Tag: mental health

A New Chapter

I left my full-time job about a month ago. I had been with the same company (more or less…) for 2 months short of 16 years. During that time, I held 4 roles, supervised dozens of employees, and survived an acquisition. I went from being in one office full time to traveling between 2 offices and then traveling among 5 offices and then mostly working from home except for monthly site visits. This stage in my career saw me recovering from a divorce, raising my kids, surviving the pandemic as an “essential worker,” and recovering from a stroke. Many of the lessons I have learned about leadership, both what to do and what not to do came from this job. I have grown as a person and as a leader as a result.

It’s a strange experience when leaving a work-from-home job. On my last day, I finished tying up the last of the loose ends and then shut down my computer. There was no boxing up my office, saying goodbye to my coworkers, or walking out of the building. I had said goodbye to some folks in person in the week prior to leaving, and some of my team had a virtual meeting full of goodbyes, but at the final moment, it was strange to just get up from my desk and walk to my kitchen. The primary closure came when I didn’t log back in to my computer after the weekend. Just like that, I was done.

Before any of you think that I just went crazy and quit my job, I didn’t. It was intentional and with a plan that was over a year in the making. In May, 2024, I knew that my current job was not where I needed to be for several reasons. I spent some time brushing up my resume and looking for other positions, but that was yielding only frustration. (from my fellow job hunters, can I get an Amen!!) As I was trying to work through the stress and frustration, I had a crazy thought of going back to my degree and what I had been intending to do when I graduated 15 years prior. Maybe, just maybe I could go into professional counseling and marriage & family therapy!

The first hurdle in that plan was figuring out if my degree still met the requirements for licensure, which, thankfully, it did. I then had to find someone who would take a chance on me by being my licensure supervisor even though I was 15 years past graduation. I contacted one of my former instructors who has a therapy practice in town, and she was willing to give me a shot!! Then, I spent the next 3 months studying for the National Counseling Exam, which is required to get a provisional license. In August, I passed on the first try, despite the guy sitting next to me that was driving me crazy by coughing and hacking the whole time (who, come to find out, had Covid, and was kind enough to share!). With the exam (and Covid) behind me, I just needed to jump through the hoops of submitting my paperwork and fees to get my provisional license. My provisional license came in October, and then I was on my way!

From October, 2024 to May, 2025 the therapy practice referred as many clients as possible to me to establish my client base. The tough part about being provisionally licensed is that there are very limited insurance companies that allow billing. This means that I have mostly been referred clients who are willing to private pay. By February, I was starting to fill up my evening hours with clients while spending my days doing my full-time job. I was consistently working 12-14 hours a day between both jobs. At the end of May, I hit a breaking point where I realized that I was struggling to do both jobs well. We crunched some household finance numbers, I talked with my supervisor (who is one of my dearest friends—and not just due to workplace trauma bonding!), and I put in my resignation.

So, here’s to a new chapter! I’m finally what I want to be when I grow up—3 months before I turn 50! It is scary. It is rewarding. It is stretching me in ways I haven’t been stretched before (I’m looking at you, insurance billing!!). It is a much slower pace, which is taking some getting used to.  I’m excited for my caseload to grow so I’m working full-time again. In the meantime, I’m trying to soak up learning opportunities and trying not to stress about not having a predictable salary. All in all, life is good.

Thanks for reading! 😊 EW

Faith vs What If

As I have mentioned in my previous writings, since I have had my stroke, I have struggled with some “what ifs” about my future. What if the aphasia doesn’t go away? What if I have another stroke? What if it is worse the next time? Every time I get a headache, have tingling in my hands, or have trouble remembering things, I have a moment when I think of the what ifs. I know that I can’t control whether I have another stroke any more than I can control any other event that might happen to me or my family. This is just so close, and it took me so off guard that I am holding onto it more than I would like.

Since my stroke, there have been other things that have happened to my family—disappointments, hurts, relationship struggles, medical events, grief. I haven’t been able to control any of those things, but I can control my response to them and how I support the people closest to me.

