This week I have focused on Stress, the #1 Introvert Barrier Pattern, while addressing some of the factors that cause it: work overload (see post Inside the Lines) and focusing on the physical symptoms (see post Physical Symptoms Don't Have to Derail Us). And another contributor to introvert stress is people exhaustion.
Our professional lives require us, introvert or not, to engage with others. And actually the more often we do, the greater our visibility, the more effective our communication, the greater potential for our efforts to pay off. Yet if we introverts don't walk the line of understanding and maintaining our energy level, we will end up with "fatigue and a sense of dread", according to Jennifer Kahnweiler, as she puts it in her book, The Introverted Leader.
Last night I attended a Martin Luther King awards banquet which I was very excited about, simply because a client was to be given an award for her social justice and equality work. Having worked with her on the acceptance speech in advance, I new her message would be powerful. What I had forgotten about was the incredibly high energy this environment of thousands of people would have. It didn't take long for my headache to set in, my neck to cramp up and the energy of the room to weigh on me. As I write this morning, my heating pad is nursing the remaining sore muscles.
Looking back on my week, I realize I had spent 3 whole days out in public with only lunch breaks, two evenings back to back with networking events and now today - Friday - will give me a bit of a break while I travel for 2.5 hours on the road after completing morning office work. I need it. Saturday is another 9-5 day with a room full of extroverts. Thankfully I am traveling alone, can be in my head all I want, can plan, re-play, reconsider and make decisions as I need to.
Do you feel exhausted? If you're an introvert, create some downtime. It is the best cure for people exhaustion, and will give you a chance to feel purposeful and focused.
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