Hello from WISH North Wales

As a result, every day life and working situations have been changing rapidly and we have to admit we’ve struggled to keep on top of everything! There are still many more changes coming as we continue to adapt to a new way of life, with pockets of the UK now seeing local lockdowns imposed in order to protect communities...

But we’re not writing this piece to talk about COVID-19 and the challenges still to come, we’re here to talk about what happens when life throws you a curve-ball and with it your work-load starts to seem like a mountain for which you have no means to start to climb. The latter is certainly how we’ve felt in recent months. So how did we handle it? And what are we doing to get back on track here at WISH North Wales?

Saying no

It’s a well-known fact that in today’s society we’re often too afraid to say no, this can be anything from attending social events to committing to extra work with tight deadlines. Women in particular are prone to exhausting themselves by taking on more and more responsibilities, which can be driven from the fear of letting others down. Talking from a personal point of view; this has been the case throughout lockdown for me, heightened by a period of furlough leave. I tried to fill my days with more than I would have done in a ‘normal pre-covid’ day, pressuring myself to complete more tasks than ever and to give even more time to others. This was all because I felt obliged to do so with all my new-found ‘free time’.

Over-committing yourself to an unachievable to-do list will only leave you feeling deflated and defeated, when inevitably, you don’t complete it all. Instead, learn to say no and be comfortable in doing so if you know it’s right for you. Choose your commitments wisely in line with what’s manageable for you in one day or week, or maybe even for an extended period of time. Always block out some time for yourself - never underestimate the satisfaction of sorting your own 'life-admin' - and of course, that all-important self-care and chill out time!

 Stop feeling guilty

First of all, when it comes to feeling guilty about being too busy to juggle all of your commitments… STOP! The more hectic our world gets with numerous emails, texts, social media notifications and Whatsapp group messages flying in, (each with their own new set of tasks, actions and responses to sort out), the more everyone around you understands how hard it is to keep up. (They’re probably all in the same boat)! And whilst it might not feel like a great boat to be in, take comfort in the fact that your colleagues and peers know how it is and no one is judging you for not being able to ‘do it all’.

Someone recently said to me: ‘if you allow all of your time to be saturated by fulfilling others’ requests and needs, you will become drained and mentally exhausted’. If you can relate to this you probably want to know what advice they gave? It’s simple: Make sure you spend time with someone in your circle who fills you back up, someone who pumps you up with confidence and reminds you of what a great job you’re doing.

And never be afraid to be your own cheerleader too – it’s really easy to focus on what you haven't done, rather than all of the things you are succeeding at every single day!

Plan for a comeback
Part-way through lock-down everything at WISH North Wales HQ went a little quiet. Channelling some of the thoughts referenced above, we’re now sitting comfortably with the down-time we had to take in order to focus on intensified commitments in other areas of our professional lives. We’re sure many of our members have also had to let some things take a back seat in recent months, to allow for different priorities to come to the forefront.

But what happens now that the time seems right to pick these things back up? It's easy to avoid things for a while due to not knowing where to start (and yes, you’re probably battling with that pesky guilt feeling too), you might even feel embarrassed or frustrated. The best thing to do? Talk to your team! Get some time booked in with the people who can help, catch up and establish what the priority is, then put together a realistic plan for how to get back on track.

You’ve guessed it… that’s exactly what our Board team have done. Task one? This very blog. We wanted to be honest about our recent blip in communication with our members, and what better opportunity to use our experience as an insight to help others who may have been struggling with the same things.

We hope what we’ve shared will resonate with many and provide the motivation some of you may need to make the move to pick up with something you might have left in pre-covid world.

So what’s happening next at WISH North Wales?

Well we’re back and we’re hitting the ground running! Our very first virtual event is taking place on Thursday 12^th November. Keep an eye on your inbox and our social media pages for more information and ticket release!

WISH North Wales turns 5!
Can you believe it’s been FIVE whole years since the launch of WISH North Wales?! Of course this milestone cannot go without celebration! More information on these plans will be released soon! You can also look forward to hearing from our Chair Nikki Waud on her experience since forming the North Wales region of WISH and how so much can change in 5 years!

WISH virtual events
WISH virtual events have been a huge success! Head over to the events page and check out the schedule of virtual events being hosted by other regions. All virtual events are still FREE TO ATTEND for any members on any region!
 

There are so many exciting things to look forward to, it really is great to be back…
WISH North Wales