My faith tells me that God is sovereign—in control of the big picture and the small details. I do not need to be anxious about anything because God is already in my future and knows the number of my days. I wholeheartedly believe that. However, it is tough for me to rest in that belief in the day to day. My circumstances have been shaken, but my faith has not. I am trying to reconcile my circumstances in light of my faith. It is not easy. If I am completely honest, I often fail because the voice of my what if is so loud. I will get there, but it will take time. As patient as everyone has been with my communication struggles, God is infinitely more patient. I am not perfect in my reliance on Him—far from it—and that didn’t just change when I had a stroke or when my family has faced other tough circumstances. I have never been, and I likely will never be perfectly reliant. That’s ok, though, because as I am imperfect and hard on myself, God responds with patience, grace and mercy.

That’s why God is God, and I am not.

Thanks for reading. 😊 EW

Six Months Later…

Originally written 4/2/2022

For the past week I have been acutely aware that today is the six-month mark. Six months ago, I slept late on a Saturday morning, came downstairs to my family, had a conversation, and then my life was forever changed. The currency by which I interact at work, at home, and in my relationships was gone and I was trapped inside my head. Thankfully, with life saving medication (which I learned cost about $25,000!!) and therapy, I relearned. Six months later, I am told that no one can tell. I think that is a complete lie that people tell just to make me feel less self-conscious, but I’m grateful for those in my circle who are trying to protect me.

So, how am I feeling six months out from my stroke? It’s complicated. To put it bluntly, I’m a mess of emotions. I feel like I should be further—more toward my baseline, more like myself. I feel like it can’t possibly have been that long—like time has stopped or at least slowed down. I feel guilty for being frustrated when I should be grateful. I also feel grateful. I feel scared—like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop—what if I’m not so fortunate when it does. I wanted this to be a blip on the radar of my medical history, an unfortunate hiccup in the fall that was long past. It’s not. It’s bigger than I imagined it would be at this point. It truly was life changing in ways that I’m still trying to figure out.

One of those ways is fatigue. Those who are close to me know that napping has always been my superpower. I can go from being active to napping faster than a sports car gets on the highway. I love a good nap on a rainy or snowy day, a Sunday afternoon nap, a vacation nap, or a nap in the car. However, in the last six months, naps have become increasingly frustrating because I need them even when I don’t want them. The other aftereffects of my stroke are even more obvious when I don’t nap. I have a nap scheduled into almost every day—instead of a lunch hour, I have a nap hour. Don’t get me wrong, the naps are glorious!! I just don’t want to need them. I want to be able to sleep for 7-8 hours at night and be able to function throughout the day.

Another one of those ways is aphasia. I have learned so much about aphasia in the last 6 months, including that only 7% of people have ever heard of it. The type of aphasia I have is primarily expressive. I can understand what people say, I can read and comprehend. I struggle with word retrieval, pronunciation, and spelling. I have never had to proofread my documents so much in my life! Sometimes I will be thinking a word to speak or type, and a completely different word will come out, or the correct word will come out, but it will be unrecognizable. I have awkward pauses in my speech. My aphasia is significantly worse when I am tired. Sometimes at the end of the day I struggle to get a correct sentence out at all. The hardest part about aphasia is not the actual speaking—it is in the energy it takes to speak understandably.

A third way is understanding directions—left and right. I have always been a little directionally challenged. I have always been one of those people who struggles to “go west a half a mile and then turn north”. I need “go toward the Sonic and turn left at the Quik Trip”. In the first days and weeks after my stroke, I was significantly confused by left and right. I failed that part of my speech assessment, I gave my kids inaccurate directions to places, I even struggle with which shoe went on which foot. Thankfully, I have gotten significantly better with left and right, but I still second guess at times (yes, I do hold up my hands to see which one makes the “L”). I have been doing yoga for several years—that is where I notice it the most. If I’m supposed to be doing one thing with my right hand and another with my left, that is a struggle! I can eventually get it, but it takes some serious thought sometimes.

 Another way is the emotional counterbalance between feeling so fortunate that my stroke wasn’t worse and was caught so quickly, being so scared that it will happen again, and I might not be so fortunate the next time, being frustrated that I’m not “back to normal” and feeling petty that I am frustrated. I know that all these emotions are valid. They are understandable for someone who has experienced something life altering at a young(ish) age. I would say that to anyone else, but I’m not as good at giving myself the same grace.

A huge positive that has come out of this time is a slower life pace. My stroke happened a few weeks before my professional role was scheduled to change. Even though my role didn’t change as a result of my stroke, I have been so grateful for the timing! I would have struggled to keep the pace in my job that I had kept the past 12 years. I worked an overnight shift 36 hours before my stroke. I will forever be thankful that it didn’t happen on that shift! My new role means no time on call, no covering shifts, no ridiculously long hours, and mostly working from home. It means that I have time to read, volunteer, and make social connections that I struggled to make time for before.

