We were all anxious to get out of quarantine and venture out.
With company, industry, and professional conferences on hold, being able to travel again felt good initially. Now that we are back to travel and attending events personally and professionally, many of us are overwhelmed.
The truth is that we developed some new routines and habits in the pandemic that we began to enjoy like walking the dog multiple times a day, trying new recipes, and dressing from the waist up for zoom meetings. Putting zoom fatigue to the side, we weren’t getting caught in traffic or missing important family events or kids sports because so much was cancelled.
One of the reasons we might feel overwhelmed right now is because we’ve layered our new “out in the world schedules” over our pandemic schedules. There’s been little time to assess priorities as we jump back into a new normal. Add to that the pent up anxiety we’ve experienced during the pandemic and the result is exhaustion.
The up-side of the pain you might be feeling is the opportunity to re-align your priorities and re-assess what you are willing to let go. New times call for new boundaries. What are your priorities now for self-care, family/friend time, professional growth, and career development?
A great place to start is the Stay, Stop, Start approach to reflection. Here are some thought questions that you might ask yourself:
- What are the routines or habits that you’ve developed that you want to keep or Stay doing?
- Which ones do you want to Stop or modify?
- Are there new routines or habits that you need to Start that will help you better integrate your priorities?
Once you are clear on your priorities, then it’s a matter of setting boundaries and realistic timelines. As Oprah Winfrey once said, “You can have it all. Just not all at once.”