This was an exceptionally stressful week at work, and I am here to remind everyone (and myself!), once again, to give everyone a little grace in our everyday lives this year of all years. Stress and uncertainty are endemic across personal and professional lives. People’s houses are literally on fire.
My job has an office in Florida, and we had colleagues who went through two back to back hurricanes. We’ve had a year and a half of rolling layoffs. The job market is a battlefield. And yes, I went to Kroger yesterday and realized we can no longer afford to shop anywhere but Aldi and Walmart.
And we’re already deep back into what we experienced in 2017-2020, where our leaders at the highest level are going out of their way to terrorize us literally every day. That ongoing stress – esp for folks with kids – is and will continue to be debilitating. But no one is coming to save us.
But a tangible thing we can all do is be there for each other. We can help support friends and colleagues. Shovel a neighbor’s sidewalk. Listen to a colleague’s rant. Plant a garden and share some produce. Help a friend with a resume. Focus on what we can control.
I am leaning hard into “focus on what you can control” this year. Make an impact on the people around you, or your local community. Those are wins I can see immediately. It reminds me things can change. Positive change brings me joy. The only way out is through.
