One of the hardest challenges I’ve faced at work hasn’t been deadlines, but trying to stay focused while a family member was sick. Part of you is in meetings, but your mind and heart are somewhere else. I’ve learned grief doesn’t pause when the workday starts. For those who’ve gone through this — how do you balance being present for your family while still showing up at work?

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Great topic and not talked about enough. Sometimes it is very hard to be present at work when home is weighing on your mind. I do something similar in terms of breaking my work down. I use a bunch of timers, 25 minutes on a task and a 5-minute break. Find what works for you and give yourself some grace. Life can be very hard sometimes, and I’m hoping things get easier for you and your family soon.

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Boy, that’s a really challenging situation - Sorry to hear you and your family are going through that. I can imagine it’s hard for you to find time for yourself in all of this, to get a mental/ emotional break for balance, while balancing your work and personal life as well.

Sometimes, in situations like this, you have to take things day by day. If that’s too challenging, take it hour-by-hour or even-by-minute (or even meeting-by-meeting), to help get through. And, give yourself space to grieve in the middle of it, as well.

What this means is, if it’s too challenging to stay mentally/ emotionally present during your work day, then break it down into smaller chunks and build in short break times to grieve (go for a short walk, get a cup of coffee, or even find a small huddle/ conference room to journal your thoughts/ feelings - whatever works for you to process those emotions at home.) Then set yourself small, manageable, time goals to focus on work.

For example: If you have a meeting, tell yourself: For the next 30 minutes, I’m only going to focus on this meeting, and when it’s over I’m going to take a break and go for a walk (or whatever type of break you need) for myself to think about/ process what’s going on at home. And use this same approach for work tasks too. Set time goals such as: I’m going to spend the next 15 minutes to reply to emails, then I will give myself a 5-minute mental/ emotional break for myself.

And, if you haven’t already, set yourself up with a support system. Find a counselor and/ or friends you trust (either inside or outside of work), that you can talk to about what’s going on, so you can get emotional support you need to keep going and get through this difficult time.

Hope this helps - My heart and prayers go out to you and your family.

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Boy, that IS a lot for you and your family… Sorry to hear all of that. I’m glad you started therapy for support too.

I hope you are feeling better and your aunt recovers quickly!

This certainly is difficult. For myself, it’s spending time training mixed martial arts at various gyms to unleash stress. I’m caring for my wife with her second brain tumor and progressive multiple sclerosis, and it helps greatly knowing she’s feeling at least somewhat better after I cook, play with our cats, and generally feel better with overall fitness.

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