I am thankful for all the support that I have had as my friends and family have navigated through this with me.

Thanks for reading! 😊 EW

Transform

Originally written 1/1/2022

My word of the year for 2021 was Transform. As usual, I had no idea where that would take me, and as usual I couldn’t have predicted even a little bit of it. The word transform found in Romans 12:2, which was my verse for the year:

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

At the start of 2021, I was weary of the political and social climate, the pandemic, and all things us versus them. My soul was crying out for renewal. I dove into Romans 12, which is so rich and full of practical lessons—those that are easy to read but hard to implement. Transformation is not fast—mentally, physically, or spiritually.

As we continued through 2021, I learned that my job role was going to change due to an acquisition—more ways to transform! I wanted my team to be well prepared for new leadership, policies, and practices while still maintaining the standards that we should. I met with my direct reports to study leadership by going through Adored: Be the Leader Your Team Needs You to Be by Dan Owolabi. I wanted to see their leadership transformed so their teams would thrive. I soon learned that my journey for transformation wasn’t as contagious as I would have hoped. However, my team read through the book, answered my questions, and dutifully met every other Tuesday.

Then, came the literal renewing of my mind through my stroke. I knew that words were important to me—they were the currency by which performed nearly all of my job roles: teaching, problem solving, and behavior support to name a few. However, I couldn’t fathom the frustration of learning how to form words, make sense of sentences and paragraphs, and simply conveying my basic wants and needs. It was a transformation that I couldn’t have foreseen and that still feels surreal at times. Thankfully, my language came back quickly with therapy (though my spelling is still horrible–thank goodness for spell check!!), but the shift in focus caused by my stroke will carry on.

I am so thankful to be transformed mentally, emotionally and spiritually through 2021. I am happy to ring in 2022 but grateful for the lessons of 2021.

Thanks for reading 😊 EW

I had a stroke

Originally posted 10/15/21

On Saturday Oct 2, 2021, I had a stroke. I was talking to my family, and I reached to open the door and I couldn’t. I didn’t remember how a lock worked. I was scared. I walked over to the chair, sat down and the words wouldn’t come. I knew what I wanted to say but I couldn’t say it. My family was understandably scared. 911 was called. They arrived in minutes. My blood pressure was high. I got to take my first ride in an ambulance complete with an IV started along the way. Once at the ER, I had a CT scan and a chest x-ray, and of course the obligatory Covid test. Neurology was consulted and the decision was made to start TPA, a clot busting treatment. I was moved to the ICU and more tests were run. They checked out my heart and carotid arteries and did an MRI. I was soon able to form basic words, but the more complex words still wouldn’t come.

On Sunday the neurologist was able to confirm a stroke to my frontal lobe localized to my speech and language center. Those that know me know that an attack on my speech and language is a huge blow! The mystery was now why did it happen. I had 16 vials of blood drawn to complete a clotting study. I had an PT and OT eval, and I moved to a regular room on the neurology floor. I struggled with language but that was thankfully my only deficit. Unfortunately, that meant I couldn’t eat without a swallow study-which the hospital didn’t do on Sunday. I hadn’t eaten since dinner on Friday! Needless to say, I was hungry and grumpy. I had to practice saying my name and birthdate as those are questions that everybody who enters my hospital room asked. Communicating was exhausting! I had to think about forming every word.

On Monday I was visited by the Stroke Liaison to talk through what to expect now that I have had I stroke. He discussed therapies, medications, diet, and exercise and my increased stroke risk. I also finally had the swallow study!! I could eat!!! I was able to order a lunch tray, and my nurse gave me some juice and cookies to hold me over. My neurologist visited as I was getting my lunch to tell me I could go home. They had done all the tests and I was stable, so there was nothing more they could in the hospital. I would be sent home with new meds, a 30-day heart monitor, and an order for outpatient speech therapy. They still weren’t sure of a cause, they suspect that it was the estrogen I was taking for hormone replacement. I was immediately taken off my hormone. 

