It's no secret that we all work hard.

We work hard for our customers, clients and patients. We work hard to support our co-workers. We work hard for our employers and for our companies. We work hard for our families. We work hard so we can feel like we "deserve" to rest on weekends, days off or vacations. And even while on vacation, we work hard at enjoying ourselves and having fun.

It can all be very exhausting.

And when do we have time to REALLY rest? When we retire? How many of us are "running on fumes"?

You Deserve to Rest

I've recently read a couple of books (I will list them at the end of the article) that have made me re-think what I have to do to "deserve" rest. And they have given me some ideas on how to make my life and my living space work better for me. I work from home, and I am applying the ideas to both my living and workspaces.

Because of the society we currently live in, we learned at a young age that you have to work hard. You don't "deserve" rest until you've put in at least 8 hours of work in a day and 40 hours of work in a week. Many of us feel that we must work even more hours than that. And we cram as much work as we can into those hours. We don't "deserve" to rest until the housework is all "done" after working all day.

Here is an Interesting Question

When is housework ever "done"?

You do the dishes, then get a glass of wine or cup of tea to relax with, and voila! You have dirty dishes to clean up again. I'd like to first posit that doing housework (or not) is not morally right or wrong. I'd also like to suggest that working "hard" is also not necessarily morally “right”. Last idea: just by being human, we deserve to rest just because our body/mind/soul requires rest on a regular basis. And I am also suggesting that we require more rest (not just sleep) than the “experts” say.

How would it feel to stop doing "everything" for just a few days, and say "what I'm doing is enough"? Even when your inner critic is screaming at you that you can't possibly sit still because there are so many things left “undone”. But will it matter a year from now that you chose to leave your kitchen "dirty" for a few days because you required some rest (not the same thing as sleep).

Giving More Time To Yourself

Let’s apply this idea to work. If you're overloaded, can you delegate any of it? Can you prioritize your tasks and do the most important ones first? Which ones are not important at all, or are longer-term and can wait? But, most of all, can you leave it all at work? Do you have to bring it home? If you have to be on call, can it be routed through a message service or answering service first to screen the calls so you're not getting solicitations, non-emergencies, etc.? It might take your customers/clients a while to get used to it, but they would adapt.

I work at an answering service, and one of the biggest arguments I use for people considering becoming a customer is that it would give you more time for yourself. Your customers, clients, patients, and company are all handled professionally in the way you require. Your calls are not missed, and you can relax in your off time. Remember, you don't have to do anything to "deserve" your off time or to relax or rest during that time. But I understand needing to feel like things are taken care of at work, so you can.

Work-Life Balance

I know this sounds like a plug, but it's honest. And there are other ways to get help to clear a backlog or give you more time for yourself (or your family). Get creative, ask others around you what they have done to help, and do some online searching for possible solutions. If you can only see one route (doing it yourself), there are usually more options than that; maybe you’re just not looking hard enough. Temp agencies, part-time staff, and hiring a student to get work experience are all possible solutions. And there are many more ideas out there.

Let’s Connect

You, just as you are now, are good enough. You don't need to do anything else to deserve rest and self-care, even if it means asking for help. And if you are ready to ask for help, the team at Intercon Messaging is here to assist.

Article was respectfully submitted by Stacy Ruttan, Customer Service Representative