Welcome to Exploring Life and Work with Patti – From Chaos to Calm. Join me as we explore the good, the bad, and the chaotic in the life of a manager or supervisor.
This podcast is for you if you are a manager or supervisor who feels burnt out, stressed out, or overworked from your demanding job. Now, you’re looking to find some calm and balance in life, both inside and outside of work.
These monthly mini-podcast episodes inspire life and work strategies to maintain sanity within your busy day from chaos to calm.
I am your host Patti Oskvarek, a Leadership and Work-Life Balance Coach.
Follow “Exploring Life and Work with Patti” on all your favorite podcast listening platforms to get all the latest podcast episodes.
It’s officially summer. The weather is changing to enjoy outdoor adventures. It’s time to start planning and going on vacation activities. Scheduling it on the calendar is the first step to make it happen. After that, the time is blocked out, and work will not occur.
For some planning, a vacation can be overwhelming. Booking the flight, lodging, activities, rent a car, or not renting a car, etc. Staying local and pursuing fun, entertainment, and recreation may be a good option.
What is a playcation? Here is my explanation of a playcation as doing something fun and enjoyable on vacation. I recommend blocking out and scheduling specific enjoyable activities to do physically while getting some fresh air and sunlight. Maybe it is golfing, parasailing, snorkeling, zip-lining, water skiing, camping, hiking, getting the body moving, and so much more.
What has been your bucket list or what I call adventure list that you always wanted to do? If you don’t have an adventure list, it’s time to make one. Making an adventure list will help you plan future adventures and playcations.
I started making an adventure list by each state in two notebooks; as I see something on TV, Facebook, Pinterest, or hear about it from someone to visit and do that activity, I will write it in the books. If I don’t have the books with me, I put them on my phone in notes and then later write them in the book under that state.
As you begin to plan a playcation, take out your adventure list. I find this is a great motivation tool to experience something new a different and inspire me to do it.
How about making an adventure list and putting it into action?
I would love to hear or see your adventure list. Become carefree and just do it. Let the adventure begin!
If you are struggling with creating a balanced life. How about hiring a leadership, life, or career coach like me to help you work through the daily challenges, and continue moving forward to where you want to be with your life.
If you would like to work with me for coaching services, click the “Schedule Now” button below.
If you enjoyed this blog post, how about showing appreciation and (buying) sharing a cup of coffee with me. ☕️ What is share (buy) me a cup of coffee? It is a beautiful way to express your gratitude and support for my work by buying me a cup of coffee.
I have recently been watching the entire TV Series “Alone.” This show is about ten survival experts put in a remote area at least 10 miles away from each other to fend for themselves with ten survival items, some clothes, and live off the land. The survivalist who stays the longest wins 500,000 dollars. In season 7, if a participant lasts 100 days, they will receive 1 million dollars.
It is interesting to follow each participant on their journey of living alone and isolated how they cope with surviving from dealing with emotional, physical, and mental challenges along the way.
What is their breaking point? What keeps them going out there when they could easily hit a button and go home? The reasons they are there in the first place and how that goal changes once they experienced their time alone and the hardship they endure.
How this life lesson changed their life forever in ways, they never thought it would. The time they spent in self-reflection about what matters.
To see their struggles, whether physical, mental, or emotionally, can bring you to tears. How excited and thankful they get for catching a fish or trapping an animal in a snare. Each day is about trying to hold on and not give up.
Sometimes, this is how it feels for managers and supervisors dealing with the daily grind “ALONE.” Trying to hold it together each day—the pressure of being squeezed from top to bottom trying to survive the criticism and actions of yourself and others and being judged for every decision made or not made. Every day walking into the office can be the breaking point of success or ruin.
Employees worried about layoffs, unreasonable workload demands, meetings that don’t amount too much, expectations of successfully managing the chaos each day, and ridiculous emails to answer—trying to work or lead your team without any emotions.
Feeling emotions are natural, and if you don’t have any, what happened?
When did the career strip you of all humanity?
The Alone series teaches us there is so much more to life than boatloads of money, fame, and a demanding career that requires attention 24/7 and eventually leads to burnout, overwhelm, health problems, and anxiety.
