On building resilience at the workplace 22 January 2026
Courtesy freepik.com
Most people spend almost 60 to 80% of their waking hours in the workplace with varying degrees of success in terms of the outcome or output of their input into their work. For most of them, the term productivity is directly related to how beneficial that output is going to be in terms of future earnings generated by it while for some, it truly represents the quality of the output in terms of getting the best out of them. It has been proven that sustained productivity can only occur where there have been small periods of rest in between large periods of productivity or generation of good output. These rests are meant to resource the individual and allow him/her to take a step back and reassess whatever he/she has been doing and possibly choose alternate routes for better outcomes or build upon what was already achieved for a reinforced chosen route.
In most organisations that deal with static types of input from employees, rest is not something which is encouraged internally nor is it even talked about that much. People who find themselves needing some rest tend to feel uneasy when this need hits them and they either mask it or give into it in a more secretive way than is necessary. Most organisations are all about heightened performance and building competition between colleagues to deliver the best outcome for the organisation, without much regard for the mental or physical state of the individuals within that organisation. From time to time, they will, however, in a very theoretical and detached way, have sessions or limited workshops on the benefits of rest and on ensuring work life balance. This remains mostly theoretical and the organisations prove their own failing to adhere to what they recommend by doing things like allowing work meetings throughout the day, some of which would take up all of lunchtime and go further through the day making having lunch impossible on several days in a row. Employees are assumed to be in agreement with this and not make a fuss about what is considered such a minimal thing in their schedule. This approach is very different to organisations that deal with dynamic types of input like for example those in the entertainment industry or in the business of having other very creative outputs (for example google as it first was or the likes) as rest, a fresh mind and a sense of fun are paramount to the right input from the employees.
In organisations with a static input, it is expected that employees continue to function at a high level of concentration even throughout the days during which they have not been able to have lunch and this of an obvious disservice to those who need to have regular meals, say a diabetic person for example. The only other solution to this conundrum is for the employees in question to have their meal during the work meetings, which during video zoom meetings is obviously uncomfortable or embarrassing for the persons eating. With the peer pressure, these individuals tend to try to adapt to the way other employees behave and end up with any degree of worsening of their health. For those healthy individuals, the recurrent loss of possibility to have a regular meal creates health problems, albeit on the medium to long term.
The end result of all of this is what was well coined as a “rat race” with several individuals competing together or against each other in order to produce the greatest output possible by all means achievable. Think of it as a hamster running on a wheel until that hamster gets exhausted and has to stop or sometimes just die of exhaustion. Year after year, each individual is asked to generate a greater input to deliver a greater output, find within them what is evidently believed to be an infinite pool of resources in order to deliver more than what they did the year before, just enough to satisfy the end users of the output generated, i.e. the shareholders of the organisations in question.
It would seem like there is no solution for this ever-increasing demand of a greater output, of more dedication to the workplace and less indulgence in rest or any type of work-life balance. While the picture looks bleak at first, it is not entirely the case. A primary source of auto-generating favourable inputs and better outcomes is to build resilience, which in this case would mean the capacity to last longer within the same external circumstances. Resilience is not built through sheer will power in delivering an increased input but in attenuating the effect of the external circumstances on the individual. In terms of rest, for example, taking power naps of 5-10 minutes helps boost the decreasing levels of energy that an individual might experience. Without spending too much time on the rest, a similarly favourable result can be achieved this way. Another practice that can increase resilience is to try to keep the timing of the meals the same and choose not to have the video on during a zoom meeting in order to avoid chewing in front of everyone. This together with a reminder to oneself that the meal should be enjoyed despite the constraints helps in making life feel less hectic. Planning out the day by setting aside at least 10 minutes for the organisation of the work at the onset of the work day can also go a long way in terms of helping keep the stress levels down. There will of course always be those unplanned events such as client or other emergencies but these are extraordinary happenings and should remain so. Indeed, if there are always emergencies, it just means that the work has not been allocated the right way or that there is an understaffing problem. Sometimes, the mere act of going outside of the work building and walking among the crowd of people can regenerate the lost energy or at least help to relativise things.
