Disconnect
You’re not crazy, but not many people are talking about it.
Personal messages are brief, while pressure to be immediately responsive is at an all-time high.
Expectations heighten because after all, “you work from home, you should be able to handle all of this.”
Working way past normal business hours and feeling like you’ve accomplished nothing is the new standard.
It’s not you, it’s all of us.
We are all spent - trying to navigate through this new norm but so far apart.
I don’t know about you, but somedays the lack of connection and silence in my home is deafening.
I tend to gauge my productivity on whether or not I answered every single call in a timely manner, responded to every email, and had my team accomplish every task.
If the answer is no, it’s almost impossible for me to close my laptop.
Working in the same place where I spend intimate time with my kids is comparable to a lack of separation in church and state.
For the last two years, I’ve really had no boundaries with my work life - I mean, what else is there to do when you’re stuck inside all day?
Yesterday, I decided I needed to take a day and get outside.
The second my feet plowed through the sand, the warmth of the morning sun grazed my face, and the salty air drifted its way up my nose - I felt an instant sense of relief and gratitude.
There was no anxious disposition to check my email every 5 min, no sense of urgency to resolve every client request before the day was over.
It was just me, in the present moment, sitting in front of an ocean and right-sized yet again by just how small and insignificant I am.
Immediately I was met with gratitude.
Grateful I could disconnect from the urgency culture and show up in the present moment.
Humans weren’t created to be inside, in isolation - all day every day. Down to a molecular level, this was never how it was supposed to be.
I am a complicated human and sometimes I just need to keep it very simple:
My free time should not be synonymous with my availability.
After all, can’t pour from an empty cup.
Get outside this weekend, do something adventurous, or spend time resting.
Whatever you decide to do this weekend, be intentional and be sure you’re taking care of yourself.
Enjoy your weekend you beautiful humans.