Focusing Tip #738 – “I have to keep working in an unsafe situation.”

What if your work is unsafe and you have to keep doing it, and you’re scared? Read on…

A Reader writes:

I’m really curious about what to do when you have to work in an unsafe situation and you need to continue to work there and it’s not going to get more safe for quite a while.

I’m listening to inner parts about how unsafe they are feeling. It’s realistic that there is reason for concern but there’s nothing I can do about that.

It’s also part of my job to help others in the same unsafe situation to stay calm.

Dear Reader:

I’m fortunate that I can do my work safely… but I can just imagine how stressful it must be, to be facing the challenge of being unsafe at work. I’m sorry you’re having to go through that.

And I am so glad you are listening to the scared parts of you. That’s an important first step… and in some cases, it may be all that’s needed.

“I really hear how worried you are… and I am here with you.”

Perhaps throughout your day you pause and acknowledge these worried, scared parts of you. Giving yourself this kind of accompaniment is soothing in itself, and fills in what for many of us has been missing since childhood.

And then there is how to go deeper.

That has to do with taking some quiet time and really listening to what it is about this current situation that feels especially scary.

You might feel like you already know… but I assure you, there is more. Even if the answer is, “Because I might die,” there is more under that. There is what it is about dying that would be especially awful… for you.

Once I invited a group of ten people to each sense the answer to “What it is about dying that feels like the worst for me?” We went around the room… and there were ten different answers. From “Nothingness” to “Leaving my loved ones” to “No more chance to write my book.”

Or maybe it’s not dying that this part of you is scared of, but pain, helplessness, loss. You’ll know when you listen… with an open mind and heart.

Most important to remember: Listening heals… even if there is nothing you can do. Compassionate listening IS doing something… something rare and precious.

Other Helpful Resources:

How To Shift Stressful Feelings (Opens in a new browser tab)

Focusing Tip #729 – “After Focusing, I felt no relief” (Opens in a new browser tab)