Some people, like myself, build resilience by using positive affirmations and breathing techniques. It is very soothing when one is in a state of increasing stress to close one’s eyes for a few seconds or minutes and use one of the breathing techniques that calm anxiety (Box breathing: inhale for 4 counts, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold lungs empty for 4 and repeat; 4-7-8 breathing: place the tip of your tongue behind your upper front teeth, exhale completely with a whoosh sound, inhale quietly through your nose for 4 counts, hold your breath for 7, exhale completely through your mouth with a whoosh sound for 8 and repeat). It is also possible to increase one’s energy using something like the technique of the breath of fire which is used in yoga. In terms of positive affirmations, I particularly like one “I make effective and quality business decisions. I have the insight to identify unique opportunities that will increase my performance” which I alternate with self-care positive affirmations like “I have a healthy mind. I am free from anxiety and fear. I rise above negative and toxic thoughts. I think only positive and productive things. I break free from the chains of worry, pain, and shame holding me down” or even “I choose myself. I am deliberate about taking care of myself. I refuse to be used and abused. My health and wellness are a priority.” For me, the daily use of the breathing techniques coupled with the positive affirmations has radically changed both my approach to stress as well as the resilience I have for challenges I may face and this actually extends to more than just work. I feel more energised, more empowered and confident in my own abilities and capacity for generating an optimised input.
For those interested, I am happy to share other positive affirmations than those noted down here. Please feel free to comment here or reach me at the email listed in my about section if you want me to share more of these positive affirmations.
Laura Wright - Barber's Agnus Dei/The Sound Of Strength
On the tribulations of being bipolar 13 January 2026
Courtesy freepik.com
I was diagnosed bipolar during my first episode that occurred beyond my forties after a prolonged period of stress where I had to juggle many difficulties within a high stress environment. After my initial diagnosis, I was told two things that bore significance for me: 1 – People are usually diagnosed as bipolar during their childhood, adolescence or early adulthood as a bipolar episode would have happened by then and 2 – The condition is called generally bipolar without distinction while technically, some people are not bipolar but rather unipolar when the depression component lacks in their mood. In my case, the diagnosis was bipolar even though no depression cycle was ever observed by others nor experienced by me. Together with the fact that I had suffered no previous episode before, this led me to believe that perhaps I was wrongly diagnosed but a request for a new diagnosis was not carried out.
Growing up, I had learnt to cover up my autism (a condition that was later identified but initially overlooked) by assimilating external patterns to cover my social inadequacy such as my incapacity to pick up social cues that everyone seemed to be well aware of. At the same time, I had always felt acutely the changes in atmosphere and had a greater ability to sense when people were lying. I had succeeded in fully masking my autism but for some small events where onlookers witnessed OCD-like behaviour together with a heightened desire to have a succession of habits that comforted me and allowed me to function quasi normally within my family or the broader society. With the bipolar element though, it was difficult to just cover up its effects that went beyond mere social inadequacy. I suffered a repeated bipolar episode when I was subjected to another stressful environment and emerging out of it felt like a victory although it felt like I had to reinvent myself all over again under watchful though uncaring eyes.
At my initial bipolar episode, I had little to no support whether socially or professionally and later on, it became obvious that being ill meant you did not survive as nobody around cared so I gritted my teeth and with the help of meditation, relaxation techniques and my energy healing techniques that I had acquired, I carved out a life that would not collapse at the advent of another bipolar episode. I also made sure I continued my medication even when I felt absolutely fine and even through all my sessions of meditation and energy healings. I wanted to ensure I kept the bipolar episodes at bay because, ultimately, if I let go, it would be the end of any normal social or professional life.
After my second bipolar episode - also stress-induced - I realised that not only do most people not care about people with varying mental disabilities, but they also are somehow either afraid of them or consider them to be childlike and thus incapable of restraint. Therefore, their response when meeting someone bipolar, for example, is to either reject them, be wary and refuse to engage with them normally or try to monitor and micro-manage them, whether in a social or professional context. Despite the various sessions organised by institutions to increase awareness about such medical conditions, the tendency to avoid, belittle, smother or exclude continues both in social and professional environments. This makes it harder for people with non-visible disabilities like us bipolars to thrive within these environments as we are already carrying on a battle within ourselves between the need to perform within our social and professional environments and the effects the ostracism of others has upon us.
