Sick: To Call In or Not to Call In
As a working professional, you sometimes question your abilities.
Sometimes you question whether you "can keep this up" and handle all the pressures in your job and why you joined the company in the first place. You're scared that if you fail then you'll let yourself and everyone down. Although you strive for achievement you may secretly fear whether more success will just overwhelm your already busy schedule. You feel so lost that you’ve even considering quitting and started applying to new jobs.
At times, your previous experiences creep in feelings of anxiety (restlessness, fear, low energy, irritability, headache, and nausea), depression (excessive sadness, lack of interest in previous exciting activities, guilt, worthlessness) or trauma (distressing memories, reminders of trauma event, persistent negative beliefs, anger outbursts, and hypervigilance). To say the least, you find yourself slowing down.
While the stress of your job continues to accumulate, your friends call to ask why you missed a group gathering, yet again. Your family is concerned; they feel that you’re acting quiet and subdued. Your partner tells you that you seem more distant than ever.
Everyone is looking out for you, but how would they understand the weight and consequences of your job?
With several different roles—ranging from Growth Hacker to Chief Marketing Officer to Community Based Mental Health Therapist—I’ve personally experienced the inner pressures of an extreme workload and the stress of meeting deadlines, especially the restless nights it takes to get there. The fear that all of your hard work could fail and not result in a promotion or a salary increase can be crippling and can bleed into your personal life in a big way.
You may have tried:
Talking to friends for tips and ideas
Reading books on productivity
Joining an employee resource group
Weekend binging on alcohol and smoking to push the issues away
And none of these things worked.
How would life look if you felt better?
Imagine entering your workspace in a calm and relaxed state. Picture feeling lighter and getting your work done more easily. Soon, you may even gain the courage to ask your manager for a raise or apply for a new role that pays you what you know you deserve.
You start to gain a different perspective about work. You speak with an old friend for a short yet lively phone call between meetings. You receive an encouraging text from your partner, where they let you know how proud they are of you.
You decide to take a quick getaway trip with your family, knowing there will be moments of extreme joy and happiness. All of the hard work finally feels worthwhile. You say to yourself, “I’ve got this under control.”
This is where our work comes in. In our sessions, we focus on a variety of areas to help you in your daily life, especially as an employee. This work may focus on:
Manifesting and identifying a safe space
Having a safe and confidential space to speak your mind
Unpacking difficult traumatic wounds
Releasing and liberating repetitive negative thinking
Trusting yourself and your decisions
Learning how to set boundaries
Confronting imposter syndrome
Utilizing self-care strategies to prevent burnout
Navigating relationships that shame you for not feeling accomplished enough
Dealing with feelings of isolation, powerlessness, guilt, sadness, and anxiety
Strengthening your problem-solving abilities
No matter what has happened in your life, it's not your fault. But only you can take back your power and begin the steps to change.