The life lessons learned from the show to be grateful, love deeply, cherish the peacefulness, enjoy life to the fullest, and go home and spend time with your family and friends.
I would love to hear your thoughts as a manager or supervisor while surviving the daily grind.
If you are struggling with the daily grind how about hiring a leadership, life, or career coach like me to help you work through the daily challenges, and continue moving forward to where you want to be with your life.
If you would like to work with me for coaching services, click the “Schedule Now” button below.
If you enjoyed this blog post, how about showing appreciation and (buying) sharing a cup of coffee with me. ☕️ What is share (buy) me a cup of coffee? It is a beautiful way to express your gratitude and support for my work by buying me a cup of coffee.
❤️ Do you have work-life balance in your relationships?
❤️ Are you spending valuable time with your family and close friends?
Some say work-life balance is not achievable, while others say you can. What is a balanced life, really? It is what you choose it to be. There are going to be times in our lives where we think it can never be achievable. The question may come – How do you stay balanced when you feel everything is crashing down around you?
❤️ It may be time to step back and say enough and refocus on what truly matters.
If you come from a life where you are expected to be serious, play can be difficult for you. Maybe you don’t allow yourself to play; maybe you need permission to play. Maybe you need a purpose for play. So give yourself a purpose for the play. The purpose for play could be “I’m stimulating my creative mind” or “discovering lateral thinking and new ways of coming up with solutions”.
❤️ What does play mean for you?
❤️ What will it add to your life?
This can be a great way to encourage play as an opportunity to invigorate your life.
Life will be chaotic, hectic, and disappointing, but having some strategies will soften the experience. How we react to it is what determines happiness. Put some of these suggestions into practice and don’t forget to step back, breathe, enjoy your life, schedule playtime with family and friends, and let go of what does not matter. Live life to the fullest!
❤️ Do you want more balance and play in your life?
If you want to dance with Angela, you can find out about her online movement classes with Angela by going to ➡️ https://dancewithangelahealing.as.me/
If you have a topic or a question for us please leave us a comment or voice message on the Anchor App. You can also listen to this podcast on most major podcast listening platforms like Apple and Spotify. Do you enjoy our podcasts? If so, What about becoming a monthly supporter. Click on the support button in the Anchor App. By supporting this podcast with donations it will help us continue to produce future episodes. Thank you so much for listening.
Here is a short audio clip of Episode 29 – Balancing Play and Work to Better Your Relationships! To listen to the full podcast click on the link ➡️ Episode 29 – Balancing Play and Work to Better Your Relationships!
This month’s topic theme is going to be about burnout. Has it ever happened to you? It is not fun, but it is becoming more common for people in management positions and high demanding careers.
I came across this movie, “Sweet Home Carolina,” on Tubi. It starts with Diane sitting in her office, not answering her office phone, and hyperventilating into a brown bag.
Burnout is what happens when the soul whispering against an unhealthy job or relationship. – Dr. Dina Glouberman
Diane is an Advertising Executive, and her personal life is a mess. She works long hours and has a habit of picking up her youngest child late from school. Her oldest teenage daughter is angry with her over the divorce of her parents and blames Diane. Diane is receiving collection notices in the mail. She is a train wreck ready to happen. Family dinners consist of frozen lasagna and Diane drinking a few glasses of wine before going to bed.
Don’t get so busy making a living, that you forget to make a life. – Dolly Parton
When Diane thought her life couldn’t get any worst. Her boss called her into his office and gave away her biggest client to a coworker. Then told her she needed to take some time off (permanently). A life preserver happened; her Aunt, who recently passed away, left her a house in a small town in South Carolina. The stipulations were taking care of her Aunt’s dog and living in the house for a year. She subleased her home in Los Angeles, and she and her daughters moved.
Don’t accept burnout as the price or definition of success. – Jon Acuff
The demanding career, the big house, and a fancy car is not everything. What makes true happiness? In Diane’s case, she realized that most important to her was a loving, respectful relationship with her daughters, a good man who loved her deeply, and a small town of caring people.
