Welcome to the Buddhist Boot Camp Podcast. Our intention is to awaken, enlighten, enrich, and inspire a simple and uncomplicated life. Discover the benefits of mindful living with your host, Timber Hawkeye.

My friend Tanya was recently complaining about how stressful her job can be and she was contemplating looking for new work. So we tried to determine whether the problem is the job or her attitude about it. In other words, is it the

load that's breaking her back or is it the way she's carrying it?

Tanya is only in her mid-30s but already juggling anxiety and bouts of depression,

not to mention sleep deprivation and fatigue.

Knowing her quite well, the demands of the job are not necessarily the problem as she's the kind of person who would likely find a way to be equally stressed working in a small town cafe as she is as a lead executive managing a dozen employees on a multi-million dollar project.

We talked about her habitual tendencies and how she usually responds to situations outside of work in the same way as she does in the office,

as if everything is a life or death situation. So we discovered a general pattern of overreacting

in almost all circumstances. As Tanya and I kept talking, however, we of over

reacting in almost all circumstances.

As Tanya and I kept talking, however, we did find a pattern of behavior, a healthy

one this time, where she actually doesn't stress about something

that other people would normally get really upset about.

A brand new expensive glass coffee table shattered in her living room and her immediate reaction

and attitude was more se la vie than anything else. I think it's important for us to recognize these patterns

in ourselves because only after we are aware of them can we replace unhealthy tendencies

with new ones. If we can get her to respond to work-related

situations the same way she kept her cool when something expensive broke, then

every aspect of her life would improve. So that was her assignment to apply the same non-reactive

perspective at work as she does in other situations. The very following week Tanya

called me to say there was a moment at work when she was about to get

frustrated, completely freak out and explode all over

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