Burning Out: How to Survive at Work During a Personal Crisis

(www.dyingmatters.org)

It is one of the golden rules when working in the professional world: don’t let your personal life interfere with your professional one.

You’ve been warned time and time again about letting the lines blur between your social life and work duties, and so far, it has been easy to keep them apart (keeping separate professional social media pages, avoiding overly-personal conversations at the office, etc.).

However, what are you supposed to do when something goes awry in your personal life, and completely throws you off your game in every way?

This could be a family member’s passing, a devastating breakup, a financial blow, or anything that makes you feel helpless or beyond stressed out.

You have been taught to keep your personal and professional lives from intersecting, but should you really avoid the office altogether and take as many personal days as possible?

The short answer is “no”, but the truth of the matter is that it takes work and resilience to stay focused while undergoing a painful life event.

Even though it may seem impossible, concentrating on your work can help you recover from the pain you are feeling.

By focusing on your job while under a great deal of personal stress, you will be able to take your mind off of it. This can be helpful in many ways, especially if you have been unable to focus on anything else. Sometimes, taking your mind of something can help you see it clearer in the future, and by focusing on work and putting the personal situation in the background, you may find clarity when you clock out at the end of the day.

Also, if the personal situation has made you feel bad about yourself, being productive at work can make you feel more confident in your abilities. Acing a presentation or media campaign may just be the confidence booster you need to feel better after a painful situation.

In the end, everyone copes differently with stress and pain. If you need to take time off to recuperate, it is understandable. However, if you are low on personal days or have too much work to take a break from, remember that work can be helpful in overcoming your grief, and you will get past this.