This is the most unrelated post about accountancy that I have posted to date at Spotlight Accounting, but it seems this time of year we are frazzled and on the verge of burnout.
This can be for a variety of reasons, getting the kids to their latest Christmas activity, the never-ending shopping list, sick relatives, employee issues, business cash flow, family politics etc. We are just spinning so many plates in our busy lifestyles that self-care is often pushed to the back burner.
I love this time of year, even though it’s our busiest period at work, at home the kids seem to have a party or Christmas activity every day. It is the one time of year that we do catch up with friends and family that we really should see a lot more of.
What is an emotional piggy bank?
The one lesson I have learnt this year that I do seem to be sharing with friends that are having a rough time is the emotional piggy bank.
Think of your emotions as a piggy bank, with every plate that you are spinning making a withdrawal on that account, some such as sick relative are larger withdrawals than say an annoying customer.
Nevertheless, each plate does chip away at the balance in your bank. The biggest thing that we miss in our busy lifestyles is to make deposits into our piggy banks, the self-care, the time with family and friends, the hobby’s that always get put to the back of the list. These are a bit like the oxygen masks on a plane, we need to put ours on first before we can help others.
So, when our emotional piggy bank is becoming overdrawn, we need to make a deposit and take some selfcare. If we don’t top up our emotional piggy banks, we aren’t strong enough to provide the support that our business, friends and family need.
Quite frankly, if you don’t make the deposits you need, you will burn out… trust me I am the queen of this.
There should be no guilt involved with topping up your emotional piggy bank, personally Mum guilt used to kick in every time I took time out for myself (it still does but not to such a great extent). My friend that feels guilty for taking a couple of hours out on a Saturday to watch the football, this makes them a better parent and spouse.
So next time you feel guilty for taking some time out for yourself, just check the balance in your piggy bank!
