Red Pencils and Running Shoes

It shouldn’t be much of a surprise to anyone that I am a Type-A, anxiety-ridden individual.  A lot of people in my profession are certainly Type-A, and a lot of people in my family deal with anxiety. 

Even as a baby, I showed signs of anxiety.  I mean, seriously, look at those little fists of fury!  What infant gets so stressed?  Not much has changed 23 years later - I find myself balling up my fists when I get tense.  Since during busy season, I’m tense approximately 90% of the time, I’ve noticed this happening more and more. 

Some things have helped.  Yoga, for one, has been a huge help.  By focusing on my balance and my breathing, it’s hard to focus on much else at the same time.  Even just 20 minutes in the morning helps start the day on the right foot.  Running helps too, but not as much.  I am able to take out any frustrations on the treadmill, and I feel so strong after a good run. 

Sometimes though, the stressors swell up and it feels like all the yoga or running in the world won’t wash them away.  It gets a little hard to breathe, everything irritates you, and you have to peel your fingers out of the fists you catch yourself making.  What if it’s the middle of the workday, and you know that since you’ll be working until 10pm that you won’t be able to lay your anger out on the treadmill until the following morning?

Here are a few tips I’ve picked up from an article I read in Real Simple a few months ago.  This is one of the few articles that I keep returning to over and over – I should just tape it to my refrigerator!  I hope this helps you all ease your mind when times get rough.  You can read the whole article here… and I really hope you do!

1)  Make it worse.  There have certainly been times when I start to panic.  “OMG I have to lead this conference call, what if I forget what I’m supposed to say?”  “OMG I can’t believe the senior manager saw me trip.  What if he kicks me off all his jobs because I’m embarrassing?”  Real Simple says that instead of controling your anxieties (which only makes them worse), exaggerate them instead,and see what happens.  Go ahead and trip in front of your manager.  Maybe he’ll tease you a little bit for it, but chances are he won’t even notice.  (Take my word for this one.  I almost fell on my face last year in front of a manager, and yet somehow I’m still on all his jobs!)

2)  Set aside worry time.  I love this line from Real Simple: “All too often we take a “Crackberry” approach to our worries: They show up unannounced, like constantly dinging e-mails, and we stop everything to address them―even if we should be doing something else.”  In case the crackberry wasn’t bad enough with real emails – then we get these stressors pinging ups all the time.  I have observed in myself and my coworkers that we spend so much time focused on how much everything sucks that we could have spent that fretting time doing something productive.  Real Simple suggests writing down your worries throughout the day, and forgetting about them.  Then take 20 minutes later in the day to look over your whole list – how many of those worries do you actually still care about?!  Chances are there will be very few.

3)  Breathe it out.  This one really hit home for me.  Ever notice how you hold your breath when you’re stressed?  Think about it – you probably do it more than you realize.  (I was doing it just now!)  We can’t forget to breathe, guys!  As if you weren’t already worried enough – your body is worried that it’s suffocating, and it just makes you feel worse.  Concentrate on your breathing as though you are in yoga class.  For a minute, just breathe.  Don’t let anything else cross your mind.  Even a few deep breaths will help you relax and stay focused!

I hope these few tips helped you out.  There are so many more in the article itself, and I hope it helps you as much as it has helped me.  Godspeed my friends – busy season is almost over!

What do you do to stay relaxed?

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Hey guys!

So obviously I fibbed a little bit in my last post – clearly I have not posted since Saturday.  I’m not going to lie – I feel like I’ve gotten hit by a mack truck.  We worked until 11 on Monday and 930 last night, and I’ve been using every extra minute to sleep and catch up with robert (oh and maybe read a few chapters of twilight!).  I hope you all understand!

I have so many pictures to share with you all, but I haven’t even had time to load them to the computer.  I’ve gotta get one of those new fangled card reader devices

Hang tight – I hear tonight is supposed to be an early one.  So hopefully I’ll talk to you all later!

In the mean time, what is your best tip for getting back into the swing of healthy habits?  Since the snowstorm last Tuesday, I haven’t gone to the gym once.  And BYOD is on the outs… I’ve brought soup the past few nights, but wraps and pasta just sounded so much better.  Maybe if I take care of myself better I won’t feel so exhausted?

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Yesterday wasn’t a good day. 

(Whoa did anyone just have flashbacks to their 4th grade diary?!)

