This is Part 1 of a series of 5 articles where I explore the impact of our thoughts, our limiting beliefs, our values, our feelings, our assumptions on our physical bodies. These examples are taken from my personal experiences as a coach. The names used in this article have been changed to honour confidentiality. The stories have been shortened to focus on the issue. As I deal with each experience in the subsequent weeks, I will share a little more of their stories.
The Players
1. Parineeta has a well-paying job and her consistent performance has won her lot of accolades and appreciation from the management and her peers. Her team also loves her and holds her in high esteem.
2. Manish is the project manager in one of the prolific IT companies. Whenever he has to make a presentation to a client (which is quite often), he psyches himself and is totally absorbed in his presentation. He says he thrives on pressure.
3. Ganesh and Vinod were best friends and colleagues in the same company. They had joined the company together and were both climbing the corporate ladder steadily.
4. Kalpana had a convenient job. The office was close to her house and she could go home in time, to spend the required time with her kids. The salary was handsome and together with her husband’s salary they were living a comfortable life.
The Experiences
1. Parineeta is constantly worried about losing her job. She is worried the stock markets will crash and her investments will be reduced to nothing. She is the sole bread earner in the family with 2 elderly parents and a college going brother. Recently she is experiencing some tingling sensation in her hands especially with her thumb. She has consulted a doctor and has done an x ay of her hands. Nothing seems to be wrong physically.
2. During the 3-4 days leading to the presentation, Manish skips his regular meals. He feels spending time on eating is a waste of time. He does acknowledge the importance of food for the body and keeps a steady supply of chocolates and biscuits. He knows he needs the sugar to keep himself vigilant. During the last few presentations, he experienced extreme fatigue. One evening he dozed off and opened his eyes the next morning.
3. Vinod was chosen for an overseas assignment which he delivered to the extreme satisfaction of the management. On his return he received a handsome bonus and an untimely promotion. In the next assignment Vinod was in charge and Ganesh had to report to him. Though Ganesh accepted the situation gracefully, Vinod was regretting and feeling guilty for his untimely promotion. One day, Vinod developed a severe pain in the shoulder which subsided with physiotherapy, but resurfaced every time he stopped his exercises. The x-ray showed no ligament tear or bone damage.
4. Kalpana was very angry with her boss. He was a khadoos – rude, snobbish and did not care of anyone but himself. No one liked him. No matter how much she tried, her performance was never appreciated. In fact, he always seemed to find faults in her work. Lately she has been slipping and falling often. Once it was on the road while walking to office. Several times it was on the steps at her home. Once she slipped and fell in the office. Once she sprained her ankle badly and had to rest her foot for a week. Another time she had a hairline fracture in her hand. She had to rest completely and was taking painkillers. Kalpana was wondering why she was encountering so many accidents all of a sudden.
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