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a new dawan. rusning. coping, a new day, challenges, changes, coping mechanisms, Easter, fitness, food, health, resiliance, respite, stress
Wow- what a week. What a few weeks! In fact, what a few months! The past 12 weeks have sped by unbelievably fast, and it is now Easter!
So, you say we can now have a break? Four days free? I can stop, relax, regroup. No work, no patients, no telephone calls, no demands…..Sounds soooo good. Well, no-not quite. Right now, at time of writing, we are on our way to New Zealand for a medical conference. As they say, no rest for the wicked…. well I do believe that we must be totally wicked creatures because we both have not stopped!
I really have to say that these past few months since my wonderful exciting New year’s resolution, have been a whirlwind. Being caught in this whirlwind of busyness has felt like I have been swept up in a storm of tasks, responsibilities, and obligations. At work we have had so many changes, both expected and unexpected changes that have affected work issues and my own personal concerns, and dealing with the vortex of that busyness alongside the normal momentum of my life has required a delicate balance of resilience and adaptability. Being truthful, sometimes, I have not coped as well as I should. A combination of work responsibilities, personal commitments, societal and financial pressures, creating instead of my normal stress free, happy ‘take as it is ‘personality, to that sense of me being overwhelmed and at times overburdened. Sometimes I have felt the unusual sensation that everything is on top of me, and I am suffocating under the weight. Sometimes it has been that awareness of being stretched too thin, being pulled in diverse multiple directions, struggling to keep up with ongoing normal demands and expectations whilst coping with those deviations in our planned pathway that were simply not supposed to happen this year! In the midst of this turbulence, I have found that it is quite easy to lose sight of priorities and become overwhelmed by the sheer volume of things to do. Even more disheartening was that I did not even find the time to buy something for my own youngest granddaughters’ birthday! That upset me greatly!
No, not every day has been like this, I have definitely had some fundays and enjoyable times and lots of shared laughter with colleagues, family and friends ,but on others, it has been a juggling act of managing deadlines, changes of staff, of organising, worrying, being stressed, and on occasions that feeling of being out of control while at the same time smiling brightly, trying to find moments of respite.
Yes, I have to admit, these first few months of 2024 have been quite different.
Just in case you are thinking oh, oh, another one of those self-help stressed out freak articles because she is depressed, rest assured; this is not one of those tutelages because no I am not. Yes, it has been hard going physically and emotionally but I do have enough faith to know that it won’t be always like this. I am aware, as hard as it has been, that I can embrace those changes, unexpected challenges, and future uncertainties as integral parts of my normal momentum of life, and I will re-set. I will regain my normal sense of balance and control. I also know I have enough faith in my prayers to know that I have a much higher power to assist me! That is truly important!
In reality, I guess this working trip at Easter time will be a respite in a way. They say that a change is as good as a holiday…and it is! Even though we are both going to be working, where we are going, the venue will be different, the accommodation will be different, the view and outlook from our hotel windows will be different and yes, the temperature will be quite different! A drop from 25 degrees to 10 degrees on arrival today! Yes, everything will be different! A respite all in itself!
So, what will I do as I step off the plane to my ‘Work Break Away from Work’? Probably head straight to the hotel room away from the cold! But as I rush out of the cold air, I will remember to stop and acknowledge that tomorrow is a new step towards a warm fresh start and acceptance.
As Micheal Bubles song says…” a new dawn…a new day……” And it is!