jakebeserials

The Marshmallow Ranch Gazette

Added 2023-08-09 05:38:22 +0000 UTC

Volume 7, Issue 9 -- Tuesday, August 8th, 2023

Howdy, patrons!

I've been gainfully employed for the past two weeks and it has been quite an adjustment. I had sort of anticipated this, but having a day job -- even one working from home -- has obliterated my routine in a way I didn't think it would.

Meditation is a foundational practice for little old neurodivergent me. My mind in its default state is much more closer to Monkey Mind than anything else, flitting from shiny object to shiny object. It feels like I'm almost never in the moment itself throughout the day -- I'm always thinking of something else, some other time, some other person. When the task in front of me is especially taxing or detail-heavy, it takes a lot of work for me to ignore all distractions and focus on it. If I'm anxious about my performance, it becomes impossible.

The day job is a detail-oriented position that requires a knowledge of industry jargon, company shorthand, and a LOT of shifting standards and practices. I thought it would be a challenge, but I'm having to wrestle with my brain a lot more. It's taken more time to push past the anxiety and find a way to actually do the work. Maybe it's the fact that I haven't been meditating that makes this so difficult!

The reason for that is many and varied, but to make a long story short I'm resettling after a pretty big disruption -- and anticipating another big disruption sometime very soon. It's a lot of change all at once and I've been focusing on managing it as best I can. Outside of work, social engagements, exercise and cleaning, and video games have eaten up the rest of my time and precious brain energies.

But writing is still a priority! So, I'm settling into things again. The meditation practice, the exercise, the writing and reading. I'll have the next episode of Swiftie's Intergalactic available on Thursday, August 10th.

Until then, friends!