Nobody sees or knows of this daily battle because it is cloaked within us as we continue to hide from those who still do not know about our condition, hoping that this would lead to a better social and professional outcome. The most awful thing that can happen for someone like us who has such a condition and does not want others to know for fear of reprisal or ostracism, is when the information is leaked despite our best efforts. This happened to me as my condition was leaked to other colleagues, making my interaction with some of them stilted or just leading to ostracism and/or simple rejection. Some started observing me, trying to pick up on every little oddity that I may express so as to speak about this with others. Partnerships caved in, relationships became tense where they once were normal. Others tried to orient me towards what they thought I should do about my condition and some kept trying to monitor me believing that I should be reduced to the level of a child and could not manage my own condition despite the fact I was working with health professionals on a regular basis and was successfully managing my condition.
I kept this within me for a number of years, still keeping my condition under wraps as much as possible, considering the situation I was in. Lately, however, I decided that I should not need to cover up my condition. The fact that institutions and especially managers within those institutions may not be ready to harbour within them an individual with a condition they do not understand should not stop us from owning what we are. Most of us are resilient and have carved a good life for ourselves despite being bipolar or having another non-visible mental condition. There is also linked to the bipolar condition a great potential for tremendous creativity and productivity, especially for those of us who are unipolar as we don’t sink into depression after the phase where we are experiencing a high. I have also talked to other bipolar individuals and we seem to share one interesting fact which is that during our “high phase”, we have no limitations as everything seems possible so we can solve a lot of problems creatively and while others think out of the box to solve/create/innovate, we just think and see no box thereby applying our mind in infinite ways. This might account for my earlier ability to achieve good grades in school and University without the need for assiduity in my studies and could also account for my good results in chess competitions in the past, before I decided to stop competition in order to concentrate on my family life.
When I look at my own experience and that of others whom I have talked to, I believe society has still got a lot to do to catch up on how individuals with hidden disabilities, more specifically mental conditions, should be treated. This would need the schooling system to generate more awareness and empathy for such conditions and for professional institutions as well as faith based entities to promulgate more favourable conditions for people like us, whether bipolar, autistic, or suffering from another mental condition. Raising awareness is definitely a good step in the right direction but beyond the awareness of the condition, institutions need to be aware, themselves, of the negative biases their employees harbour against people with mental conditions and make sure that there are adequate measures to pick this up and put an end to it. It is not enough to explain how such individuals should be treated, including with fairness and openness/inclusion, there should be a measure of how a particular individual may be subject to unfairness and lack of inclusion. Managers should receive appropriate training if it is found that they have individuals with certain mental conditions within their team. In a world where people who are bipolar like us struggle to perform, where we feel that it is more a jungle than a safe space to grow in, we need the institutions we work for to recognise our contribution and keep us safe from those who increasingly attempt to cut us off merely because they do not know how to interact with us or are afraid of us. The future can only be inclusive because it is by our diversity that we make the greatest progress, not by our uniformity.
Peter Gabriel - My body is a cage [Thony Hacket Thorn (Konto Video)]
Overcoming the enemy gaining fame and everlastingness 12 January 2026
Courtesy freepik.com
anet hra’k Nut, anet hra’k Ãusãr, anet hra’k Heru. ãu-nã ãaui-ã er sexer xeft-ã anet hra’k Heru semaãxeru-ã er xeft-ã Heru ter-f xeft-ã un-f maa xeft-ã śetentet em ãhã er-ã nuk Het Heru nuk per em Nut un-nã ããu pet tã-ten sexem-ã em mu un-nã urt en Ãusãr seneś-nã qebh sexem-ã em mu mã ãua Set xeru-f Ari-nã xeft-ã ãuk em set ãn ãuk-ã ãn ennux-ã ããb-ã neter neb xennu maat-ã em Ãnnu nuk kefa ur urt-ab rut-nã ren-ã ãnx-ã nexexet-ã ãu ertã-nã neheh ãt t’eru-f nuk ãst ãu neheh
Hail to thee Nut, hail to thee Osiris, hail to thee Horus May be to me my two hands and arms to overthrow my enemy Hail to thee Horus, making me to triumph over my enemy Horus hath destroyed my enemy May he open my enemy’s two eyes which are blinded Not there be resistance to me. I am Hathor. I am the comer forth from Nut I open the two doors of Heaven Grant ye that I may gain power over the water I have opened the flood of Osiris. I have passed through the flood I have gained power in the water as conquered Set his enemies Make for me my enemy burn in the fire Let me not be burnt. Let me not be consumed I wash God every within my eye in Heliopolis I am exalted, the Mighty one, still Heart. I make to grow my name I live I grow strong. Hath been given to me eternity without its limits Behold I am the heir of eternity
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