It has been a rough few weeks (or should I say months 🤣) for me at work. Rough enough that I'd spend more than three hours straight sitting in my chair, struggling with all the birthing pains my project has been giving me. My hands are full that if breathing was a voluntary movement of the body, I would've forgotten its importance and I would be lying comfortably in my coffin by now. Glad breathing wasn't designed that way! I know a lot of people who would be dead by now, too! LOL!
Despite the waist-deep workload in the office, I always strive to strike a balance between and among other aspects of life. I make sure I have time for other things that are as important as work. If you are an unapologetic workaholic, this is a call to action to find time to relax and take that much-deserved rest and leisure time.
In my case, my relaxation time is best spent attending another meeting. Wait before you judge, this isn't work-related and you'll get why this is my relaxation time as you continue reading. I've shared this in the chain before. I'm currently the outgoing President of a Toastmasters Club based in Cebu called MEZ 1 Toastmasters Club. We are part of Toastmasters International, a leading community aiming to improve public speaking and leadership skills. Our first in-person meeting since the pandemic was last September 2022 and just recently, we had our first in-person meeting for the year 2023. All thanks to my boyfriend, who apparently became a member of the same club by coercion. Just kidding! 😂 He joined on his own accord. He volunteered to take the Toastmasters of the Evening (TOE) role which is similar to a host of any regular event. The President's life is easy and comfortable if the TOE is responsible and diligent in all tasks assigned to him/her. And since I've been appointed as President of the club, I rarely get to relax every 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month because most of the time, TOEs assigned couldn't do the tasks on their own. Of course, President is always to the rescue!
But during this meeting, the assigned TOE was responsible and all I had to do was guide and attend the meeting in person. It was such a delightful gathering, seeing everyone face-to-face and listening to amazing stories through the prepared speeches that night. It was so fun that I forgot my project will Go Live the following day. I was just destressing that night, really! My term is ending this June and I'm taking in a bigger role. Somehow, I convince myself that Toastmasters is my strategic escape to my demanding job.