I know a great number of people working hard and digging deep to find that extra-something inside that will allow them to push through the almost overwhelming challenges on the path ahead.
I’ve polled a number of good colleagues that are either battling the very foreign experience of being unemployed for the first time in otherwise stellar careers or, those individuals that have given up on ever being employed (at least in the near future) and are striking out on their own.
Both groups admit that sleep is no longer something that they enjoy. The darkness and late hours are illuminated by the blinding lights of self-doubt, second guessing and just a tinge of fear. These emotions combine to create a nearly lethal cocktail that induces sleeplessness and feeds the stress monster.
While none of the people that I’ve spoken with in the situations described above are resting easily, to my observation, they share a stubborn commitment to persevering in spite of the fact that the road ahead seems to be unpaved, uphill and against the wind the entire way.
The survival strategies differ from person to person:
- Relentless hours of work interspersed with bouts of extreme physical activity. The body and mind seems to respond well to a balance of deep mental and tough physical workouts. The combination improves the odds of gaining access to the much needed fuel of sleep.
- Reaching out to other sharp people to compare notes, commiserate just a little bit and share ideas on getting back to success. Much of the passive networking of the past has been replaced by networking with a purpose.
- Bouts of extreme new learning fed by a hunger for content and context on what it means to forge a new life and career from the vestiges of many years of relative comfort in environments where there was some perception of security. They now know that the security blanket was not really there.
- Incredible discipline in pursuit of tasks fed by a hunger borne of the knowledge that if they stop, it might not start again.
The Bottom-Line for Now:
This no longer feels like the recessions that our parents knew. We’re into grandparent territory here, with a depression like aura surrounding this mess. Yet in spite of the challenges, I see many people digging deep to reinvent themselves and then pushing forward, uphill, against the wind, bent on success.
If you know someone that is struggling to find this extra performance gear, the right thing to do is reach out and help. Call, meet, listen and most of all encourage. In some cases, a bit of tough love might be just the nudge needed to help them get it into that next gear.
Hi Art,
I personally can’t imagine how hard it must be to have to look for a job during these times. I often do wonder how I myself would react if I did get laid off. Would I hit the books the next day and teach myself the newest current technologies and start my own projects? Or would I be too emotionally drained and unable to accomplish anything? How long would I be able to keep it together if I didn’t land a new job within the first couple of months? I would be stressed and I don’t even have a family or a mortgage to support, I can’t imagine being in this position of those that do. I think you are right in that we have to stick together and help those less fortunate. We need to be there for them because it can easily be us in their shoes tomorrow.
In deed this is a complicated part of life, but life is always a challenge and we need to learn how to overcome those challenges, I’m in the position where I’m not working but am fortunate enough to be able to go back to school and get my masters degree, I think this is what has helped me from frustrating myself, these are hard times to find a job that is really worth doing, but with some confidence and patience I hope everything gets better for everyone.
You hit a couple of important things there, Art. Alternating work with recovery is important. Exercise is good because it also aids in stress reduction and can improve sleep.
There are also several things you can do to improve sleep. A dark, cool room helps, along with a regular bedtime and a bit of diet control. A white noise generator (or a fan which can substitute) really helps some folks.
As long as you’re doing self-improvement stuff, this might be a good time to learn meditation which has stress-reduction and creativity benefits.
Siraj, Aaron and Wally, thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. Much appreciated.
Wally, great advice for all of us. In my case, instead of meditating, I compose blog posts until I’m satisfied that I’ve got a workable idea in my mind. At that point, the sleep comes easy.
Best to all of you,
Art
Great post, Art. Concur with Wally that exercise is a MUST. If I did not run I would be a basket case. I also can be very creative in the hour I spend running; it so drains stress that things come to mind I never considered before.
As for sleep, I highly recommend Ambien CR. I don’t use it anymore, but I went through a period of trouble sleeping and it works like a charm. I had no side effects and it was not addicting. See your doctor. It was very much worth it for me.
I still have a lot of stress, which leads me to grind my teeth at night, so I use a custom mouth guard from my dentist. It works wonders! I’m like a baby with a pacifier. Honestly, it works.
Great stuff, Art! Bret
Bret, you are so right on the exercise. When I don’t keep a regular workout schedule, the sleep goes out the window, stress goes up and as my wife notes, I get really grumpy! That’s not good.
Funny that you mention the grinding…I heard a report that indicated that the sale of bite guards are at an all time record.
Thanks as always, Bret for reading and sharing your much appreciated ideas and insights. -Art
Art,
By personal experience I can relate to this post. In a way it brings back hard memories of an unknowing time. It also brings back memories if what I did to overcome it, For me, I dropped the exercise (bad idea for two obvious reasons) but I think what enabled me to keep moving forward were my family and more importantly my friends. Words of encouragement and as you put it a little tough love got me moving in a direction that was beneficial. I have a job, not the right one, but am working toward the remedy to that as well as other things.
Thank you for the post.
Art, great observations and thoughts. Walt Disney once said, “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
As a community, we have to encourage, inspire and lift one another to often find that extra performance. This often means having an honest conversation with someone about their capabilities, getting up an hour earlier to meditate and prepare for the days battle, or connect with someone late in the evening to offer support and ideas.
I remember working all nighters to meet the schedule. Then, having met it, and product shipped, I was headed home to go to bed. This about 9:30 am. My manager told me to remain at work until the end of the day–not a motivator.
Good attendance awards are similar. They motivate the wrong behaviors. Attendance is not the job. Getting stuff done is the job.
The cure for burnout is to leave work, get work out of your head, and not comeback until you’re over the burnout. funny thing is it, you’ll be back in three days.
Kyle, Jim and David, thanks for adding your thoughts!
Kyle, excellent reminder of the importance and power of friends and family during challenging periods in our lives. Thank you!
Jim, great Disney tie in and great point on what it sometimes take to pull through and to succeed!
David, that manager definitely gets the de-motivator award! Great point…change venues…change your thoughts…the mind recharges.
Thanks to all!