Return to Work Anxiety

What's really good, beautiful people?! It's been quite the minute, hasn't it? Whew. Hoping to be more consistent here since it is one of the things that sparks joy for me. It's been a ride these past couple of years. Some great things, some not so great things. You know, the typical life stuff. Anywho, I hope everyone is doing well and doing their best to live life to the fullest because baby, this thing is short and very unpredictable at times. Sooooo, let's get into it.

I had a choice this AM-- do some work to try and lessen any anxiety since I'm just getting back from vacation, OR do something that sparks joy for me like writing this blog post although it's still about work. I'd ideally want work tings (yes,"tings") to spark joy for me, but honestly life has been much lately, including work. On Sunday, I realized that the anxiety I had in returning to work after a whole 7 business days off, was real. Not really real (how I usually emphasize severity) as in I was freaking out to the max, but it was quite real. I tried giving myself some relief by tackling email on that Sunday so as to lessen the anxiety (like my plan this AM), but knowing it would still be there once I got back to work Monday.

The questions about what had occurred while I was out of office swirled through my mind. What craziness am I going to be met with? How many fires happened last week that I need to address this week? What did I not do right? What is going to happen with all the changes? What additional tasks are going to be added to my plate? How many IMs did I get even though I was OOO and informed people in advance? How many questions will I get about things that both me and those asking the questions have the same access to view? The list goes on. Am I alone in this or can you relate? Either way, please share in the comments or email me personally at jijivyse@gmail.com. Let me know the factors that contribute to a similar or different experience. Has it always been this way for you or nah? I have several ideas as to why these were the questions that swirled through my head, but that's for another time.

It's a stressful time in my life overall, especially with a parent who is ill and having lost a close friend to the same illness. I'm trying to find balance between prioritizing self-care, home life with my spouse, ensuring my father is okay, and work. One thing I know is that I only get one father in this life and that time is something you cannot get back. It's just a weird time. I guess I just needed to express myself so thanks for reading and allowing me to be vulnerable with you. Hope you have a great week!