BACK TO WORK….ish.
Strategies to conquer Sunday night scaries and Monday morning dread.
It's not abnormal to feel a little anxiety about returning to work after a holiday break, vacation or even just the beginning of a new year.
You have been on a much more relaxed schedule. If you were on vacation, you may have not made up a bed or have had to fix a meal in awhile. You have gotten the opportunity to hang out with with your family, catch up on your favorite shows, lay out on a beach or enjoy the holiday season and traditions.
Or perhaps you have been remote and your company is requiring your presence on-site.
So now Monday looms and regimen, schedules and structure are back in play. Quite frankly, if you’re honest about it, you’re over it.
I understand.
I'm returning to a full schedule after taking 5 months off to help care for my mom and finally for the bereavement of her loss. Looking at what's ahead, I feel overwhelmed and borderline inadequate.
Questions started to plague my conscience.
Capability themed thoughts like...Have I lost my momentum? Will I be able to function effectively? Or emotional thoughts like do I even WANT to do this anymore? Or do I have the right attitude to deal with what's ahead? Or even crazy thoughts like I just want to stay home, eat and shop online happily.
But suppressing all of that, we push ahead. Set our alarms, pick out clothes, fix lunches, gas up the car, power up the laptop and punch the clock.
Don't get it twisted. This dread can happen even if you LOVE your job or love your business and clients the way I do. It doesn't "necessarily" mean you hate your employer or that you aren't grateful for the means to take care of you and your family.
You're just....
Over it.
Assuming you aren’t ready to quit and become a nomad, you need a strategy to help re-center you and nudge you back in the fold motivated to push on "just a little while longer". I recommend Journaling (and so do other mental health specialists). Take a pen to paper (not a computer)…actually WRITE your thoughts on the following:
1. What’s your Endgame? Spend some time thinking about what you are working toward- What does retirement or semi-retirement look like? How does your current job contribute to that season?
2. For What? Most people call this naming your why. But the assumption is that it’s only people. i.e. Your spouse and children. Or that’s it for sustainability i.e. pay your mortgage, car note and food. That’s enough motivation alone. But some people have an even more complex "for what". You may be one of them and you need to remind yourself of it. Maybe you’re working to fund your side hustle that you want to transition into a business. Or some of your revenue is being used to tithe to a local church that is ministering to the needs of the less fortunate. Maybe you’re looking to buy your first investment property to start a trajectory of business and wealth in your family. You are working for a reason. Define it.
3. Besides the check. What can you get out of this job besides a paycheck every two weeks? How can you make this job work more for YOU? Create some goals to leverage your position to expand your network. Seek to strategize shadowing positions you are interested in doing in the future. Take advantage of every sponsored training or tuition reimbursement your employer offers.
A project that I dreaded taking on was really getting the best of me and every Sunday, I would feel the dread of having to re-engage. So I gave myself 2 goals that would increase the value-add of this job to me. The company was getting me, my expertise, experience, commitment and time. I got a check and determined I wanted more. My first goal was to add at least 3 people a week to my network as a result of my connection to the project. For a two year project, that meant expanding my circle by over 300 future collaborators, clients, vendors or colleagues. My 2nd goal was target a specific tangible home project to fund using the profit from working that job. So, everytime I see that remodeled bathroom or redesigned kitchen, I can feel good about a job that may have caused me a little grief to complete.
Remember that everyone has to do things they don’t necessarily want to do. That’s adulting 101. But taking time to reassess your motivation and what you can gain in this season can give you the boost you need until you can transition to your “next”!
###
Camille is a communications thought leader, published author and CEO of CDJ & Associates and The Camille Company. She has been featured in Women’s World magazine and quoted in USA Today, Yahoo Travel, New York Post and Business Insider.
