How to Relieve Stress by Planning for Reality and Not Against It
Even though development and humanitarian work is unpredictable, there are some things that we know will happen. When I was in South Sudan, these included: - Delayed procurements - Last minute government meetings - Late liquidations submitted by partners I knew these things were going to happen, and yet, I planned my time as if they were not. Looking back on this, I find it so fascinating how we often resist reality. Rather than planning based on knowing what will likely happen, we plan as if everything will go the way we want it to. And it causes so much stress. When we resist reality (and believe me, you're probably doing this in some way), when we want things to be different, it causes us to suffer. Just to be clear, it's not the broken system causing your stress.... it's not accepting the broken system, and planning around it. Listen to this episode for ways this may be showing up for you (hint: look for where you feel pressured and stressed in your work) and how to accept what is, and plan in a way that will help relieve your stress, not create more of it. Resources mentioned: Zen Story: Flow Like a River