Yesterday was one of those days that I knew was just going to suck.  Bad hair day, bad commute day, and it was Monday.  Nothing good comes of that combo.

The first part of the day was fine.  I was grumpy, but it was Monday after all.  Then I get an instant message from my Senior Manager: “can you call me at xxxx?” 

Oy.  When I called, he even said “well you probably know by now that a phone call from me is never really a good thing,”  and I think I saw my life flash before my eyes.  But really what he was doing was paying me a “compliment.”  You see, it has been decreed that since I “am such a good staff,” I will be spending the next 6 weeks of busy season splitting my work hours between two jobs in two separate locations.  This will require longer hours, and more stress to get everything done by all of our deadlines.  It’s a very inefficient situation, but one that tends to happen when there are so many jobs going on in the office at the same time.  They don’t call it busy season for nothing! 

This of course caused me stress to think about, but I put it on the back burner to think about after work.

Jump 3 hours ahead to “after work.”  I’m walking back to the parking lot with a friend, and like a 5 year old go “OHMIGOD I PARKED NEXT TO YOU!  HOW FUN!” (note the foreshadowing.)  We walk up to our cars, and they are literally 6 inches away from each other.  (disclaimer: i am a GOOD driver.  i am a meticulous park-er.) 

I’m holding my key in one hand and thinking to myself “if I’m holding my key, how could someone have moved my car?”  when it clicked.  Someone… or something…. must have pushed my car.   

Yes, someone ran into my PARKED car in the lot last night… at what looks to be approx 35 mph!  The guard at the lot said that the man was backing into a parking space, and missed.  Maybe he didn’t miss – maybe he just wanted my spot?  I don’t know!  Either way, this was the last thing I wanted to see at 9:45 last night.  And I might have freaked out a little bit.  But then I had a break through.  This wasn’t the end of the world.  I decided what I needed to do…

I let myself break down in the car a little, enough to get it out of my system.  Then I [wo]manned up, and dealt with it.  I started to look at the positive in things – this new opportunity at work will give me the chance to work on a hedge fund, which I’ve never done before.  I’ll be working with people that I’ve only met once or twice, which will give me the opportunity to develop new relationships.  My car wasn’t totaled, it just had a few dents.  The parking lot attendant had filled out an incident report and gathered the driver’s insurance and contact information.  And I wasn’t in the car at the time – I was alive, and still able to drive home.  These are the things that matter.  Yesterday really put things in perspective for me.  Busy season will be over in a few weeks – it doesn’t matter if I have to work late for a little while.  I need to deal with the things that don’t actually matter, and focus on enjoying my life!

Gratitude Journal 2.2.10

1)  I am grateful for one of my best friends from work who stayed with me while I took pictures and hugged me while I freaked a little, even if it was 17* outside.  And grateful that my car didn’t end up getting pushed all the way into hers!

2)  I am grateful for the parking lot attendant who was able to get all of the driver’s information for me. 

3)  I am grateful for the insurance companies (no, seriously!).  They have handled this whole issue, and made it so easy for me.  I have never been in an accident, and didn’t know what to expect.  This process has been much more efficient than I ever would have guessed.

4)  I am grateful that it was sushi night at work   yum!

p.s. the source for the picture above is this:  artsy fartsy on etsy.  my linking got all messed up, so I didn’t source it above. 

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We’re about a month into busy season now, and I wanted to talk about having fun.  This seems like an oxymoron when used in the same sentence as busy season, but I promise it is possible.  Remember a few weeks ago when I mentioned a beer pong tournament we were having after work?!  Let me tell you – it was the best idea ever!  I know that sometimes it’s hard to imagine socializing with the same people you spend 60+ hours a week with, but it is different when there is competition+alcohol involved.

We had the best time that day – I was on a team with one of my seniors… and we lost every time we tried to play.  But there was the requisite smack talk, and in between rounds, I got to learn some fun things about my co-workers.  Robert stopped by too, and even joined the fun at one point.  It was the best way to spend the first Saturday in busy season!

Another good example of having fun was this past Friday.  It was a pretty slow day, and we decided to go to a team lunch.  About six of us went, and spent an hour telling stories about pranks we’ve pulled on various staff and interns.  They got pretty bad – one year they hooked up a wireless mouse to a girl’s computer, and told her that she’d have to pay for a new computer since her cursor was broken!

Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that busy season isn’t all just no sunshine and spreadsheets.  I met some of my best friends at work, and learning how to laugh with them is key to making busy season fly.  And if all else fails, and no one wants to go out to lunch… start blasting miley cyrus from your computer, and wait for the dance party to start.  Trust me on this one.   Hands up!
Do you ever have fun at work?!

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Yesterday was one of the best days I’ve had all year.  I got up to run in the morning – and wasn’t hobbling around on my high heels for the rest of the day!  I could walk downstairs, I could bend down to untie my shoes, and I didn’t have to spend all day elevating my knee on my trashcan!  (use your imagination for that one if you want a good laugh)  Best of all, my run felt almost effortless, and it was one of my fastest yet.

Yee haw!  I owe it all to my knee brace (which is so stylin, I can’t even handle it!) and the week of rest that I unintentionally took all last week lol.  Now that it helped heal my knee, I’ll just pretend it was a week off for the sake of injury.  Sounds good, right?  I’m glad to be back to running normally, now I just have to get back in the swing of going to the gym more than once a week. 

Anyway, yesterday was a true test of the BYOD method of Surviving Busy Season.  I didn’t have a chance to make a new soup for dinner this week, so I am relying on two servings of Butternut Squash soup or salad for the week.  Last night the whole team decided to eat their chinese take-out family style – all 10 of us gathered around one table to eat dinner.  I had so many people ask “why didn’t you order with us?!”  or “what’s in your salad?!”  And I really really really wanted fried rice.  But I stuck with my salad, and made it through… somehow.  I felt accomplished after dinner – really proud for not caving and eating with my emotions.  Besides – my salad was damn good   I’ve got to channel my inner high-schooler and avoid all this peer pressure once and for all!

On a totally random note…. GO HAWKS!  My beloved Saint Joseph’s Hawks are on a 3-game winning streak, including a thriller against Dayton on Saturday.  Robert and I had so much fun being in the crowd for the game, and I’m so bummed out that I’ll be missing the game tonight.  Nothing beats a great game in a LOUD fieldhouse!

What’s your favorite sports team?  I’ve always been partial to the Phillies, and once I got to college I fell in love with the Hawks (obviously!)  Since dating Robert, I’ve also developed a soft spot for the New York Rangers - not quite a popular stance to take here in Philly!

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Top o’ the mornin to ya!

Sorry I’ve been slacking the past two days – I just have not felt motivated at all!  This morning though, Robert dragged us out of bed to get to the gym.  I have to say that I am SO glad he did!  I feel better than I have all week – and I owe it all to my run.

During busy season (and work in general), everyone always puts their health last.  “I don’t have time to work out,” they say.  “I don’t have time to make a good dinner.”  I say MAKE TIME!  Your body is the only thing you really have.  You spend time and money putting oil and gas in your car.  You buy food for your dog and you put effort into your work.  Why don’t you do the same for yourself?

Since I’ve started working, I’ve tried a bunch of things.  I’ve worked out in the evenings, I’ve worked out at 9pm after a long day in the office.  This past summer I decided that I was going to try to workout before work, and I’ve never looked back.  I’ve found that if you wait all day to work out, you will find a million excuses to skip your workout, and you’ll be so tired that you wont be able to work to the best of your abilities.  It also leaves you with no time to spend relaxing and eating a healthy meal with the ones you love.

Working out in the morning has solved all of these problems for me.  I wake up, sweat my butt off, and stretch out all before most of my co-workers even wake up.  I feel so accomplished by 7am, and I have a ton more energy than I used to.  I get to come home from work and not worry about anything but spending time with my fiancee… who has recently converted to being an early bird at the gym too.  It’s a QT double whammy  

I know working out in the morning might not be for everyone.  But it’s definitely a good option for those who feel too crunched for time after a grueling 14 hour day at the office… trust me on this one!

Anyway, my workout this morning consisted of a nice 2 mile run on the treadmill.  I was trying out a new knee brace, and it seemed to work pretty well.  No pain during my run, but it still hurt afterwards.  I think with a few adjustments though, the brace will work out pretty well!

I hope this helps you find time to focus on your health for a few minutes every morning.  I was never a morning person (right mom?!) but lately it’s becoming easier and easier.  Waking up early has truly changed my outlook on working out – I almost look forward to it.  Now wake up!  Go for a run!

