Director’s Thoughts #16 – When You Need a Pick-Me-Up

Do you ever feel like you’re trying to make changes and you’re stuck in the mud? Or that things just aren’t moving as quickly as you’d like in regards to a work project? Or maybe you just feel like you need a vacation? It can make you feel defeated, tired and just plain ready to hide in a hole for a little while. These feelings aren’t quite burnout; when you’d rather do anything else than what you’re currently doing, but they do need to be recognized and as a director, it’s important to find ways to bounce back and regain your energy.

Here’s a few things that I do to relax, re-energize and get my head back in the game:

1. Exercise
   I’m trying to make a point of exercising regularly, but even just taking the dog for a walk when I get home from work gives me a few minutes to let the stress of work go and focus on me. It’s amazing what a walk around the block can do!
2. Read for fun
   I read a lot for my blog and sometimes feel inundated with the amount of reading I “have” to do. And that’s when I pull out something just because – my go-to is often Nora Roberts – easy romance that doesn’t require a lot of thought but is fun to read and is often something I’ll get fully immersed in, even if it’s just for a little bit.
3. Review accomplishments
   Sometimes it’s good to write up a list of what has been accomplished instead of just focusing on what still needs to happen. I don’t do this often enough, but when I step back from the to-do list, I’m always pleasantly surprised by what I’ve been able to do.
4. Spend some time with friends
   There are nights when the last thing I want to do is go out with friends – I’m tired from putting out fires all day, I’ve been dealing with small problems, big problems and people and all I want to do is throw on my pajamas and relax, but when I push myself to spend time with friends, it always feels good and re-centers me.
5. Create an inspiration folder
   I have one of these folders and it comes in handy! Create a folder of thank you notes, words of encouragement, little stories of how you’ve made a difference, inspirational quotes – whatever you need to make you smile. I’m not a director because I like making decisions (although I do), or fixing everyone’s problems, or being in charge – I’m a director because I want to make a difference in my community and seeing those uplifting messages is always helpful.
6. Connect with colleagues over social media
   I’ve met some amazing readers, librarians, authors, illustrators, publishing folk and friends through my blog and other social media outlets and although I don’t know many of these people in person, they always help put things into perspective and are ready to cheer me on or cheer me up when I need it.

What do you do when you need to re-energize?