I know I was very fortunate that my stroke was localized, and the only long-term effect was my language. That is truly the best outcome. Still, it doesn’t feel the best. It feels like I am trapped in my head, knowing what I want to say but being unable to say it, write it, or type it. It is interesting how it didn’t just impact my speech; I struggle to write and type too. Every word is a conscious thought in how to form it verbally, how to spell it, or how to form the letters. I spend my days practicing. It is frustrating! Theoretically I will get my language back over time. Time will tell…

(Just for reference, this post took me almost 2 hours and was read and edited by a friend before posting)

Let’s Be Real

Originally posted 12/14/2020

Time for another Mental Health Monday. It has been a couple of weeks since I have last written. I have been working on a few things, but nothing is ready to post. I haven’t been writing like I was when I started. Work stress, life stress, and the stress that is 2020 has been getting to me over the last few weeks. I’ve been working long hours, not sleeping enough, exercising—but not as regularly as I would like, and just generally been stressed. I has been an ugly combination, really, especially in a time and place when I have to keep on keeping on. It is tough to be motivated to write about mental health, when my own is struggling—or maybe that is the perfect time. It is real. Things are getting to me. I didn’t start this blog because I have answers. I started it to be honest and real about what is going through my head. Whether that is memories of my grandmother—especially now that the memories are what I have of her in my life, spiritual discipline/faith questions, leadership lessons I am learning, or mental health questions, my motivation in writing was to be real. To write about myself—my thoughts, my studies, my experiences—and to be as honest and transparent about things as possible.

I feel guilty at times when I struggle. Though I think we can all agree that 2020 has been quite a dumpster fire and we’re ready to get past all that it has brought, I know that I really don’t have it as badly as many in my world. I have a full-time job that pays my bills—as an essential worker, I certainly haven’t lost hours, pay or job security in this crazy time. I have experienced loss, but my immediate family remains healthy and well. My kids are staying healthy and are able to continue college and employment. It might look different than any of us might want, but it is there. I have resources that I can share with others. I am immensely grateful for what I have, and I am very aware that things could be much worse. The perspective doesn’t make my struggles any less real or valid, but it definitely causes me to feel guilty at times.

If I were talking with anyone else, I would remind them to be patient with themselves, to allow for grace, and to utilize coping skills. I’m much better at seeing that for other people than I am for myself. I know that I need to give myself some grace and to remind myself that it is ok to struggle. Powering through it isn’t always the answer, though it often feels as though it is. I am actively trying to remind myself to extend the same grace to myself that I do to others. We’ll see how that goes.

If you or someone you know is struggling in this season—whether it is the holidays, Covid, 2020 as a whole, or some other life event, stress or emotion, feel free to contact me. Email, Facebook messenger, or a socially distant cup of coffee are all great ways to seek support and be real when real matters most. No one needs to struggle alone.

Thanks for reading! 😊 EW 

Sleep—not enough, too much, tossing, turning…oh my!

Originally posted 12/1/2020

Welcome back to another mental health Monday (posting on Tuesday—sorry for the delay!). Today’s topic is sleep. Sleep and mental health go hand in hand. When our mental state struggles, our sleep patterns also struggle. Sometimes that means not getting enough sleep, and sometimes it means sleeping too much. I have most certainly seen both sides of the coin on sleep. I struggle to go to sleep, stay asleep and sleep restfully when I have a lot of stress at work, concerns with my kids/household/ finances, or am processing through a tough decision. This is very different than the nights that I way up with someone on my mind to take time to pray for—that happens in my world as well, but it is a much more peaceful time of awake than the stewing and stressing I do when I’m anxious about something and struggling to put it away for the night. Those nights are tough. Any sleep I do get feels like a hard-fought battle that leaves me even more tired than when I went to bed.

The flip side to that is the times when sleeping is the only thing I am motivated to do. As I have gone through times of depression in my past, I have learned that the greatest gift I can give myself is to get up and get dressed. In a year of working from home more than ever before, that might mean going from my night pajamas to my day pajamas, but changing clothes is important to my frame of mind. I have learned that staying in bed brings more staying in bed, which very quickly becomes tough for me to motivate myself out of. And, if I am honest, the sleep I get when I enter those times isn’t any better than the sleep when I’m stressed. It is just a lot more lying in bed.

Healthy sleep patterns and sleep routines are crucial to our overall wellbeing, both mentally and physically. Sleep rests our body and mind, rejuvenates our organs and muscles, and gives our multiple, complex systems a chance to grow and strengthen. It is a time when we are out of our own way so our body can do what it needs to do. Our coping skills, immune system, and overall sense of self all benefit from appropriate sleep. Though anyone who knows me well has heard me say that I will sleep when I’m dead because there aren’t enough hours in the day, this couldn’t be further from the truth for my physical and mental health.

