I’m sure that I’m not the only person who felt the jolt of the first full work week of the new year. I was ready to be back in the swing of things, but as soon as Monday morning came, I felt myself battling overwhelm.

It was happy timing that I had a copy of Tarthang Tulku’s The Gift of Work queued up in my Kindle.

Tulku, a teacher of Tibetan Buddhism, writes, “through work we contribute energy to life, investing our body, our breath, and our mind in creative activity.”

A willingness to regard work as an expression of vitality continues through the book (or more accurately, through the introduction to the book; thanks to the demands of my work, I haven’t gotten very far!).

Tulka observes,

If we genuinely devote our energy to improving our attitude toward work, developing what is truly valuable within us, we can make all of life a joyful experience. The skills we learn while working will set the tone for our growth and give us the means to bring satisfaction and meaning into each moment of our lives, and into the lives of others as well.

After reading this, I actually sat down and Googled “work and zen.”

I stumbled on a blog post from Leo Babauta. According to Babauta, much of our stress, anxiety, or downright misery at work comes from clinging to our sense of how things should be:

At work, we often face stressful situations, dreaded projects, irritating co-workers, frustrating bosses, an overwhelming number of tasks and messages, boring work we don’t enjoy.

These problems have one simple cause: we’re holding on.

Babauta goes on to characterize what “holding on” means. It’s the desire that other people—bosses, colleagues, vendors, clients—would behave differently.

It could be yearning for more or less time in which to get something done.

It could be guilt or stress that we’re carrying around because of a professional error that we made, and the wish that our behavior had been different.

All of these are small failures to accept things as they are. The more we fixate on what we don’t like, the less able we are to make the best of what’s in front of us.

Babauta’s point rang true. So often, when I say that I’m stressed about work, that’s not what I really mean.

I mean that I’m stressed about a timeline, or about the volume of work in front of me. I may be doubting myself and my capacities.

These are issues related to work, but they aren’t the work itself.

I enjoy that work. And in fact, I’m developing a healthier attitude toward it as I get older.

Increasingly I work to live, rather than the converse. This actually fuels my motivation, keeping me focused on the life that I’d like to enjoy.

I’ve also become less ego-centric about professional life, which is a win for any recovering perfectionist. Mistakes are no longer big dramas; they can be painful, but I greet them as reminders to stay humble and learn something.

Tulka and Babauta’s mindful perspectives helped me to reframe my Monday/Tuesday scaries.

I asked myself how I’d feel about the work at hand if I had no deadlines to operate under. What would my attitude be if I could go through each task at my own pace, with full focus and dedication?

Such single tasking wasn’t always possible, but it was a good thought exercise. I scheduled myself efficiently and realistically, and I tried not to rush through important tasks. I was able to find more joy—and if not joy, intellectual engagement—within what had to get done.

Tulku notes that a healthier philosophy of work necessitates “being willing to face work openly, to look honestly at our strengths and weaknesses, and to make the changes that will improve our lives.”

I’m taking his words to heart as I plan some professional shifts for 2025. Most of all, I see how unecessary urgency—whether that’s about a work project or a cookie box—undermines me.

When I let go of that, as Babauta suggests, so much more becomes possible.

Happy Sunday, friends. Here are some recipes and reads.

Recipes

1. Shawarma-spiced lentil tacos look so flavorful and creative.

2. Love a sushi bowl, and I love the idea of wasabi-roasted tofu, also.

3. It feels like the right time of year for a truffle-infused, wild mushroom pizza.

4. We’ve been having quite the cold snap in NYC. I’d love to dive into a bowl of vegan dumpling soup.

5. Holiday-themed baking has left me with quite a surplus of nuts: chopped pecans, hazelnuts, and walnuts, sliced almonds, and shelled pistachios. I’ll need to make my way through them in the coming months, and I’m thinking I’ll start with vegan pistachio muffins.

Reads

1. The powerful story of a misdiagnosis, and a miracle.

2. We all love research that tells us to do more of the things we already enjoy, so I acknowledge this bias whenever I link to articles about the benefits of coffee. But this is one of them, and it focuses on the timing of your cuppa. There’s an association between coffee consumption and lower rates of cardiovascular disease, and morning consumption seems to be most beneficial.

3. Much media attention has been given to the benefits of a plant-centric diet for favoring populations of commensal bacteria in the gut (aka, a healthy microbiome). While I love to see this information amplified, it’s important to message both precisely and inclusively.

A high-consumption of high-fiber, plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, will favor the growth of microbiota that are associated with good health outcomes. This is possible within a vegan or vegetarian framework, for sure. But it’s also possible for omnivores who eat a lot of plant-based foods.

4. Anyone who’s had Norovirus, myself included, can attest to how terrible it is, and it tends to surge in the wintertime. It would be great if Moderna’s vaccine, currently in the works, were effective.

5. Finally, a vetted list of organizations that are supporting relief efforts and the needs of displaced victims of the Los Angeles wildfires.

Much as I enjoy festive recipes, it feels nice to dive back into every day meal prep after the holiday season.

This past week, I made a batch of my savory steel cut oats, which were a great alternative to my usual frozen berry/nuts/soy milk morning combo.

I also made a modified version of my polenta with chickpeas, artichokes, and tomatoes, using soft polenta in place of grilled. It was a satisfying meal that looked and tasted fancy in spite of being pretty straightforward to make.

Another can of chickpeas will get put toward the “dinner toast” from Power Plates this coming week, and I’m excited about that. It’s been too long since I prepared that one.

Hope it’s a tasty week for you! And I hope that the work you do will feel deeply rewarding.

xo