In March of this year I changed jobs and my new employment also brought me to a new location, Athlone, which is a large town in the centre of Ireland located along the River Shannon. While it is only a 45 minute drive from my hometown it offered me the chance to begin again, to explore a new place and to see my life in a new perspective.
I am very much a ‘people person’, “someone who is friendly and enjoys meeting and talking to people”, as defined by the Cambridge dictionary. My new job working as a public servant for a large government department has certainly given me plenty of opportunities for interaction and engagement with others. In that way I feel that I am able to use my gifts and talents for the service of others such as my chaplaincy skills and my competency in the Irish language.
A new beginning is not all about a job or productivity though. For me it’s about having the faith and conviction to embrace all things as new, recognising God’s presence in the totality of my new environment. That is routinely expressed though the new faith communities and places of worship I’ve connected with but also through the occasions that I have spent time recognising God’s presence in his creation, which I’ve found to be a very helpful technique in reducing rumination about past or present concerns.
My new job has given me many gifts but perhaps the most important has been the gift of full-time regular work, which I haven’t experienced for several years. By keeping myself busy with work and a programme of activities outside of work I have been able to train my mind to focus on what I can and am doing rather than letting myself be overcome by worry, negative thoughts or low mood.
My leisure activities are just as important as my work in maintaining my wellbeing as is self-care. Running has been a profound therapeutic intervention for me in my life, as has the contemplative prayer of Adoration, being recollected in God’s presence. Fr John Hardon SJ in Catholic Dictionary defines recollection as the “Concentration of the soul on the presence of God. It calls for considerable mental discipline to avoid dissipation of mind, but is required of all who aspire after Christian perfection.”
I have gradually been able to acquire mental discipline to train my mind to encounter inner peace both through my spiritual and physical activities. Running from a young age has given me resilience especially in bouncing back from injury and never giving up. Mental fitness is so important in sport and I hope through my own experience in athletics and advancing my coaching qualifications that I can help other athletes to excel in the sport and be the best that they can be.
Nobody is self-sufficient – we all depend on one another. I am a great believer in asking for help and support when I need it and I like to think there is a reciprocal element to this. Just as I have received so much from so many people who have helped me cope with life’s difficulties, I try to encourage others, especially young people, to believe in themselves, their own unique gifts, talents, skills and abilities and to have faith and trust that God is guiding them.
There are many pressures in today’s society such as negative peer pressure, social pressures and the pressure to conform to the so called norms of the online culture and social media – which may be far from our authentic selves. It is God who knows us through and through – and the Holy Spirit comes to our aid with words of hope, trust and love. “And now, thus says Yahweh, he who created you, Jacob, who formed you, Israel: Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name, you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1)
Hello Patrick, Delighted to read your new update and delighted you’re enoying your new job and the challenges that come with that. I wish you continued success and peace within. All the best, Margaret.