Fatigue and Reframing

Last year a younger professional asked me if we could spend some time together talking about career advancement. We’ve had many sessions since then, and it’s fair to say the insights and perspectives go both ways. He feels that I could be more forward in my convictions, once saying to me, “don’t be afraid to cause a problem”.

He wasn’t wrong to some degree. I’m not a karma guy, but I do believe people are less likely to throw me curve balls when I’m not causing problems. In addition, if I do harm to others my experiences will be worse, living in the mind of somebody with bad intentions, knowing that I have bad intentions.

Anyway, I’m late on my weekly write up for the first time in a while, and I feel more okay about it than anticipated - probably because I’m the only person that knows that I missed a week or because I’m giving myself some grace, having been confronted by some form of fatigue over the last month. I’m exploring what’s hopefully the end of it.

Here are some of the things that I’ve experienced:

• Mental fatigue

• Poor sleep

• Lesser empathy

• Increased cravings

• Increased negative self talk

• Irritability

Feeling all of these things simultaneously has been dramatic in contrast to my last few years - I’m likely also a dramatic person to begin with.

I’m now working to reframe this experience by accepting and finding value in it. I can better empathize with those I have a deep desire to support because of this. It also showed me that I can better develop the faith I have in myself, something invaluable and easily overlooked.

It’s easy to believe in a thing when it’s doing well.