Through the Lens of Your Nervous System
While we all want to believe that we view our professional world objectively, the reality can be quite different. This is because our perception is filtered through the current state of our nervous system.
When we are in a reactive state, our biology is primed for protection. In this mode, a short email from a colleague feels like a reprimand, and a heavy workload feels like an impossible burden. We look through a lens of threat, which narrows our focus and limits our ability to think creatively.
Alternatively, when we are in a reflective state, we are physically capable of connection and logic. We see that same short email as a sign of a busy colleague, and that workload as a series of tasks to manage.
Understanding this physiological filter is a powerful tool for sustainable productivity. It allows us to recognise when our lens is distorted. If every notification feels like an attack, it is often a sign that our nervous system needs regulation, not that our career is in crisis.
Checking our internal state before we respond to a challenge is not just about wellbeing. It ensures that we respond to reality, rather than a distorted version of it.
