A Week From Hell

Ugh - work is totally getting me worked up. In a lot of ways, it's exciting to see us move in such a progressive direction, but there is so much work to do in moving in a new direction and a lot of it is on my department's plate. I have so many projects going on, something is going to get lost and I feel so responsible for the success of each and every initiative. If every one comes off as a win, me and my team will look like heroes, but if any fail it will come right back in my lap.

Having said that, I really feel empowered to make huge decisions with the support of my boss. I have to bring my A-game each and every day, which can get exhausting. I get pulled in so many directions over the course of a day that there are times when I feel like I don't get anything accomplished. On top of that, the stress I feel is spread out to my fellow leaders and our office can look like a scene from "The Walking Dead." The next 3 months is going to be very important for me, and we will either sink or float. Whatever happens, how we do business is going to change radically and having to manage a staff through this will have its own challenges.

So, what does that mean for me? I need to get and stay healthy - emotionally and physically. I need to be brutally honest with my boss when things get to be too much, and let him know when he makes decisions that affects me and my staff in a negative way. I can't absorb it all and put everything on my shoulders. I need his approval for me to say no when it's getting too much without worrying about how it's going to affect the perception of me or my career. I need to be able to make time for appropriate outlets - working out, yoga, meditation. I need to fuel my body with healthy nutrition. When I get stressed, I want the quick "feel good" solution, which is often crap (chocolate, chips, wine etc.). With everything coming up, I can't afford to be sick and I need to give my body good alternatives to operate at my own peak performance.

In addition, I need to make sure I am having open conversations with my support circle - Don, my family and my friends. At times, I know it becomes a "vomit of the mind" where I just dump all the negative energy I hold on to, and I don't want to burden them with this, but that's what friends are for! Seriously, I hold on to so many negative thoughts because I don't want to unburden myself but my spouting off about my stress shouldn't really be more than me talking and them agreeing with me...

I am so conditioned to make my life look so rosy and look at life as the glass half full. In reality, my life has its ups and downs and I just need to figure out how to live it like everyone else does.

OK, on to a more exciting topic - Minnesota weather! Last night, I was going to an after work function. While my friend, Lynn, and I sat at a corner bar, a huge storm moved in with tornado warnings, lightening, hail, driving rain. The storm sirens went off, and the bar workers were trying to figure out whether or not to evacuate everyone to the bar's basement! Don, at home, didn't know how bad it was because our satellite dish was knocked out. It was quite the event, but typical of this time of year. It's currently really, really windy but nice temp-wise. I just hope a really bad storm doesn't hit over the weekend when Don is in Kansas City.

This weekend is going to be busy but low-key for me. I have some personal, feel-good appointments tomorrow - waxing, haircut/color, and a mani/pedi. I might even see about working in a massage! Don is off to Kansas City to cover the game by himself since his co-worker's wife gave birth 2 weeks early. I have plans to go to the local Ren Fest on Sunday, which will be good to get out and about.

Off to get ready for Don's birthday dinner - 2 days early because he'll be on the road!!