I texted a friend and when she asked what was wrong I said, “I just found out that I am stressed and now I am depressed.” To which she responded, “Everyone’s stressed.”
When did we get this way?
Conversations at work are a back and forth of feeling guilty that someone else works more than I, and a competition with myself as to how I can get more hours in so I do not feel guilty. Conversations with friends are, “I have been working for weeks without a day off!” and “Don’t tell me about it… I haven’t gotten more than three hours of sleep since I started grad school!”
What good is this stress doing us?
In England, people actually TAKE their vacation days and sick days. In Europe, there are siesta times to chill and nap in the middle of the day. In America, sad people pop Xanax and Adderall and push on in pursuit of the “American Dream.”
I work in a church. A CHURCH. Our business (if you want to call it that) is caring for others. Theoretically, that should be our top priority as employees. In fact, like 90% of the Bible is all about “others.” With all due respect to the Good Book, I have to occasionally disagree. If you aren’t taking care of yourself… how can you be expected to be a good friend, give unto others, or clothe the naked?
SELF CARE PEOPLE.
Quit complaining about how little sleep you’ve gotten, quit adding up the hours you’ve worked with glee, and start taking time to appreciate what you have. Stressed from grad school? Don’t forget you’re part of like 1% of the world’s population that is going for a higher education than their higher education. Working 48592 hours per paycheck? I bet your dog misses you… GO HOME.
Additionally, stop the competition. Honestly it’s annoying as hell, no person knows what you are going through nor do you know what they are going through, and nobody wins the conversation. Stop shaming one another on how stressed you are. Stop shaming people on taking their days off. Stop. Just stop.
SELF CARE PEOPLE! Take your days off, take some vacations, and forget about the haters. As a wise philosopher once said, “Shake it off.”