Depression, work slump, COVID, lack of boundaries, team’s meetings etc… This year has been a LOT.
Normally I restart my laptop which basically means telling my operating system to restart all applications – sort of like going to sleep. So, you get into bed, turn off the light, switch off your phone and try to sleep. However, I have felt the need for a major reboot. Reboot means pressing that power button and forcefully restarting the operating system. My reboot is for my life.
I think we can all relate to juggling work, gym, family but this year has had an added issue of struggling to stay sane. My normal day was waking up, working, eating, working, babysitting, working and sleeping – only to repeat this again the next day. Weekends became a blur; Sundays were an anxiety attack because I kept thinking of the work that I needed to do. I think it would be different if I enjoyed what I was doing but I had grown resentment towards it. I stayed in this slump for a while (few months) and got inspired by this idea of reboot vs restart.
As I was looking for the actual meaning of reboot, I got one from a site and it said “making a change in (something) in order to establish a new beginning: she’s rebooting her career.” As if the signs from the higher powers weren’t enough – this pushed me to starting the Python course I had been meaning to start to change my career.
Reboots close other applications without even saving the work that is done and this sounds dangerous but at this point – they better have been on autosave. I’m diving into a new career (still in tech though obviously), working out better, cooking more, journaling and even blogging/podcasting again. I’m not saying I have them all handled but we can all use a reboot (“Shock the system” as some say).
My advice is using the rest of the year to reboot what is needed. It’s been a hard couple of years and don’t be too hard on yourself. Take a break, reboot, and do what you can.