When You NEED Take It Easy
When It’s Time To Step Back and Refocus
Sometimes it feel as if life is against you. Nothing works as it should. The people around you seem distant, preoccupied, and indifferent to you and your interests. There are constant hassles and upsets. Whatever enthusiasm you once had has burned to gray, barely-flickering embers. You have little energy and feel like giving up. Many people feel this way. You can’t rightly call it depression or burnout. It’s not that dramatic. It’s more like feeling gray and dull all the time. There’s no spark. No sense of excitement or joy in life. Thanks to the Puritan Work Ethic, many people are obsessed with working and studiously avoid allowing themselves sufficient time for pleasure. Imagine trying to live by eating nothing but broccoli at every meal. However good it may be, a diet of nothing else would kill you. Every human being needs variety in their life as much as in their diet. Here are a few techniques to bring yourself back…
- Take time out. Think about what used to bring you energy and pleasure. What happened to it? How can you bring it back? Many people lose focus on what truly matters to them, because they’re wrapped up in what seems more pressing—like working to get ahead. You need more than a great career. You need enough of what truly makes your life worth living, however frivolous and financially impractical that turns out to be.
- Learn to relax and let go. We all like to feel in control of events; to have stability and predictability in our lives. Give it up. It’s an illusion. You are not in control. Accept it with a smile.
- Don’t Isolate Yourself. People who feel miserable and frustrated often isolate themselves. They think that they don’t want company, or that other people won’t want to be with them. Just make sure you spend enough time in company, devoting your attention to someone other than yourself.
- Help Someone Who May Feel the Same. Teaching is the best way to learn; helping others is very often the best way to help yourself. Let your personal issues take a back seat for a while focus on helping others.
- Find a way to renew a sense of purpose. Actions—however successful—that feel meaningless will never be satisfying. The answer is to work through these questions:
Why did I go into the work I’m doing today?
What did I expect to find? Did I find it?
Are my expectations for my working life still realistic?
What do I need to change?
What needs do I want to meet through my work and career?
What is the next most obvious step to move towards them?
What can I do to make my life better? Why aren’t I doing it?