In a world of constant input, it is often hard to wind down and get to bed with enough time to get the appropriate amount of sleep. As with other habits, it takes having a plan and being intentional about sticking with it. What that looks like is different for each person. I like to take time to read before I go to bed, sometimes sipping on a cup of tea, sometimes journaling a little bit. Having a time of quiet helps me to fall asleep faster once I am in bed. Experts say that rigorous exercise isn’t a great idea right before bed, but the slow stretching and intentional breathing of an evening yoga routine can be a great way to end the day. Some people enjoy relaxing in a bath to wind down. There are so many options—and different days can end different ways. As long as the activity is calming and doesn’t add stress, it can be a part of the winding down routine. What is important is building the habit to build toward great sleep.

Thanks for reading! 😊 EW

Exercise and Mental Health

Originally posted 11/23/2020

Welcome to another Mental Health Monday. I started exercising two weeks ago after a much longer hiatus than I would like to admit. I have definitely been less healthy during the pandemic than I could or should have been. I am working to regroup and remember how important healthy choices are to overall mental health. As someone who has struggled with keeping depression and anxiety at bay, making positive choices with exercise, sleep and nutrition are critically important to keeping me going in a healthy direction.

Since I started exercising again, I am sore. Honestly, I hurt. My muscles are heavy and angry. I am trying hard to remind myself that soon it will start feeling better. I know from the times that I have exercised before that I will start to crave the exercise because it makes me feel better both physically and mentally. There are a lot of reasons for this. The endorphins and increased oxygen that flood my body when I exercise, the improvements to my sleep, and the motivation it gives me to improve my nutrition and other habits all contribute to overall positive improvements to my mood. As my mood stays more positive, I am better able to cope with stress, and the positive cycle continues.

There is so much research on this topic, looking at it from every possible angle. I have read some amazing articles about the benefits of exercise to mental health, the chemical reactions in the body that occur with regular activity, and, of course, the physical benefits that come with exercise. As fantastic as the research is and as much as I appreciate the science behind those findings, what has an even stronger impact to me is how great I feel when I’m exercising regularly. There are days when I’m tired, when I’m not feeling it, when I try to talk myself out of it—but I always feel better if I push myself through that feeling and get it moving.

The benefits of exercise grow even more when I have others who are working along with me so we can encourage each other. Walking with my bestie, biking and yoga with an amazing group of friends, or even just knowing that I am accountable to report my exercise for the day to one of my exercise buddies makes so much difference in my motivation and progress. Even in this time of social distancing, exercise doesn’t have to be a solo activity, and I am so thankful for that.

If you are struggling with your mood, do your best to get moving. Even if it is just a short walk, some stretching, a routine online, or an exercise video, any movement that increases the oxygen you are taking in and moves your muscles will lift you up—even if your muscles are a little grumpy as you get going!

Thanks for reading! 😊 EW

(((HUGS)))

Originally posted 11/9/2020

Welcome back to Mental Health Monday!! Today I am talking about physical touch. As the pandemic has gone on longer than any of us were really prepared for, one of the biggest struggles that my family, friends, and likely many others are feeling the effect of is a decrease in physical touch. I haven’t always been a person who loves hugs. However, after becoming a parent and studying what a huge need physical touch is to the development of both children and adults, I began to change. Hugs have been commonplace in my personal world with my children and my close friends, as well as with my extended family members. In my professional world, I have also learned the benefit of physical touch in building positive relationships and deescalating potentially serious behavioral situations. Touch is a basic human need that builds trust, gives comfort, helps provide a sense of security, and just makes us feel better in tough circumstances. The pandemic is the toughest circumstance that many of us have been through—whether it is illness, job uncertainty, death, separation, or just exhaustion at how much our routines have changed and how “normal” feels anything but normal. At a time when many of us could significantly benefit from an encouraging hug or even a friendly handshake, we are living in a world of social distancing, touching elbows, and air hugs. For those who are huggers, that is completely insufficient. The huggers of the world are struggling, particularly the ones who live alone and don’t have a family, household, or “pod” of people who they are around regularly.

