Around November 2022 I had reached the over-inflated stage and headed to depletion. How did I know I was depleted? I spent the weekend crying uncontrollably and having very little patience or tolerance for w@nky emails or drivers on the road.
What I worked out about 5 years ago (with the help of my coach and good friend) is that I am a balloon. This means that I spend most of my days happily moving between the different levels of inflation. They key for me is that I need space to recharge and process the day/week that has been.
So what are the things that I need to prioritise to recharge?
* A space where I can have fun
* Be around my family
* Have at least one day working from home
I am grateful for my family, friends, close work colleagues and my team where I was open about where I was at and the fact I needed some time to recharge and give myself a break, time for me.
The ironic part of this story is that the first day of my break I tested positive for COVID-19 (first time) and had an enforced break isolating at home and resting. Thankfully I had a mild version and was able to return to work the following week where I enjoyed being back around my team and key people at work.
What did I learn or change through this experience?
What I do is very personal to me, I love what I do, my job is very personal to me. However I was too connected and ‘on’ all the time reading articles, post and books, always thinking and challenging how to make work better for people.
When I had my break, I turned off all my notifications. I didn't switched back on any of my social media notifications and wait until I get home, where I allocate a set time to review.
This has allowed me a space to recharge each day and stop my balloon from over-inflating. It is hard to help/support others if we become over-inflated to the point of bursting which then leads to depletion.
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