Unlocking Success in the New Normal
You want to do it all but your health won't allow you too. You know that as someone from someplace else you always have to work harder than the others who have always stayed in the same place. It feels like people look down on you now and you don't how to address a "vibe" or an insinuation instead of someone coming out and saying what they think. Before these health issues, you were always at the forefront of your peers and now you struggle to keep up.
You did not expect this and you weren't prepared to handle it. There was no plan for this. You now have to juggle multiple doctors' appointments on top of your usual duties to your family and your job. It feels overwhelming and your on the brink of giving up all hope for normalcy nonetheless ambitious dreams.
The New Normal
It was hard enough to acclimate yourself to a new country and becoming the success that you are. Now, this happened!
This was a requested topic that I received from our Instagram page. I was originally going to only respond on Instagram but I felt like this deserved its own blog post. So many among us have to struggle every day with health-related issues in silence.
When you have a chronic illness or are dealing with some type of injury that takes a long time to recover from, allow yourself time to adjust to a new normal. This new normal does NOT mean that you are going to be on disability for the rest of your life or that you have to give up all your dreams. With every transition in life or a new chapter, we should allow ourselves breathing room to adjust.
Self-compassion
Be kind to yourself!
I speak a lot about self care and the importance of recognizing what self care is in your daily life. There is no more important time like the present to give yourself that self care. So often in our lives, we are just racing to the end without enjoying the little moments here and there. We must be compassionate to ourselves and understanding of our bodies. We only get one.
There are a million different ways to get to the same endpoint. If you are struggling with chronic illness, pain or have some type of long term recovery from an accident that path probably will not be the original one you planned. It will probably not be the one that your peers are going to follow. And that's ok. Give yourself time to reflect and explore. We need to learn to work smart and not work hard to achieve our goals.
Education
Keep learning and keep your mind active.
There are so many online courses that can help keep your skills on point and possibly outshine your peers at work. The more tools that you add to your toolkit, the more indispensable you become. More importantly, the more tools you add to your toolkit, the more opportunities come whether from another employer or from a business idea that you have yourself. Don't pigeon hole yourself on one path because you were told that this was how a person reaches success. There are many ways to reach success.
And enjoy it! Don't let the sole reason for your education be to impress someone else. Yes, education is to make you better! But it's a way for you to be better for you, not for a boss that may leave the company in the next six months. You are in charge of your professional development. Otherwise, you will be left with cookie-cutter webinars from our company that really just meant for legal CYA.
Reach out
Your network no matter how much you belittle it is still a powerful tool. Reach out to your friends and family. Communicate with them what is going on and your dreams. Every job that I have had, I have made a friend and even after I leave I try to keep in contact with them. If you are unable to physically go out with them that is ok. Call them. Email them or set up a WhatsApp date. Talk to them.
This is, of course, not just great for your career but also for your sanity. Humans are social beings (even if we define ourselves as introverts). Talking to others helps to relieve stress. When we have less stress we heal physically easier. We have more hope and levity.
Stress Management
This is going to feel counterintuitive but follow me for a moment. Sometimes if we constantly are focused on what we perceive to be the problem all time, we don't actually figure out the solution to it. Give yourself some outlets. This goes with being kind to yourself. No one will be able to act strategically if they are stressed out all the time.
Create a block in your schedule every week where you can actually pursue a hobby that is nonwork-related. You'd be surprised how many new ideas come to your mind when you allow yourself time to not think about work.
We spend most of our lives at our jobs. You don't need to give your job all the time in your life that they are not paying for.
Speaking with a Therapist
It is sometimes hard to admit when we need to get help outside of our circles. Don't feel that it is something to be ashamed of or that you're weak. We all have our ups and downs. Going through such a transition in our physical well being can cause us to feel emotionally low or nervous. It's natural.
We can do a lot to develop ourselves. If we are in that stuck place, speaking to someone who is trained to help us get of out it can be very beneficial.
And By the Way!
My name is Tara. I am a therapist who provides online counseling services in the state of Illinois. This blog post is not therapy and it should not be used as a substitute for therapy. If you would like to talk more, you can schedule a free 15 consultation with me, click here!
