Don't let work consume your life...

No one can say they are happy everyday. No one can say they don’t wake up some mornings and think “what’s the point of getting out of bed today”. I have felt this a lot recently. My situation at the moment is I still have a job and I am still working in the current climate which is great and I am thankful for. However I hit a point a few months ago as I’m sure many others hit where I realised all I did was go to work, go home, occasionally go for a walk and that was that. Having this routine just made it difficult to think about anything else other than work which I currently face now. I finish a shift but fall right back in to one in my sleep because I can’t shut off. I have nothing else to think about or look forward to so work consumes me. In the result of this I currently dread going to work, I make myself so anxious when all I’m doing is the same job day in day out. This is unhealthy and I know for a fact I’m not the only one facing this.

I believe there are many factors causing this state of mind. Of course the pandemic, that’s a given isn’t it, in terms of not being able to go out or hug friends and just destress as we normally would.

I also feel that due to everyone going through the same mental state work has almost become a therapy building for everyone. We naturally want to offload and get out all our negativity but work isn’t the place to do so. But what do you do when this is the only place you're currently socialising and interacting with other people?

Finally from a personal point of view I felt like I’d lost myself. I have a version of me right now that can’t give too much because all I know is work at the moment. I don’t have a laugh much anymore, I can’t do things that made me who I once was and I miss that. It really is a case of the ‘same sh*t different day’ isn’t it…

I’ve let myself down a couple of times recently by allowing negative thoughts of not being worth much and/or being good enough for anyone or my job. I think this does spike from a lack of relaxation and shutting my brain off from the job and I find myself doubting too many things because of this. I tell myself people are playing mind games and make myself paranoid but really its me allowing others to offload their feelings on to me and not counteracting them with a fresh positive mind set.

In order to tackle this it comes back to the selfish aspect. I must be selfish with my time away from the job and selfish with putting my own mind first. This blog is a way for me to escape which is a good start. I began this post as a post about ‘Having a down day being okay’ but all I wanted to write about was this. Find something, anything that can let you escape and focus on something else. For a lot of people I understand it is much harder as you are having to work from home. Work in the space where you are supposed to feel safe and away from your working life. which is why it is much more important for you to find places within your homes that are dedicated to working and then shutting work away in order to be at peace in your home again. Getting out for those walks to clear your head after a shift or after an assignment will mean so much more to you than you realise. Give yourself an escape the best you can!

At the moment I’m rewatching old F1 vids on YouTube. I miss a lot of races because of work but rewatching behind the scenes vids and connecting with the sport again even when it isn’t live is inspiring me in some way. Remembering the good and ‘normal’ times and watching the drivers go through the journey each season just shows hard work does pay off in your life and I enjoy seeing that progression. It makes me realise I can do the same with things I want to work on which is the motivation I need these days.

We work to live and pay for the things that we want to treat ourselves or need but we also have a full life to lead away from this. I know a lot of my friends will be thinking that everything I'm saying isn't that simple as their uni work equally consumes them and they have deadlines to worry about. But the message still applies to you. You over work yourself, you instantly slow yourself down. Try have a plan in place for the times in the day you work and the times you rest and allow yourself to recharge. We all deserve that down time, the things that allow us to be who we are and see the good side of life that we enjoy. It all starts with you. The way we perceive things effects the way we go through each day. Leave your problems at the door of work but leave work at the door as soon as you leave to go home. When stuck inside doing your uni work shut off your personal life while completing the work and then shut off your working mind, hide those notebooks for a little while and enjoy your time!

I encourage anyone to start a project. Have a fitness plan even if it's just 10 mins a day. Write down a plan for your day and tick off each goal. Even if it’s as simple as making your bed! Do something different to organise your work life balance and see a change in your mentality. We may not be able to go outside but we can build a better life one step at a time with what we have around us. I had 3 off days last week, this week I’m going to have at least one less.

Here is to a better tomorrow!…(it’s my day off tomorrow)