Are You Voluntarily Subjecting Yourself to 24-Hr. Workdays?
Being burdened with a 24-hour workday is a surefire way to end up burnt-out, groggy and cranky as hell. But alas, the situation exists. It’s long been the case with New York City home care workers (who, outrageously, only get paid for 13 of those hours). And you can still find even lengthier shifts in the medical world. Nothing like a burnt-out, groggy and cranky-as-hell doctor-in-training being assigned to your hospital bedside, right?
But even those of us not in the health care industry are subject to extensive submersion in work–and not because of 24-hour shifts. But because we let work rent space in our heads long after the workday is done.
Letting work get into our heads, our dreams, our every breathing moment has become a way of life for many. How many times have you taken work with you on vacation, and not in the form of a laptop or messenger bag stuffed with papers – but by bringing along the fret.
I recall attending the most scrumptious yoga retreat in Tulum, Mexico, where I spent the first two days wondering if the work tasks that I had left for the someone else to finish were getting done right.
Nothing like gazing at the sun rising gloriously over the Gulf of Mexico in a tropical paradise wondering if insurance policy papers were being filed properly back on Madison Avenue.
So why the heck do we do it? Why do we obsess about work, even when we’re literally hundreds of miles away? Why do we kick, squirm and twist the covers up all night in anticipation of the workday tomorrow?
There are a few things that might be going on. The first is fear. With so much instability rocking the entire world, it can be tough to feel safe anywhere. Especially the workplace. In many cases, job security has become an oxymoron. Companies have been known to fold, crumble and/or layoff entire legions of staff at the drop of a hat.
Daring to do crazy things–like not answering emails after hours or taking an actual vacation–can make us feel like our heads may end up on the chopping block. We need to show we’re loyal. We need to show we’re always available. We need to show we’ll do whatever it takes to keep the company running.
Another may be Superman (or Superwoman) syndrome. Sleep, rest, downtime–bah! Who needs it? I can do everything and anything without stopping. Watch me leap tall buildings in a single bound–and type 88 wpm while answering six phone lines without taking a day off in 22 consecutive months.
And a third may be the illusion of control. Perhaps we feel if we fret, stew or twist up the covers at night long enough or hard enough, we can somehow control the outcome of things. Maybe it will make us have a great Monday or never get fired. Besides, our penchant for worrying shows how concerned we are. If we’re not worrying it means we don’t care, right?
Wrong. We can care deeply about things without getting tangled up about them. We can do super things without trying to prove we’re some kind of super hero. And we can make peace with the fear that likes to stick its head into our lives at regular intervals.
Make peace with fear? Yes. The human brain is hardwired to be on the lookout for threats (that’s how we’ve managed to survive all these eons). It also looks at change as a threat.
With so many changes and other perceived threats all around us, fear responses are constantly triggered in everyone. So give yourself a break. Know that fear is going to pop up like an unwanted jackal-in-the-box at any given moment.
Don’t fight with it or you’ll actually be fueling it. Rather, thank it for trying to save your life but tell it you’re fine right now. Then wrap it in a golden bubble and send it on its way. Push the golden bubble out into the realms of the universe where it can be sucked up and recycled into something good. Sounds corny? Maybe. But dang, does it work.
The super hero syndrome can also be dissolved when you realize it, too, may stem from fear. That fear-based concept of people pleasing can be a big part of it. Fear of not being liked. Not being valued. Not living up to whatever impossible expectations you are setting for yourself.
You already have value. We all do. And trying to gain it from an outer world that has no real concept of value is a mission impossible. So give it up. Fold up your cape. And stop trying to prove your worth to those who may never acknowledge it anyway.
The grand finale for getting work out of your head is twofold. The first is the easy one. Setting boundaries. Don’t answer emails after hours. Make a clear end-of-workday ritual that signals to your soul that work can now leave your head. Create another one that signals it’s time to unwind.
The second part of the finale is the tougher one. Enforce those boundaries. We can talk boundaries all day long, but they won’t mean anything unless you actually act on them. So shut down that computer. Shut down that workday. Send fear on its way. Open up to renewal and regeneration with time to relax and unwind. Then plunge into a deep, peaceful, work-free sleep.
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Ryn Gargulinski is an award-winning author, artist, Reiki master and speaker who loves helping people bring more joy into their lives. Check out her new online community Sanctuary of the Wild Souls at WildSS.com.
