budget as it wound its way through the legislative process, we tested new features for our software apps. i accumulated over 100 hours of comp time, a record for me.
i stayed healthy in my body during the session, because i made it a priority. yoga is my practice. i also meditated often. i became aware sooner when i began to hold stress in my body and consciously released it. this practice helped me maintain equanimity in an environment in which everyone around me was stressed and kept me feeling compassion for all. (although sometimes when i saw someone extremely stressed, i thought, "why don't you do yoga or sit in silence for a few minutes?," knowing that my question would NOT be well received).
i am the person at my agency who coordinates with eleanor harris, our massage therapist. eleanor came twice a week during session, and once a week after. i send out the massage emails and put out the sign-up sheets. people can sign up for as few as 10 minutes and as many as 30. eleanor got a lot of work during the session. she noticed aloud to me one day that when people's muscles are tight, they don't feel as much.
two people at my agency died during the session. one had a stroke and died a week later. the other had a heart attack in her sleep.
this is the first time any active employee has died in my place of work. it was very distressing to everyone. in a way, though, it brought us together in tender compassion for ourselves and the families of those who died.
i have come to consider that this job isn't just publishing the state budget, writing software instructions, etc., serving the state of texas by making its budget publicly available and thus preventing the kind of major government corruption often seen elsewhere in the world.
this job is just as much about managing stress. but they don't tell you that when you interview. you have to read between the lines.
we're lucky to have an aware and compassionate executive director who asked eleanor to offer massage at work in the first place and who weekly comes to one of her yoga classes. the agency also now has a wellness program, complete with an exercise room equipped with a stationary bicycle, treadmill, elliptical machine, VCR and workout videos, exercise balls, and small weights. and there are walking and stair-climbing groups to join as well as 3 yoga classes, salsa classes, and so forth available at lunchtime.
i notice that some people get massage, and some don't. some exercise, and some don't. it is truly up to the individual to figure out that part of their job is managing stress and then figure out what to do about it. we don't really get much education about stress--it's (pardon the pun) on-the-job training.
if i were the queen of the universe, i would bring stress out of the closet at work. i would bring in someone who could teach what is known about stress and the effects on the body, short-term and long-term, and how to differentiate between positive stress--the kind that challenges you to learn something new, do something better--and negative stress--the kind that diminishes performance.
i would give each person sessions with a personal coach so that they could become aware of stress in their bodies and find healthy strategies for relieving it, instead of overeating or eating junk food, drinking, or being unhappy all the time.
i'm not the queen of the universe, but at least i can have my say on this blog.
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