As we near the end of the year, we reflected back on some of the biggest ah-ha moments we had with our clients. Although our days are mostly uplifting, this one personally changed how both Deb and I choose to walk through the door and connect with our loved ones on those not-so-happy days. We hope it will inspire a moment of mindfulness for you during this busy holiday season.
A Chief Human Resource Officer shared, “In the past I found that when I was having a bad day at work, I walked through the door, and I’d bring my bad day to my family. I would change the mood. People would be happy and then I'd come in and I'd just have this demeanor about me that I had a stressful day. A colleague said, ‘That's your choice. Why not stop before you get to the back door breathe and say, I'm going to enter this house as a father and enjoy my family’. I started practicing that. It took me literally 10 seconds, but changed my whole mood at the end of the day and changed the impact I had on my family.” - CHRO, Global Pharma.
Many studies show that emotions are contagious. We cannot help but mimic the way someone is expressing their mood. When we walk through a threshold at the end of a tough day oozing negative emotions, we are actually giving them to those around us. Are we carrying stress, exhaustion, or frustration with us, or are we able to leave it outside? The choice is ultimately ours; by consciously deciding who we are bringing home to our loved ones, we can create a sanctuary of warmth and happiness.
This holiday season, before we walk through the door, let’s embrace the simple practice of:
pausing
taking deep breaths
releasing negative emotions, and
connecting with who we want to bring home to our loved ones
This simple act of mindfulness can transform our mindset and environment overall, allowing us to focus on the joy of being present with loved ones or within our own space.
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