Stop the ride. I want to get off.

Hello there lovely.

 

Is it just me, or does it sometimes feel like the world is never going to stop spinning? If anything it feels like it's speeding up. The days flash by like the background of a Scooby Doo cartoon!

 

Get up.

Go to work.

Run errands on your lunch break.

Go back to work.

Run for jam-packed sweat box train/bus or sit in MASSIVE traffic jam.

Do chores when you get in.

OR. Ignore chores, watch dross TV and then feel immense guilt and stress caused by pile of left over chores.

Sleep badly due to worrying about doing it all again.

Repeat x4

 

Then the weekend.

Your time. To do whatever you want. See your friends and relax.

But those chores are still there.

And which friends do you see? And can you really afford to do all that fun stuff? If you've not got your own places with bills to pay, you might be desperately trying to save up for one.

And the problem with a weekend is that there's never quite enough time for the working week to fall away. It's always there, niggling at you.

 

I think it can be difficult to let yourself take a break. Or a least I find it difficult. If your job is anything like mine, taking time off tends to mean you come back to an overflowing inbox and a horrendous amount of work to do. There's never a good time to take leave. Sometimes it just feels easier to keep going.

And then I feel like I want to get as much out of if my weekend as I can. I've earned that weekend! So that ends up jam packed and busy too.

But I wasn't designed for this. I'm a worrier and a stresser and my mind races ahead of me with things I want to do... while I jog on after it, stitch in my side, wheezing trying to keep up.

 

Sometimes you just need to shout STOP!

 

This week, I am on holiday. The proper kind. No distractions. No obligations. Just pottering along and having chance to recover from the non-stop ride that is the world. It's been less than a day so far and I already feel like my mind is slowing down, like I can focus on what I want to focus on. I'm going to make the most of this before I have to strap myself back in and start the whirlwind all over again.

 

The Intern

We had a lovely individual in who did a but of work experience recently. I think it went rather well, they didn't complain at any rate.

 

He started out doing a bit of data entry for us, you can see the coffee cup on his desk - showing he's hard at work.

But as you can see, later on in the day, we found him clutching onto the wine to get him through the endless paperwork mountain!

We thought he might appreciate a rest from typing so we put him on the phones. He was pretty good at this, he didn't speak too fast which is always a plus point for telephone communication.

 

In order to make sure he got a good experience day we tried to make sure he got to do a lot of varied tasks. Including the ever so thrilling task of filing!

 

Time for another beverage break now and this is when we found out he's into the World Cup!

 

As you can see he had an excellent break looking through his player card album and updating his sticker album. He's got a long way to go though before he's got them all.

We did catch him listening to his iPod but we all do it so no one really minded.

 

 

Finally, he offered to do the afternoon tea round which is always appreciated.

 

All in all, he was a jolly good little worker and we thoroughly enjoyed having him with us. He is welcome back at any time.

 

Pip pip, Charlote xx

 

 

Escaping

The world is a busy place.

 

I might have mentioned before that I am a commuter.

I get a busy train. Walk through a busy train station. Spend 8+ hours in a busy office. Walk back to the busy train station through a busy city centre. Get on an even busier train home.

My weekdays are crowded, loud and hectic. Is it any wonder that sometimes I just want to get off the ride? You might be in the same situation and if you are, I feel your pain. (Unless you thrive on this sort of environment - good for you).

 

Sometimes you just need to escape. I know I do. But you can't just suddenly get up and say:

"Enough is enough! I'm going on holiday. See you in two weeks!"

Well you could... But you'd get sacked. And I don't know about you but I'm really keen on not getting sacked. Even if I do want to escape sometimes.

So what do you do instead? I don't know really but here's some things I think might help.

1. Nature sounds: I stole this top tip from this lovely lady. If I feel overwhelmed by the commute, I pop my earphones in and try to pretend I'm at the seaside or in a forest.
2. Music: Again, stolen as above, but nonetheless useful. Find a song that you find relaxing and listen to it. I find singing along very helpful but this isn't always possible if you're in a crowded place and don't want to look slightly mad.
3. Take a break. I don't smoke, but people who do go out for a cheeky smoke break. So why can't I have a break too? Make a tea, heck make a round! Or, just say you're popping it the loo. No one needs to know you're not actually desperate for a pee! It's 5 minutes way from your desk and that stupid phone that won't stop ringing.
4. Lunch: I used to work through my lunch break when we got busy. Now we're always busy I make sure I take my 30 minutes every single day. And I make sure I leave the office, even if it's raining.
5. Find water: I appreciate this might not be possible for everyone but I find water hugely relaxing and I am fortunate to work just about within sensible walking distance of the river. By just about I mean 10 minutes there and 10 minutes back leaving a 10 minute sit down in the middle. For me, this is totally worth it.

This is where I have started trying to go to at lunchtime. It feels like a world away and really let's me clear my head ready to tackle the afternoon without cracking up.

 

It is so important to take time out to look after yourself. Nothing is worth feeling horrible about. I am the worst at doing this but I am trying to retrain myself. Take those five minutes, you've earned them so thousand times over.

 

Love Charlotte x