When was the last time you took a day off? Like, really off – no work, no powering through the to do list. You might sleep in, hike to a new place, read a book, not check your email — you remember the idea?
Since the pandemic started, I can’t really remember many days like this. Even weekends. But the days are blurring. The concepts of "day" or "week" or "month" almost seem like constructs of a different universe. The kids are in school at home; I’m set up in a nearby room with radio equipment and a beagle. There are definite moments of joy – walks and outside yoga with friends, cooking with my family. I’m grateful for what I have and feel whiny about complaining when others are struggling much more. But I’m almost never resting and I’m on a screen constantly.
We have more time without commutes, more flexible days — so why are we so tired?
We ask these questions in this week’s show, “Everything is Exhausting." Part of it, surely, is the unquantifiable tiredness from worrying about coronavirus, and all the constants in our lives it has upended. Even if we aren’t sick with it, it’s giving many of us a dose of lingering melancholy.
There’s a lot we can’t control right now. But if you’re on the path to burnout, you can make one small change. Let’s take a day off. Let me know how it goes.
–Shannon