Give Yourself A Break

In these times of political turmoil and pandemic, employee stress levels are off the charts. So I'm here to tell you to give yourself a break.

Most people aren't taking their vacations this year, and I think that's a mistake. Even if it's a staycation, take some rest and relaxation time to chill, work on a hobby or catch up on reading. You don't want  to burn out. Especially now, it's a really bad time to lose your job. Stress leads to mistakes, and mistakes lead to firing.

You can also just stop doing some activities that are not absolutely necessary. That's a break in itself. As you can probably tell if you're a regular reader of this blog, I gave myself a break. I was super-stressed after lockdown for a number of reasons. So I stopped updating my Twitter feed for awhile, and stopped writing this blog for several months. Sometimes you just need to give yourself a little break from the extra stuff you do.

I've also taken one actual vacation this year, by driving instead of flying to North Carolina for two weeks this summer. We're doing it again in a few weeks. Yes, it's stressful to drive, but the change of location was worth it.

So give yourself a break. De-stress. If vacation or punting on unnecessary tasks doesn't do it for you, then you might need help. If you are paralyzed at work, prone to anger, or having thoughts of violence to yourself or others, please get help. There are counseling services offering free or low-cost services during the pandemic.

Not sure if you need help? Take an anxiety test or a depression test to find out. You aren't alone. Many of us are suffering right now. Do what you need to feel better.