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Good morning!

Today I woke up and was so happy it was friday.  Yes, yes, I have to come into work tomorrow.  But we will get out of work at a normal time, and it’s date night with my love! 

It will be good to catch up with him because I was feeling a little jittery last night when I got home, and to help me relax we snuggled on the couch (I know, gross!).  We ended up passing out at 9:30pm!!!  I couldn’t believe it.  We eventually dragged ourselves to our real bed, but we didn’t have much time to catch up on our day. 

To catch up with you all though, the day was good.  I had the most wonderful salad last night with roasted vegetables and goat cheese over spring mix and a red wine vinegarrette dressing – and a few mini cornbread muffins!  The engagement team had a lot of fun joking and laughing, so the night was pretty bearable.  No dessert – we passed out too early!

Anyway, I came up with this tip for surviving busy season on the ride home last night.  It is inspired by one of my favorite vegan bloggers – Val from Chicago Marathon Val!  I’ve seen her frequently include three things that she is grateful for each day on her blog posts.  I’d like to start to do this on my blog as well.  I’ve come home too many times angry over something that happened at work, or frustrated at not having enough time in my day to do certain things.  I think that it is important during busy season (and every day!) to remember and be thankful for what we have been given.  Hopefully this will help us stay level-headed and counter-balance those awful moods that take over when one has been at work for too long!  Let’s give this a try:

Gratitude Journal 1/15/10

1)  I am grateful that I have a fiancee who is so willing to snuggle and pass out with me when I’m feeling jittery from being at work too long…  who said quality time had to be spent awake?!

2)  I am grateful for the sun shining off the Philadelphia skyline this morning – it gave me such peace on my drive into work.

3)  I am grateful that it’s Friday!  (that counts, right?!)

Have a great day friends!

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Good morning friends!

Today I wanted to kick off a series of posts that I’ve been kicking around in my head for a while now.  I could say they were even the reason I wanted to start a blog!  But first some background:  I am an auditor.  I work in Big 4 accounting, which gets a little intense.  As an auditor, we move from client to client scrutinizing their annual reporting and accounting practices to ensure that the company is not misleading their investors (or any stakeholders for that matter!)  Although companies are allowed to choose the date they use as their fiscal year-end, most companies end up choosing a December 31 year-end.  This means that although annual reports are only required to be issued once a year, most companies are issuing them at the same time every year.   This is what we refer to as busy season – when our firm decrees mandatory 55+ hour work weeks (including saturdays!  ugh!) because we need to attend to as many clients as we can fit into our schedules.

Busy season tends to get the best of a lot of people.  Many of my managers tell stories of how they used to be 20 pounds lighter, happier, and have a more organized life.  I am determined not to get to that point.  Although we are eating all of our meals at work, there is no reason that these meals need to be cheesy pizza or greasy chinese food. 

So far we are 3 full days into busy season, and I have a feeling it’s going to be a tough one.  But having survived two busy seasons already (intern and staff I year), I knew what to expect.  I could already feel that bloated feeling I had after too many slices of pizza.  And that sense of dread, knowing that my day wasn’t over at 830pm – that I still had to get a workout over with.  This year is going to be different.

My first tip for a healthier busy season is to bring your own dinner (BYOD!)  On Sunday before the madness started, I made soup.  An easy one – but it was something I knew would taste good and still be good for me too.  The recipe is below – I hope you enjoy it.  It is easy to transport, and is certainly more appetizing and healthier than the general tso’s chicken my co-worker got last night! 

Black Bean Soup

-modified from this recipe at Real Simple

Ingredients

• 1 can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles 
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups chicken broth
• greek yogurt (1 dollop per serving)
• shredded cheddar cheese (a few pinches per serving)

Directions

1. Dice the onion into bite size pieces
2. Heat the can of Rotel (including all the juices!) and the raw onion in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. Stir in the beans and broth, then heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. 
3. Cool slightly, then use immersion blender to slightly puree the soup.  Be sure to leave some beans in tact! If you are serving immediately, be sure to heat the soup to your desired temperature.  If you are bringing some to work – be sure to let it cool completely before you store it in the fridge! 
4. Serve with sour cream, and a little bit of cheese. 

Serves 4 for an appetizer, or 2 for a complete dinner.

[source]

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