How to weather the storm when the power is out
"The power is out and I’m feeling cut off, cold and exhausted."
Last night a storm blew through and took out the power, and as I’m sat here writing this the sun is breaking through the clouds and as the day brightens is the sky is looking serene against the the frantic energy of the trees blowing in the wind. I’ve just had a discussion with my husband about using our phones for internet and who has what power left and will it be enough to do both our calls this morning or if he takes priority as he has a big presentation to give.
This reminded me of the time of suffered burnout and the dangers of depleting our energy and becoming exhausted. I was working in Malaysia and was completely aligned to the company vision and the purpose of my role, I had good people around me who I loved working with but I pushed myself too hard and after traumatic emergency surgery I was physically exhausted. My usual ability to bounce back seemed to be missing but I pushed through and kept pushing until my body said no more. If you are feeling this right now you are not alone 69% of workers feel fatigued - 2018 survey by National Safety Council (US).
When your energy is depleted you have to start making decisions of where to spend it, we are too tired at the end of the day to eat right, even after a nights sleep we wake up exhausted with no energy to exercise. The idea of going out and catching up with friends is appealing and we may make plans but inevitably change them when it comes to the night as we just can’t be bothered and won’t be ‘good’ company. When we miss out on these opportunities to exercise and connect we also deprive our system of endorphins and serotonin which improve our mood, not only that but as we put stress on our minds and bodies we release cortisol which if allowed to build up can cause mental health conditions like depression and physical problems like heart disease.
Some of us will be working from home, some working as usual but harder than ever and others starting to go back into the office in stages, and sadly for some we have lost our jobs for most of us our usual routines have been disrupted and we have found ourselves missing exercise, eating differently and not connecting with people as much or at least in a different way. What ever your circumstance remember to take the time to look after your energy levels and keep them topped up. If you are a leader check in today with how everyone is doing and make sure they are not overworking as although it may be beneficial to business in the short term in the long term it isn’t with reduced alertness due to workplace fatigue resulting in nearly 10,000 serious workplace injuries in Australia each year - Monash University 2017. Check annual leave levels as one third of Australians don’t take their allocated annual leave - AHRI.
Questions to ask?
When was the last time you took some time for yourself?
Out of 10 with one feeling completely exhausted and 10 boundless energy where would you rate yourself?
If you could take one action today to improve your energy levels what would it be?
Tip
Employing the pomodoro technique where you work for 25 - 50 minutes then take a 5-10 minute break where you stretch, refill your water, change your environment and preferably look at the horizon (to stretch your eyes too) will keep you focused and energised for the day.
