Today I drove my car through a fence.

No, that isn’t a metaphor. I actually drove my car through a fence.

It was while I was sitting in the muddy pasture where my car came to a rest that something dawned on me: I need a break.

Public relations specialist was second only to commercial pilots on a list of the country’s most stressful jobs earlier this year. Much of the stress in public relations has to do with the quick-paced news cycle, lofty client expectations and never-ending deadlines, but those aren’t the only variables in the equation.

PR also is stressful because many of us make it stressful. We think that we can juggle everything: family, demanding clients, chaotic schedules and the list goes on. But sometimes we get too many balls in the air and the pace quickens until all of the balls come crashing down around us.

Today made me realize that I don’t want to get to the point where I can’t juggle everything. Luckily, I wasn’t injured during my unfortunate encounter with the fence and my car can be repaired, but things could have been different. My priority in life is the health and safety of myself and my family. If that means that I need to take a personal day occasionally when life gets to be too much, so be it.

Over the last month as I have been helping my husband get back on his feet after his ACL surgery, countless things have gone “wrong” in my life: my oven caught on fire; I got a red light ticket; the battery in my car died; and, now I had a collision with a stationary structure.

At first all of these encounters had me wallowing in self-pity. I kept asking myself: “what did I do to deserve all this?” But I finally came to realize all of these stress-inducing occurrences might be are a sign that I need to slow down and reprioritize. It’s the universe’s way of telling me I have too many balls in the air.

As a young PR professional, it’s tempting to want to do it all, but it’s important to realize the reward is not always worth the cost. So, next week when I walk across the stage to get my master’s degree, I will breathe a sigh of relief and welcome a slower pace.

 

P.S. – If I start talking about going back to school or embarking on any other major undertaking in the near future please refer me to this blog post. Thanks!!