When to take a step back - before it's too late

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If there is one topic that is coming up time and again over the last few months, it’s one of mounting responsibilities, ever increasing workload and an always on culture.

Just today I was speaking to someone who is a senior woman in HR in a global organisation with a global role, who said to me:

“Sonia I can cope with the peaks and troughs but it’s the constant peaks that are starting to wear me down.”

We all need down time, but do we always realise when?

The last few months have been one of those never ending peaks for me for a number of reasons.

Yes lots of interesting work which I would usually not only cope with but also enjoy. But add to this a catalogue of different personal events, and the going has been tough.

In the summer I had surgery to correct an arrhythmia and it took me a while to recover.

Then my 17 year old son started to have trouble with his motivation to get to school (teenagers!)

Then my mother fell and ended up with blood on her brain, a fractured thumb, a compression fracture of the spine due to her osteoporosis and we’re looking after her at home.

And my father (both my parents live with us) is also unwell and frail and needing more support.

Now usually I take things in my stride, but the last few weeks I’ve noticed that I’m not sleeping as well, that even if I do sleep I’m tired, I’m forgetting things, I have some mouth ulcers appearing and my patience is wearing thin.

These are all signs that I have reached, if not surpassed my limits and that I need to start doing things differently, saying no where possible to anything else and taking time to look after myself first or else I won’t be able to look after anyone else.

So I have said no to a number of work projects, have committed to going to some exercise classes routinely and have taken a break from producing videos for a couple of weeks so that I can find my centre again.

But many of my clients only do this when they burnout and then the recovery is so much slower!

What are the signs that you need to take a break?

What do you do to take a step back and find your centre again?

Let me know in the comments below.

Poll is still open, you can cast your vote here.

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Speak Soon,

Sonia xx