It started, like many bad days do, with a meeting. The kind where your boss asks for feedback, but you know they’re not really listening. The kind where your to-do list doubles before lunch. The kind where your work is described as “simple” right before more of it lands on your plate.
By the end of that call, I could feel my chest tightening.
Emails were stacking up. Messages were pinging.
Finding Space in the Middle of It All
Some days, the only thing that keeps us from breaking is sending each other a short message – “Take a walk. Breathe. Nobody will die.”
Thankfully, I wasn’t alone.
Arati and I work in the same team. We’ve both had those days where you just stare at your screen, wondering how to catch your breath between deliverables.
It sounds almost funny when you say it out loud, but it’s true. Nobody’s going to die if the report gets sent an hour later.
The world won’t collapse if you close your laptop on time.
Sometimes, that’s the only perspective you need to stay human in a job that asks you to be a machine.
Learning Presence (Even When You Don’t Have Time)
When I first read “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle, I didn’t think it would apply to work stress.
But there’s one line that stuck with me:
“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have.”
In the middle of deadlines, it’s easy to live entirely in tomorrow – the next call, the next deck, the next problem.
But presence, even for a few seconds, interrupts the spiral.
Sometimes it’s as small as taking a deep breath before replying to an email.
Or closing your eyes for ten seconds after a tough meeting.
Those little pauses don’t solve the chaos, but they help you stop carrying it.
Our Small Rules for Sanity
Over time, Arati and I built a few quiet rules for surviving high-stress days:
- Walk away after tough meetings. Even two minutes outside changes your body chemistry.
- No venting after 6 p.m. It just keeps your brain in “work mode.”
- If it’s not fixed by today, it’s not worth ruining your night.
- Celebrate micro-wins. Sending that one difficult email is progress.
- End your day, even if your work isn’t done. It never really is anyway.
These aren’t revolutionary, they’re reminders.
And sometimes, that’s enough.
You Are Not Your Inbox
The truth is, corporate life rarely rewards calm.
We’re praised for endurance, not boundaries.
For saying yes, not for knowing when to stop.
But here’s what I’ve learned:
You can give your best and still close your laptop on time.
You can care deeply and still protect your peace.
The work will always ask for more – that’s what work does.
But at some point, you have to decide that you’ve done enough for today.
And when that meeting ends, or that task refuses to cooperate, remind yourself:
Nobody will die.
Just breathe.
That’s enough for now.
With clarity,
— Elian Sage 🌿
theslowedit.org