The sign-in sheet for my group meeting was filled with feeling words and issues all related to members being exhausted, stressed and overwhelmed. Just as it seems we are about to come out of what seems like a decade of Covid, just as there is a light at the end of the tunnel, the way seems harder, almost unsurmountable. Why is that and what do we do about it?
At an immediate level, none of my members has had a vacation or a break in all this time. Covid may have moved some of them to working from home, but all are working longer hours. Many have not seen their extended family for a year plus, and they aren’t going to until their turn for the vaccine comes. Now that the end is near, we are all beginning to allow ourselves to mourn the good things that didn’t happen last year. And, maybe we are grieving the losses in a new way.
Together, we peeled this onion and realized that it was up to us to take a break. To urge our team to take a break and to celebrate our survival through a really tough time.
We began to plan group meetings in person (maybe by June) and shared vacations now planned or proposed. We encouraged each other to start making some plans for the celebrations we missed. Sometimes, we need permission from our peers to slow down or stop working so much.
Then we got to the work routines we need to change to get some time off in the future. How do we delegate more and what do we need to delegate? You could feel the spirit lift in the room as people committed to immediate actions they will be reporting on next month.
If this is you, too, take a few minutes to review what is causing you to be exhausted, stressed and overwhelmed. Talk with someone you trust about 2-3 actions you could take to address the causes. Make a commitment to talk again in a few weeks and report how you feel. There is light at the end of that tunnel.
image courtesy of healthline,com