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How Learning to Rest and Recharge Changed My Ability To Get Things Done
It’s not magic, but it sure feels like it
In my first job, my boss, let’s call her Joan, was constantly anxious and on edge. She made sure we hustled from one task to another with no chance to relax or recharge. She promised deliverables to clients without consulting the typical chain of command, consistently demanded we work overtime, and frequently reminded us we should be working much, much harder.
Her anxiety infected everyone and everything. Because I didn’t have a reference point to call on, I thought this was how bosses were supposed to be.
It’s no surprise that I, too, was anxious and stressed at the end of the day. Anything I did to relax when ended up piling on more stress, like watching the news or participating in overly competitive (and stressful) exercise classes. In retrospect, it’s easy to see why I always felt stressed and why none of those things recharged me.
When I opened my own design business seven years later, I foolishly continued to follow Joan’s example of “all stress all the time”; after all, it’s what I knew best.
This stressful, always-on pattern eventually resulted in almost losing my business due to burnout.
