“Sometimes you don’t realise the weight of what you’ve been carrying until you feel the weight of its release…” (Anon)
When I left my long-term job as a social worker, I was very surprised at the huge psychological impact of this. At the time I thought I was coping well (largely due to a good self-care regime), but since leaving it’s felt like a huge burden has been lifted. Like being released from prison or putting down a crushing weight! I knew I wanted to leave, but at the time I had no idea how heavy the burden was, and how much energy it took to keep me afloat.
I think a lot of people get stuck in a rut of doing their ‘life’ – whatever that may be, and often don’t realise it could be so much better… easier… happier… Sometimes we need to break our habits and make changes. When life feels tough it’s hard to see a different life and find the solution. It’s important to make time for dreaming and imagining the life we want, because that helps us focus on achieving it, and breaking it down into little steps.