Fatigue at Work
Whether or not we want to admit it, one undeniable side effect of being a working parent is that we’ve all gone to work tired.
Very. Very. Tired.
Even if you have older kids, they have a knack of making you tired, yet, your employer still wants you to, you know, work.
I suspect very few of us get to nap at work, so, there’s obviously a legion of us who, at any given time, are just one conference call away from drooling on our desks.
How do you handle it when you’re tired at work?
There’s always more coffee, and, a walk in the hall, but, what happens when that doesn’t work?
I freak myself out with a look at our finances and imagine getting fired. It is very stressful, but it gets my heart beating faster and my sets my nerves hopping.
Luckily, in my job, (high school librarian) things change every minute. I never get the chance to start drooling. Well, sometimes the kids CAUSE me to drool, but usually not because I’m tired.
I normally head for the toilet and wash my face with very cold water.
I have maybe been known to sit down in a bathroom stall and close my eyes for 10-15 min -it helps but people do begin to wonder what is going on in there (grins)
I used to work with a man who kept a timer at his desk and he would go camp out in a conference room with his timer and take a short nap.
I’m lucky in that I do work at home so I will just take a nap. But 1) of course more coffee works, 2) I think mamas have a gene that allows them to function on three hours sleep, and 3) a rousing game of Frisbee at the park with my boy never hurts.
Oh, and chocolate kisses – a little bite with lots o’ energy packed inside and happiness.