Sometimes we choose a career because of the large paycheck and later realize the job has cost us more than we bargained. No social life, no friends, damaged love life, estranged family, health problems, a lack of purpose, and what happened to my enthusiasm and happiness?
Think about your life. Is this the way I want my story to end?
Quote by Ester Buchholz ~ “Others inspire us, information feeds us, practice improves our performance, but we need quiet time to figure things out, to emerge with new discoveries, to unearth original answers.”
I read this quote recently, and it hit home for me. For me, I need quiet alone time to recharge and relax. What about you? Do you spend any amount of time without background noise? Do you schedule any alone time for yourself at all?
Today’s world is busy and loud. I know people that have to have background noise all of the time. I am not saying it is wrong or anything, but how do you think with all the noise around you? Or is it an escape mechanism not to be left alone in your thoughts?
Why Have Quiet Alone Time?
🦋 Spending quiet alone time is found to relax the body and mind, create calm, and reduce the overwhelming feelings that lead to burnout.
🦋 Spending time alone, let’s the mind wander and allows the brain to problem solve subconsciously.
🦋 Spending time alone, sparks creativity.
🦋 Spending time alone, you get to know yourself better through self-reflection.
🦋 Alone time increases empathy and compassion for others.
🦋 Time alone increases productivity.
🦋 People who enjoy having alone time experience less depression.
Taking alone time for at least 5 to 10 minutes a day rejuvenates you. It allows you to review your day and life goals. What is working and what is not. How can I change it for the better and get where I want to be. Spending time alone allows you to do what you enjoy, whether it is a hobby or journaling. It is your time to be you! 🙂 ~ Patti
Self-Reflection Question:
When are you going to start taking alone time for you?
During these uncertain and stressful times, more than ever, we need joy in our daily lives. Whether at work or home. A smile can change someone’s day from gloomy to joyful; showing some compassion when a coworker is at their breaking point or providing a little laughter can help everyone get through these unusual circumstances.
A good laugh heals a lot of hurts. — Madeleine L’Engle
What are the benefits of laughter in the workplace?
Laughter can lower stress and boredom, strengthen the immune system, and enhance team engagement, collaboration, creativity, and well-being. It relaxes the body and defuses conflict.
Laughter is the shortest distance between two people. — Victor Borge
Reflections Questions:
How can you brighten someone’s day with a little laughter?
When were some times you and your team laugh at work?
What can you do to encourage laughter in the workplace?
This day is to raise awareness to balance work and home life by encouraging the overachievers to schedule time away from work and enjoy life outside of work demands.
What is the definition of a Workaholic? According to Wikipedia:
A workaholic is a person who works compulsively. The term originates from alcoholism. The person works at the cost of their sleep, meeting friends or family. While the term generally implies that the person enjoys their work, it can also alternately imply that they simply feel compelled to do it.
What are some ways to create a little balance in your everyday life?
Do Something Fun
Spend Time Loving Your Family
Journal About the Good Things in Your Life
Smile and Laugh Often
Celebrate Today! 🎉
Schedule a massage or spa day.
Take a slow pace walk with the family and your pet.
Watch a funny movie with your loved ones.
Plan an awesome vacation.
Working all the time will eventually lead to burnout. Take a few minutes out of your day today, do something you enjoy outside of work, and plan a getaway from work. Leave a comment on how you celebrated today. 🙂
Take it easy, enjoy today and, live life to the fullest. ~ Patti
Lately, I have been hearing that the “new” working from home has been very hard for some. They are saying they are working more hours then if they were in the office and it is leading to burnout and frustration.
Burnout is not fun. When you reach that point, you are exhausted physically, emotionally and mentally. Sometimes, you don’t even realize what happened. You have changed within. You feel confused, angry, and so tired of everything and everyone and no patience.
How did you get to this point?
High-achievers should continually be on the lookout for the warning signs of burnout because they don’t always see it coming. The doers are passionate about their work progress and tend to work long hours. They take on heavier workloads and put high expectations on themselves, which may lead to burnout if not monitored by pausing with some self-care techniques. Trying to be everything and anything to everyone, putting work 24/7 above rest, relaxation, a little fun, family, and friends. That’s how.
