How the norm isn't necessarily normal
2 weeks ago I realised the amount of stress that work (my lawyer work), placed on me. I was in the middle of some pretty big contract negotiations and on one of my working days, I went home and all of a sudden I felt incredibly drained in energy and didn't want to do anything apart from sitting in front of the TV and vege out.
The next day I went to work, it was another big day and once again I came home and felt completely drained of energy. I was slightly confused as to what was going on because I had never really felt that sort of drain before when I was working full time. I was discussing this with my boyfriend and he told me that the reason why I felt the energy drain was because I was stressed out at work, and I could feel it a lot more this time around because my routine had changed - i.e. I had a contrast as I only work 3 days a week and study full time the other 2 days (which I quite enjoy). It then made me think of when I went on holidays last time it took a while to wind down from work but once I was able to do that and fully enjoy myself, I could find that there was a stark contrast in how Europeans lived their lives as opposed to me (a Sydneysider).
My perception of people living in the city (especially Sydney) is this - it's fast paced, everyone wants something done right now, people walk like there is no tomorrow, it's intense, people seem to be easily irritated, they work too many hours and it's hard to have a social life if you don't know a couple of people here. It wasn't until I was in Europe did I realise that they way I was living my life wasn't the only way - the Europeans see work as work but place a lot more emphasis on socialising with family and friends and really respect their relationship with food. The concept of working stupid hours a day baffles them because they realise that there is something more to life than just work - which is perhaps something that a lot of us who work do not realise.
I knew that my line of work had days where it was stressful, but I didn't realise the full brunt of that stress until that day 2 weeks ago when I just felt incredibly lethargic. This then raised the question - do people even realise that perhaps the mere fact of them working brought certain stresses on their life? Or did they consider the constant headaches, constant feeling of checking the emails, needing to respond asap, the sore shoulders and necks were just a part of life? I can tell you that the latter does not need to be the norm or part of your life if you manage it properly or at least take steps to try to be the objective observer of your circumstances. This is a lot easier said than done, but I think a very easy way to see this is for you to shake up your life a little bit and do something different. The difference or contrast will hopefully make you realise that there is certainly something better out there for you and that it is not normal to constantly feel tired, stressed, under pressure, etc. You deserve the best and if you're not happy with your current situation, know that you have the power to change it - nothing is normal unless you say it is!
The next day I went to work, it was another big day and once again I came home and felt completely drained of energy. I was slightly confused as to what was going on because I had never really felt that sort of drain before when I was working full time. I was discussing this with my boyfriend and he told me that the reason why I felt the energy drain was because I was stressed out at work, and I could feel it a lot more this time around because my routine had changed - i.e. I had a contrast as I only work 3 days a week and study full time the other 2 days (which I quite enjoy). It then made me think of when I went on holidays last time it took a while to wind down from work but once I was able to do that and fully enjoy myself, I could find that there was a stark contrast in how Europeans lived their lives as opposed to me (a Sydneysider).
My perception of people living in the city (especially Sydney) is this - it's fast paced, everyone wants something done right now, people walk like there is no tomorrow, it's intense, people seem to be easily irritated, they work too many hours and it's hard to have a social life if you don't know a couple of people here. It wasn't until I was in Europe did I realise that they way I was living my life wasn't the only way - the Europeans see work as work but place a lot more emphasis on socialising with family and friends and really respect their relationship with food. The concept of working stupid hours a day baffles them because they realise that there is something more to life than just work - which is perhaps something that a lot of us who work do not realise.
I knew that my line of work had days where it was stressful, but I didn't realise the full brunt of that stress until that day 2 weeks ago when I just felt incredibly lethargic. This then raised the question - do people even realise that perhaps the mere fact of them working brought certain stresses on their life? Or did they consider the constant headaches, constant feeling of checking the emails, needing to respond asap, the sore shoulders and necks were just a part of life? I can tell you that the latter does not need to be the norm or part of your life if you manage it properly or at least take steps to try to be the objective observer of your circumstances. This is a lot easier said than done, but I think a very easy way to see this is for you to shake up your life a little bit and do something different. The difference or contrast will hopefully make you realise that there is certainly something better out there for you and that it is not normal to constantly feel tired, stressed, under pressure, etc. You deserve the best and if you're not happy with your current situation, know that you have the power to change it - nothing is normal unless you say it is!