Stress and the art of sleep

« If you can’t sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there worrying. »
 

Dale Carnegie

It’s true. There’s nothing that is accomplished by worry, except more worry.  The secret to moving past worry is to DO.  Do whatever you need to do to end the worry.  If what you are worried about is beyond your control, it will do you no good to worry about it.  Do something instead.  Bring it under your control as best you can, or release the worry, and expend that energy on something you CAN control. The only thing worse than doing the wrong thing (making a well-intentioned mistake), is doing No Thing.  

With great responsibility comes great stress.  And mountains of work.  And people.  And people who generate mountains of work. And there is nothing more rewarding than watching people grow.  Having staff reporting to you is like being a parent - with all the joys and heartaches.  Being a parent, I know that it's different.  I can leave the people.  Or fire them.  And hire new people.  And pick who I work with and for.  Can't do that as a parent...

Anyway, the thought from Carnegie really resonates.  There is always so much to do if you are a parent.  It's worse if you are a parent and a manager.  It is THE WORST when you are a parent, manager, and expected to also be a full time individual contributor - with all the production that brings.  We have some of them here at work.  Some aren't parents, but might as well be.  The only time they can work is during normal sleep time.  They are burning the candle at both ends, and in the middle.  With a blow torch.

At some point, we need to lie down and stop worrying.  Or get help to take the stuff off the plate. No thing is bad.  No sleep kills...