Dragging myself through the 9-5 fast lane has officially taken its toll. Although I’m only 26, sometimes I feel like I’ve been at this for decades. And when I think about it, I’m too young to feel this old.
Monday through Friday has become a cycle of anxiety, frustration and excitement on repeat. I find myself wishing for Friday so I can have time to myself. When Monday comes around, I’m already tired from the anticipation of the stress I’ll have to go through.
Unfortunately, it’s been like this since I graduated college. Working on someone’s schedule means playing by someone else’s rules. How many times have I hit the snooze button in the morning? How many times have I stared at my phone when my boss calls and not answered? How many times have I wished and prayed for a vacation in the middle of chaos?
While I don’t plan to work for someone else for the rest of my life, I know I have to find a way to better manage the daily grind. It’s not healthy to be in a constant state of frustration. And it’s even worse to be living my life weekend to weekend.
This isn’t an uncommon phenomenon among people around the world. My own parents have worked almost every day for most of their life. You’re probably even reading this during your shift just to make the day go by faster. Just to get home and prepare for it all over again.
So how do we overcome this? How do we make the most out of these circumstances and start living for today? Well, I’m glad you asked.
- Spend at least one hour doing something for yourself every day. (reading, going for a walk, watching a movie, etc.)
- Make a list of tasks you need to accomplish and a deadline. The sense of achievement is motivation to keep going.
- Make a phone date with a family member or friend. Make an effort to discuss what’s going on in your life and theirs. Try to avoid work talk.
- Go on interviews. Even if you’re not interested in leaving your job right now, you’ll get an idea of what’s available in the field you’re interested in and you’ll be networking in the process.
- Join a group with similar interests. There’s apps like. Meetup, groups on Facebook, and other social media platforms that allow you to search by interests.
- Try a new hobby. By filling your time with an activity, you’ll be giving yourself a challenge and something to look forward to daily. (Learn a language/instrument, play a new online community game, knit, paint, write, etc.)
- Get a pet you can manage without adding additional stress. Some suggestions could be a turtle, fish, gerbil, hermit crabs, etc. These are pretty simple to care for and provide basic companionship.
- Set boundaries between personal and professional relationships. Don’t allow either side to manipulate your time.
- Set boundaries in both personal and professional relationships. Don’t allow either side to manipulate your time.
- Take a few moments a day to just breathe. Set an alarm as a reminder to walk away. Focus on relaxing each muscle and taking deep breaths to expel negativity.
Did I miss anything? How do you manage to stay above the stress of the 9-5 rat race?
D'Miria Collins 