How do we address this? As I discussed a few weeks ago, it is critically important that we check in on those in our circle—the ones who make up our village. Investments of time, vulnerable conversations, and true listening aren’t substitutes for hugs, but they do help. Acknowledging those feelings as really and valid is important. As I have said in previous posts, my biggest heartache of my grandmother’s passing is that she died alone. Second to that is that I had to wait for 3 weeks before I could see my mother. When I finally got to see her, we were in masks, but we could see each other’s eyes while we talked and were able to share stories and just be in the same place. With others I have been able to spend time with over the last few months, conversations are deeper, and stories are shared—sometimes stories of struggles and sometimes moments of beauty, connection and memories made during this unprecedented time.

I look forward to a time when handshakes and hugs are common again. Until then, we need to convey our support in the ways that we have available to us.  (((Hugs))) to you all!

Thanks for reading! 😊 EW

Burnout

Originally posted 11/2/2020

Welcome to another Mental Health Monday! Today’s topic is burnout. I have been doing quite a bit of studying and learning about burnout over the last few months as I am studying positive leadership. I have been dealing with some things in my work life that have caused me to question my leadership methods and skills, and I always believe that learning more can lead to finding solutions. However, in my moments of doubt over who I am as a leader and whether I am effective with those I lead, I have also found myself focused on ways to keep myself from burning out in a job that I love. I truly do love my job, but it is not easy. Working in middle management, I am a person who manages people, who manage people, who manage people, who care for people…my job is not simple. There are a lot of layers, which bring levels of communication, understanding (or misunderstanding!), and direction that can and often are fueled by layers of emotion. As I sit here writing on Sunday night, I am experiencing the feeling that I know is not unique—I feel the tension rising as I start thinking through and preparing for my work week. Again, I love my job, and I love learning about mental health and wellbeing—but I am not immune.

As I have been studying a bit about burnout, there have been several key features that I have come across. I have read articles in Psychology Today, read information from the Mayo Clinic, and am in the process of working through an amazing book entitled Burnout. The common features include physical and mental exhaustion, increased irritability/anger/frustration, and decreased compassion for those impacted by our work. These things are often caused by ongoing stress that doesn’t seem to have a resolution. Based on our current societal climate, this can describe just about anyone. However, those in jobs that require personal interaction, caring and compassion for others seem to be the hardest hit—or at least the most talked about among the current literature. This doesn’t have to just be in the professional/occupational fields—it also includes caregiving for family members, parenting, and relationships. We can experience burnout with those we love at times, just like we can experience burnout in jobs we love.

How do we combat burnout?

The first step is taking the time to recognize and acknowledge it. Once we recognize and acknowledge the feelings that could be indicators of burnout, it is important that we address them so we don’t get stuck in that pattern. The feelings of exhaustion, frustration, and decreased compassion can often lead to feeling guilty (how can I feel this way about someone/something I love?), which can make things even more complicated and can give us more to process.

As we process these feelings, we can then evaluate if there are any stressors that can be eliminated or decreased so we can focus on other things. Have we taken on a role that isn’t ours or could be delegated to someone else? Is there someone who isn’t doing their part that is putting more on us? Are there things we said yes to that aren’t a good fit with the rest of our role? We aren’t always able to diminish our stressors, but it is worth the time to evaluate to see if there is anything that could be adjusted or changed.

After we evaluate and eliminate unnecessary stressors, we can begin to process the stress itself. It is important to look at our coping skills, the things that refresh us, and the time management and margin in our lives to process our stress. This can take many different forms, such as: exercise, nutrition, deep breathing, mindfulness exercises, and engaging in our hobbies. We want to be sure that we don’t try to decrease stress by avoiding or diminishing it. Emotional eating, substance use, and engaging in unhealthy relationships are things that we might try, but ultimately this will cause more stress than it reduces.

Another key factor in combatting burnout is talking with others. Sometimes speaking our feelings out loud to another person can go a long way toward decreasing that stress. We need to be cautious with this—we don’t want to vent to the wrong person in our workplace or circle. The goal of these conversations is to decrease our stress, but we don’t want to increase the stress of others or create an unhealthy or difficult work or relationship environment. Handled well, it can be encouraging to others to hear that you are feeling what they might be feeling, building community and adding to the brainstorming power on how to address the stressors.

Burnout is becoming more and more prevalent in our society as we all push to accomplish more while also facing the uncertainties and unrest of our current culture. By calling it what it is and working to focus on what we are able to change, we can be healthier people and improve our work and home lives.

Thanks for reading! 😊 EW