Employees Must Wash Hands

Yesterday was one of those days. It didn’t need to be. My morning was great. It started with my typical reading, journaling, meditation and exercise - all before 7 a.m.

Mid-morning, I joined a Zoom call and heard a comment I didn’t appreciate. I responded and now see it was my response that set the tone for the next few hours. The pithy attitude I chose stayed with me the rest of the morning.

Ugh. The journey. Is this the part that I'm supposed to enjoy?

I pushed back from my desk to walk it off. By this time, everything was pissing me off. Not the least of which being the “wash your hands” signs you now see everywhere. In the elevator. On the door to my office building. At the gas station. And of course, in the restaurant lavatory. It’s not the number of signs, but the condescending way these signs assume we’re all ignorant of the need and incapable of washing our hands properly.

When you see signs, try to read and understand them. I began wondering, how can I apply good hand-washing techniques to clean up my energy? Toxic energy being spread from person to person and meeting to meeting is as dangerous as any physical germs.

Here are a few practices to adopt from hand washing that can keep us from spreading our energy-based cooties around our communities.

Wash Hands Often

After my walk, I returned to my desk and rehashed the conversation with many people, adding fuel. It was not my intent to spread the "disease" (read: dis-ease). I needed to quarantine that energy. It should also be mentioned that it was also not my intent to quarantine the energy.

Check yourself often. Build in transition time between meetings (and especially between divergent roles, like work boss vs. parent). Take time to release and engage anew in whatever is next.

Scrub Hands with Soap & Hot Water for 20 Seconds

Eventually this becomes habit. Until then, we are encouraged to sing song lyrics and or recite the alphabet for 20 seconds.

It takes 3 things to clean your hands properly: time, soap and water. Similarly, it takes 3 things to clean your energy: time, space and breathing.

Time is time, take a moment. Space is your soap. Soap creates a barrier between your skin and the dirt. Physically changing space, removes you from that dirty energy. Breathing is your water. breathing techniques to release the energy and let it wash away.

Be Careful What You Touch

I think this one should be on a few more signs. Don't touch dirty things! Be conscious and intentional about the things you encounter and you eliminate most transmission. This applies to your hands and your energy.

Who do you spend your time with? What do you engage with on social media and the internet? What are you listening to? No, like literally... is it music, audio books, construction? Are you being intentional in what you allow to influence you? That energy carries on to every person, experience and product you interact with. Navigating your day with intention will keep your hands clean in the first place. 

We're all employees on some level, how about we all start washing our hands before we return to work?

For additional help forming the habit of washing your figurative hands between engagements or when transitioning roles (i.e. from CFO to mom, etc.). Click the link to check out my friend Nikki talking about transitions on her Yoga Snacks. Nikki Aiello is a Life & Recovery Coach and Growth Concierge with an unbelievable network of resources.