This is a day for catching up. After weeks on running on empty, both you and your teenage daughter have a day. President’s Day means that there is no school, and icy roads in the morning means that your daughter even cancelled her plans to go into the gym and workout.
You slept in a little extra and you came downstairs to find your 16 year old daughter binge watching a couple of shows and crocheting. She is not really making anything specific, she is simply practicing a craft that she really enjoys, but rarely has time for. Joining her with two cups of hot cocoa, the two of you vow to make this the agenda for the day. Relaxing and enjoying each other’s company. Something that does not happen often enough these days.
Ignoring the Signs of Physical Exhaustion Can be Costly in the Long Run
It may come as no surprise that in the fast pace of today’s world a growing number of Americans find themselves suffering from life burnout, job burnout, and other work-life balance complications. From school teacher to teenagers and from physicians to pilots, the cost of ignoring the signs of physical exhaustion can be substantial. As an employer, failing to recognize the signs of job burnout and stress can mean missed days at work and, in extreme cases, weeks or months to allow recovery from severe burnout. In fact, research indicates that workplace stress causes approximately one million U.S. employees to miss work every day of the year.
What do you do when you are given the chance to relax? Do you fill an empty day with errands and a long list of things to complete around the house, or do you give yourself permission to RELAX?
- Reading a good book and staying away from technology is a perfect way to regroup and refocus.
- Enjoying time playing board games with your kids and watching old family videos is another way to make sure that you give yourself a chance to rest and recuperate.
- Lying in bed for a few extra minutes is a great way to start the day. Count your blessings and reflect on what you are grateful for and give yourself permission to start the day at a slower, less stressed, pace.
- As long as you are able to get to bed and get enough rest you can find ways to make sure that you are avoiding the stress that causes so many to lead unhealthy lives.
- X-tra time with a good friend catching up with each other is a great way to spend time on a day off work.
Taking the time to RELAX when you get the chance is an important part of staying healthy. Too often people ignore the signs of physical exhaustion and put themselves at risk of long term health problems and a life that is nothing but stress from sunup to sundown. Maybe this President’s Day is the time to make sure that you take some time for yourself and remove yourself from the statistic that says that 66% of both men and women say work has a significant impact on their stress level, and 25% have called in sick or taken a ?mental health day? as a result of work stress.