Leonard Ng

Why You Fall Sick the Minute Your Vacation Begins

by // Leave a Comment

Image by Benjamin Combs.
Image by Benjamin Combs.

It happens over and over again:

The work is done, the loose ends are tied up, and all your responsibilities have been handed over. You’ve been working extra hard and you’ve had to put in some extra hours over the last couple of weeks to get it all settled — but it’s all totally worth it, because now you’re on vacation!

And then you get sick.

You get a fever. Your nose drips. Your throat gets sore. Your allergies act up.

All you want to do is lie in bed and be grumpy all day.

This sucks.

If you’re one of those people with a tendency to get sick the moment you take a break from work, this post is for you.

[Read more…]

How to Be Mindful When You Don’t Have Time

by // Leave a Comment

hawk
Image by Adrian Kirby.

Meditation is good, but you don’t practise it.

You’re too busy, or you have too many things to do, or you’re always in a hurry to get somewhere, or you’re too tired at the end of the day.

And even when you do sit down to try and empty your mind, you feel a massive sense of guilt about everything else you ought to be doing instead.

(Oddly enough, sitting still for 15 minutes feels like a giant waste of time, while 15 minutes spent on social media doesn’t…

…because one forces you to pay painful attention to the messed-up inside of your head, while the other lets you take refuge in comforting distraction.)

Whatever your reasons, it all boils down to one thing:

You don’t have time.

So here are three ways to remain mindful even when you’re on the go — quick check-ins that will bring you back to the present moment and allow you to centre yourself before your next activity.

[Read more…]

What to Do Before You Burn Out

by // Leave a Comment

Image by typographyimages.
Image by typographyimages.

You know what it feels like. You dread going to work. You feel tired all the time. You get upset about little things like people not saying hello to you in the morning.

You’re far too busy and overloaded to get the job done right, so you’re just phoning it in. You find it hard to focus. You stare into space a lot.

You used to love your job and you worked very hard at it. Now it seems like work never ends. It’s all-consuming. You no longer have time for former friendships and hobbies.

You feel like you no longer care about anything anymore.

All you want to do is escape.

And you hate it.

Welcome to Burnout

What is burnout, anyway? Here’s my definition:

Burnout is what happens after a period when your energy expenditure has been consistently greater than your ability to recover, draining your reserves to the point where you have no energy left.

That is, you’ve been draining the tank for too long and now you’re running on empty.

[Read more…]

Slow Down to Go Faster: What to Do When You’re Feeling Overwhelmed

by // Leave a Comment

low gear
Image by hhabicht.

Life can feel too much for us sometimes.

It feels like we have too many things to handle at once. Too many things to think about, too many things to juggle.

And when this situation lasts for too long it can start to feel like there isn’t any point to life any longer. After all, what’s the point of living when we no longer have the time or energy to do the things that are actually important to us, that actually give our lives meaning?

When faced with such a situation, it’s very easy to give in to despair and hopelessness. And most of the advice out there doesn’t help.

Because most of the advice out there falls into 2 broad categories: either 1) quit or 2) suck it up / force your way through.

The problem is that, in a great many situations, neither of these solutions is realistic.

Fortunately, there’s a better option.

[Read more…]

Don’t Force Things, Flow with Them (Part 3)

by // Leave a Comment

Surfer at Sunrise
Image by Frank McKenna.
A Rhythmic World

Life on our planet is all about rhythm.

Everything oscillates: inbreath and outbreath, high tide and low tide, day and night, waking and sleeping.

Our hearts beat in rhythm. That’s what keeps us alive.

Rhythm is made up of rise and fall, activity and rest. Often we think only in terms of activity, measuring our days by what we’ve done; but rest is what shapes our actions and makes them meaningful, just as the pauses between notes allow us to make sense of music.

The same applies to our own energy.

Four Kinds of Energy

Energy is about much more than physical tiredness. Generally speaking we have four kinds of energy: physical energy, emotional energy, mental energy, and willpower.

[Read more…]