Is there a way to reverse it. Of course, but you have to take some time away from work mentally, emotionally, and physically. Not stepping away for a while could cost you your career, health, and relationships.
“Sometimes it takes an overwhelming breakdown to have an undeniable breakthrough”. ~ unknown
What is burnout?
It is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress.
What are some warn signs?
🦋 Cynical, critical, pessimism, anger or irritable at work
🦋 Disliking the job, forcing yourself to get up and go to work or having a hard time getting started
🦋 Irritable or impatient with others, coworker, boss, customers or clients
🦋 Lack of energy or low productivity or chronic fatigue or loss of appetite
🦋 No focus, mind wanders, forgetfulness, or hard to concentrate
🦋 No satisfaction from achievements, feeling unappreciated for all the extra work effort
🦋 Feelings of disillusionment about career, isolation, depression, and anxiety
🦋 Using alcohol, drugs, or food to feel better or not to feel at all
🦋 Change in sleeping patterns, maybe insomnia or oversleeping
If not addressed, burnout can leave people feeling empty, exhausted, depressed, and unable to deal with daily life’s demands.
How to change?
🦋 Focus on your recent and past accomplishments 🦋 Stop self-criticizing yourself and others 🦋 Create a happy space to spend time in for self-reflection, meditation, and prayer 🦋 Make and write in a daily gratitude journal
Change your workflow! 🦋 Stop multitasking and focus on one task at a time towards completion 🦋 Take regular breaks 🦋 Limit working overtime 🦋 Journal about things that are bothering you and come up with solutions to resolve them.
If you are experiencing some of these symptoms, it’s time to take some action to reverse it. Self-reflect and make some changes to reduce stress and anxiety. Take control of your workload and have reasonable expectations about what is achievable.
Do you have a happy place?
If yes, where is it? I would love to hear about your happy place. If no, why not?
This mini course is for leaders who are crazy busy, working 24/7 and want something more in life beyond their career. 7 easy hacks to create some personal life balance in this so-called busy life!
I am sure everyone has had a life situation where we wish we told someone how we truly felt. Whether it was a childhood crush or wished we spoke up at a group meeting or knew something was happening that wasn’t right.
Fear can immobilize us not to act. Then Guilt or regret lingers on and on inside of us. It may continue throughout our lifetime. Guilt or shame can leave us feeling empty, unsatisfied, or longing for something we didn’t have the guts to pursue. We all probably heard the old saying, “Time heals all wounds.”Does it really?
“Time Heals All Wounds.” Does it really?
Some wounds will never heal until addressed. I know this is easier said than done.
How many of us have been ghosted sometime in our life?
It may have been a relationship, a job offer, a networking acquaintance, or a business deal.
Did you want to know the reason why?
Unfortunately, most of the time, a reason why will never come.
Overthinking about the situation can really take a toll on a person. It may cause depression, anger, suicidal thoughts, sadness, ulcers, overwhelm, uncontrollable crying, anxiety attacks, and so much more.
“Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.” ~ Roy T. Bennett
Time may soften the disappointment, regret, and hurt, but it’s still there deep down inside. Time is not the healer; it is the inner work of dealing with the emotions that heals you. Healing requires constant mental work of positive self-talk and the ability to let it go.
How do you get over it and move on?
🦋 Recite positive affirmations for healing and to eliminate negative thoughts.
🦋 Create a gratitude journal. Every day in the journal, write one to three things you are grateful for in your daily life.
🦋 Be aware of your emotions and feelings. Work on halting the complaining and overthinking about the situation.
🦋 Spend time with positive, happy, and motivated people.
🦋 Pick your battles. Sometimes chasing the person may cause more damage to you. If the recipient doesn’t want to hear from you, they won’t respond. Start focusing on want you want in life.
🦋 Hire a life coach or therapist to help you let go of the hurt and disappointment.
“Your peace is more important than driving yourself crazy trying to understand why something happened the way it did. Let it go!” ~ Mandy Hale
Takeaway:
Isn’t it time to be happy? Being upset, angry, and overthinking really isn’t working. Love yourself and those around you enough to let it go. A huge part of healing is believing you deserve a better life of peace, joy, and love. ~ Patti 🦋
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