Please Check your Personal Problems at the Door: Dealing with Heartbreak at the Office

Has this happened to you?

I was writing a comprehensive report regarding the state of the convention industry post 9/11. Blah blah, I know. Basically, I had to produce an important report at work – here’s an excerpt from the final piece:

…While it is true that convention attendance has shown a decline in Las Vegas with first quarter numbers down 32 percent, hope still exists…hope, what hope?  I’m alone and depressed. I cannot believe that I am in my 30′s and have no one in my life…hope still exists as a sharp upward trend has revealed itself in the second quarter…

My heart had been broken three months prior and every conversation, correspondence, and work related product was still laced with flashbacks of the break up. So, has this happened to you? You’re in the middle of your work day, trying to concentrate, when pangs of fear about the future or a wicked memory from the break-up weave through your daily routine? Managers advise their employees to “check all personal problems at the door and pick them up on the way out.” For many, this would require ripping their heart out and leaving it in the coat closet – it’s just not possible. What is possible, however, is to increase our concentration at work with some simple exercises.

There are existing methods and original methods that we have developed in order to shift your mind from a state of pain back to a laser pointed focus. Increase your concentration with these tools and get any job done at work. If you find yourself unable to function at your fullest potential at work, please know you are not alone – try the exercises below.

The Exercises. First, try a simple method to redirect lost attention by sipping ice cold water while working. This has the effect of calming your nerves and cooling distractions. Another effective tool to increase concentration is to draw a dot on the wall or paper in front of you. After you have drawn your dot, stare at it for at least sixty seconds while taking deep breaths in and out. A third technique is to literally create tunnel vision by cupping your hands around your eyes. This allows focus to be limited to only your screen or whatever is in front of you. (Beware of using this method during meetings or with your boss!)

More Exercises. When you have a rather long project to conquer, try dividing it into smaller sections. For example, with presentations you can aim to complete a minimum number of slides before taking a break. If you find your concentration breaking, push yourself to go at least 2 minutes longer. A similar method is used when you workout and push yourself to do an extra 2-3 reps after your muscles are already exhausted. When you push yourself, it helps augment your overall concentration threshold. In addition to all the exercises above, it is important to track any disruptions in concentration by writing down the time you start a project to until the point you become distracted. Is it every 30 minutes, every 5 minutes, every 30 seconds? Tracking serves the dual purpose of demonstrating progress as well as increasing increments between the distractions themselves. Finally, if you are overwhelmed by distractions, take out a pad and write down your current thoughts while committing to read them and sort through them after work.

Bonus Exercises!! The next two exercises are based on the copyrighted work of Paul Dennison, Ph.D., and Gail Dennison who founded Brain Gym® International.

Brain Buttons - This exercise helps enhance blood flow to the brain in order to “switch on” the whole brain. The increased blood flow facilitates concentration skills required for writing, reading, etc.

•    Open one hand up so that there is as wide a space as possible between the thumb and index finger.
•    Next find the slight indentations below the collar bone on either side of the sternum and place your open hand with your thumb in one indentation and index finger in the other. Begin to press lightly and in a pulsing manner.
•    Simultaneously, put the other hand over the navel area. Gently press on all three points for approximately two minutes.

Cross Crawl - This exercise assists in coordinating the right and left brain by exercising the flow of information between both hemispheres. This workout is great for spelling, listening, writing, reading and comprehension.

•    Stand up or sit down. Put your right hand across your body to your left knee as you raise your left knee. Then do the same thing for the left hand on your right knee – as if you were marching.
•    Continue this exercise for approximately two minutes.

Do you have problems concentrating after your break up? Provide your questions and comments below.

Tagged as: Concentration, Heartbreak, Office