So I put three different subjects in the title because there are a bunch of different but related thoughts swirling around.  For a few years now I’ve been engaged as the technical support for a large project, merging three electronic health records into one.  I worked hand in hand with the primary project manager.  Two days ago without warning I received a company memo that the project manager was being reassigned due to a larger reorganization, effective two days from now.  I had a flood of emotions pour in; surprise that I didn’t know, anger that the manager was ditching the project well before completion, happy that the manager was getting to do something he enjoyed more, anxiety about the future.  That last one is the hard one, born of change, which itself is the only permanence we are guaranteed, to paraphrase a great friend and mentor.

And it is true, the only permanent thing in life is change.  That’s been more than evident the last few years as the company I worked for merged with two others, and as my personal life faced challenges I never could have anticipated (hopefully I will finally write about those later on).  I recently read A Survival Guide to the Stress of Organizational Change (Pritchett & Associated, Inc.) that I’m referring back to now.  It has information on mistakes we make that create stress, way of coping with change, how to win by surrendering, and how to manage stress and that stress can be a helpful tool when managed.

So how do I manage stress?  I structure stress management in a holistic model having three main components: 1. Physical, 2. Mental, 3. Spiritual.  I’ve conquered Physical pretty well.  My diet is primarily protein and vegetables with very limited carbohydrates and sugars.  I’m at the gym every weekday morning and perform PT exercises at home in the evenings.  My sleep still needs some work – I aim to be in bed at 9 and asleep by 9:30, and I’m up at 4:15 to hit the gym.  Mental is harder – having a mentor has been instrumental in paving a path.  Meditation is important.  And this doesn’t have to be sitting on the floor with your legs crossed and humming “Ohhmmmm…”  Meditation for me takes place when I’m on my motorcycle, when I’m taking a walk, when I’m enjoying my morning coffee.  It’s any time that I get to be alone and can reflect on life.  Spiritual is the big hurdle right now, but I’ve started making steps.  I’m not religious, have not been for a very long time, but after reading an article recently I’m coming to the conclusion that there are benefits to engaging the spirit, that a place of worship doesn’t have to be a church, but that a place of worship regardless of deity or theology can provide the structure to cull out the negative and toxic parts of life that so often define us and help replace them with the positivity that should sustain us.  It’s going to take me a little while, but I believe I can get there.

I don’t know where my professional life is headed right now, but I’m definitely at a crossroads.  I’m hoping to get some insight soon from my leadership, the uncertainty on how my functions are going to change is uncomfortable, but there is one thing that I am certain of: I believe in myself. Just hours before the reorganization memo was sent out I finished reading Simon T. Bailey’s Release your Brilliance.  One of the ending chapters is dedicated to realizing those big and important moments in life where change is occurring, and once defined to seize on them and act, to not sit idly by.  I won’t be sitting, I’m pledged into action, we’ll see what exciting adventure awaits!