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The Facts and Feelings of Overwork

Do you live with the nagging sense that there's always something more you should be doing?

It was Tuesday morning. Monday, my day of rest, was over, and I was sitting at my desk. As usual it was littered with mail and papers. I had phone calls to make, meetings to prepare for, and a list of people to visit. Already my appointment book was filled for the week.

It was like standing in front of a dam with twenty-two holes leaking water and knowing I had only ten fingers and ten toes to plug them. So much was happening, and my energies were so dispersed that I felt I lacked the strength to accomplish one task, let alone all of them.

Overwork is a feeling-a subjective, internal experience of being overwhelmed by your job. Others may label it fatigue, frustration, stress, or pressure. Because we are taught to live on faith, not feelings, we tend to deny or ignore our negative feelings. Unfortunately, pretending we don't feel overworked, when we do, does not solve the problem. Ignored, the feeling refuses to go away.

My feeling may be compounded with guilt when I'm reminded of the benefits ...

May/June
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