I'll save everyone the current drama in my life except to say it deals with an extremely ill relative and an even sicker doggie family member. For those who don't know me, I've mentioned at the very beginning of this blog that I have 2 fur "babies". Right now, they are our children. And one of them just got a horrible diagnosis so we have some major decisions to make regarding his care.
The reason I ask this question is because I'm sitting at work right now (post-doc work, in the lab) and I can't think about my experiments. My notebook is open in front of me, my organisms sitting on my bench ready to be experimented on, and nothing is happening. My brain can not function. Honestly, I'll be amazed if this post makes sense to anyone besides me.
Add to that, last night I tried to work on my lecture for this week (genetics and inheritance) and I couldn't do a thing. I spent all of my time googling potential treatment options (which only made me more and more depressed).
So now I have to teach a lab tonight that I haven't done any prep work for at all. Have to lecture on thursday and just have the bare-bones of a powerpoint presentation ready to go, nothing else.
Do I just shut my brain off to everything non-work related and delve into work? Unfortunately, I don't think I'm the sort of person who can do that. So I guess the only option is just push through it all. 'Cause the world doesn't stop revolving just because you've been dealt a shitty hand.
I had a really similar problem during the last semester as an undergrad. I was completely stressed out and couldn't function. I ended up going to talk to someone at counseling and they recommended a few things, which helped get me through it.
ReplyDelete1. Try breathing exercises to de-stress. It sounds dumb but it actually worked to clear my head.
2. Write down a list of what you need to get done and just do it. Probably not going to be your best but just get something on paper, etc.
3. Take breaks, perhaps as a reward for getting an item done. I took a quick walk outside and this did wonders for jump-starting my productivity.
Hope this helps.
I'm sorry to hear about your pet! When I get like that I do what anonymous suggested. Make a list, do the things I can without thinking about them. When at home in the evening I try give myself time to deal with what I need too. List out options, cry, talk to family, whatever I need, so that I can deal with the issue and move forward at work the next day.
ReplyDelete