Office politics - a primer

Politics has been around in the world from the day humans started living as a group. As society formed, different personalities came together and also the need to survive or thrive in this society. This need made people do many things, both positive and negative. That's politics. However, in the current environment, the definition of politics is almost solely negative and we will stick with that. No walk of life has been left untouched by it because no matter where we go, we have to deal with people and everywhere people are trying to get on top. Some try to do it the 'right' way, some try to do it a different way. You just can't escape politics.

Office, is like a mini world. You start working there, you interact with the people and machines around you, and you exit the company at some point in time. The politics in a company is similar to politics in the world - only difference being the scale of things. You may love it, you may hate it, but you can't ignore it.

Some of the key type of people that you need to beware of in office are (credit - Henry Lee) -

1. Manipulators - Will exploit and manipulate others to achieve their ends
2. Brownnosers - Will constantly try to please the bosses in all possible ways
3. Cliques - A coterie of people who will always play their game together
4. Gossipers - 'Information carriers'
5. Backstabbers - Will use your trust in them to backstab you, sometimes using the gossipers
6. Pseudo-bosses - Will make you work as if it's their right to order you around
7. Thieves - Will take credit of your work
8. Sabotage experts - Will sabotage your work so they can look better than you

Whether you decide indulge in politics or not, these people are always a threat to you in any office. So beware of them and deal with them accordingly. While you can't always succeed, it's always good to understand what type a person is so that you can at least be careful. As it is, when you work in any organization, there are only 3 choices in front of you (politically speaking) - 

1. Play the game - Before you decide to do it, you better be fully prepared for the consequences. Once you're in it, you can't get out of it. So, do this only if you are fully committed and you have that kind a mind that will let you play it well. As Cersei Lannister says in the Game of Thrones - 'When you play the game of thrones, you either win or you die; there's no middle ground.'
2. Let others play the game while you sway in the wind based on the outcomes - This is what most people tend to do, because they do not have what it takes to play the game - and there's nothing wrong in it. They are like a lord's army in the game of thrones. They keep working away in the direction that the powers decide and change direction when told to do so. In a way it's a less stressful job since there's no constant scheming and plotting going on in the mind. So, if you want live comparatively peacefully, this is the way to go.
3. Put blinkers on and hope that others will leave you alone - Some people are like this. They want to believe that there is no politics going on or that, even if there's politics, they will not be affected by it because they are so good at their work that they will always survive. While it is a good way to feel better about yourself, it may not always work because, remember, no one is indispensable. Being good at your job, can only take you so far.

You may succeed or fail after deciding to take a particular path. But no matter what you decide to do out of the three, there's one thing that you should always do - be yourself. No one else is you and you are no one else. Always remember that and stick to what you are. Whether in the world or in office, being yourself is always beneficial for you. As Tyrion Lannister says in the Game of Thrones - 'Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.'

Dealing with Anxiety disorder

Anxiety is probably one of the worst mental conditions to have. Only those suffering from it can truly understand the pain. While almost all of us have experienced being nervous at some point in our lives, it is not the same as suffering from chronic anxiety. It is a mental state that emanates from some negative experiences or some kind of mental trauma in the past. There probably are genetic reasons for it as well, but that's for medical professionals to decide.

Some of key symptoms (www.themindsjournal.com - Ethan Ray) that says you are suffering from chronic anxiety disorder are -

1. You are always imagining the worst possible outcome of any situation - and you keep thinking about it
2. You avoid meeting people or going out for the fear of getting judged - for your appearance, for your personality, for anything
3. You are constantly scared that people will find out that you have anxiety issues
4. You make fewer friends to keep avoid getting anxious (more friends means more interactions - leading to more chances of getting anxious)
5. You over-analyze everything
6. You dread the future rather than look forward to it
7. You replay past conversations or actions again and again
8. You always think it's your fault
9. You keep comparing yourself with others - and assume you're not good enough
10. You strive to be a perfectionist - that's your way of ensuring no one blames you for any missing detail
11. You get irritated very easily when things don't go according to your plan
12. You feel like the walls are closing in on you and you have this dire need to find a way out

One of the key things about anxiety is that it does not stem from worrying about the future, it stems from trying to control the future. Being in control and on top of the situation is what causes us to be anxious. It probably is how our reactions to a threat have developed over the past thousands of years - the fight or flight reaction. It is about being able to know for sure how to overcome a (supposedly threatening) situation or to know how to escape it. Most of the symptoms of chronic anxiety are the "flight" reactions to a situation. The problem is that, for a person with anxiety disorder, almost all situations including the normal ones appear threatening. That's how this is different from usual nervousness or fear. And the most scary of all the symptoms occurs when you have an anxiety attack - when there's difficulty breathing, you start hyperventilating, head becomes light and you feel like you are having a heart attack - you just want to tear away the space around you and stick your neck out so you can breathe. It lasts a few seconds - most certainly less than a minute - but it could be very scary.

While chronic anxiety may need medical help as well, there are some things that certainly help in controlling the situation especially when there is a panic or an anxiety attack.

1. Change your physical position - If you are standing when you have an attack, start moving around a bit while trying to control your breathing and bringing it back to normal. If you were moving, sit down. If you were sitting, stand up. A conscious change in position brings your mind back to the present and distracts you a little from what you are feeling
2. Control your breathing - Do yoga regularly and learn pranayam. That helps in managing and controlling your breathing. When an attack occurs, breathing becomes very abnormal. That's when a control on it is needed. Try to breathe normally and slowly, it will automatically start bringing your heart rate to normal
3. Tell yourself that all's well - This might sound silly but during an attack, just tell yourself that nothing's wrong and that all's well. You probably have had an attack before and you probably will have it in future as well. But you have survived them in the past and you will survive them in future as well. So tell yourself that it's all well and you're not having a heart attack. You will survive these few seconds of terror
4. Be in the here and now - This is something that is needed to be done all the time, not just during the attack. Whenever faced with extreme stress or anxiety, open your eyes wide and look at what is around you. Bring your mind back to what is right there in front of you and to that moment in time where you are at the moment. Just concentrate on and observe what is in front of you. It will automatically remove all the thoughts from your mind and reduce the stress and anxiety

Dealing with anxiety yourself can be tough, but dealing with someone who has anxiety issues can be even tougher because you can never know what that person is going through. Anxiety issues can appear so irrational sometimes that you may not understand how to react or how to help that person. If you happen to know someone who has such issues, the best way to help that person is to be yourself and be normal with that person. Even if they experience an anxiety attack while with you, you only need to be there for them and play it by the ear. You don't need to say anything or do anything. Just let them know that you are there.

And whether or not you're facing chronic anxiety, the one mantra that you should always remember and practice for a stressfree life is - Here and Now!