A Saint Can Help When Work Is a Real Drain

Work can be a real drain sometimes. It's not just the physical exhaustion that can set in when you get super-busy. It can be a mental, emotional, and spiritual drain too.

We all work using brawn and brains, but in differing degrees. Typically my work is mostly mental: lots of reading, study, analysis; meetings and calls with clients to discuss sometimes complex concepts, etc. And if it's a meeting involving several other professionals with a few family members, all in the same room, just the preparation - meeting agenda, applicable hand-outs and so on - can take hours, never mind the meeting itself and the follow-ups needed.  There's more, but I'll leave it at that. 

The work comes with an emotional component as well. Examples: When clients are agitated or distressed, for whatever reason, the stress passes through, either in person or over the phone or (these days) over Zoom. Then there are those occasions when something related to the business itself pops up. In my business, compliance requirements and concerns grow and grow like mold on the bathroom wall or tub, especially if ventilation is poor. (Gross, huh?) So when I read about new or proposed legislation, my emotions can suck the wind out of me like a punch in the gut.

As for physical exertion, it's not major, although sitting a lot at a desk in front of a computer calls for a regimen of overall stretching as well as strengthening exercises for the back and shoulders - at minimum. When I think of real physical exertion on the job, though, something like construction work comes to mind.

I've never worked construction, but did some stagehand work many years ago. Our crew was responsible to set up a stage for a summer concert series in a town in New Jersey. These were one-night stands held every week or so in a public space by a river. We had to set up before the concert. Then take it all down right after. The after got pretty physically taxing, as we had to load it onto a truck, then bring it all back to storage space. It was a long night. So I have at least some idea about what it takes to do that sort of work - although doing it day after day, well, that's another story.

So throw it all in a pot and mix it all up and there are times when day's end leaves you completely drained. And, sometimes, if there's a relentless string of such days, you can be doubly, triply, even quadruply drained. (Like the way I felt last week.) I've got to be careful when it gets to this point. It's easy to skip important items, or even screw up something you're working on when you're fatigued. And, guess what, clients aren't interested in excuses when they expect top notch work - nor should they be. So maybe you slow down and take extra care when grinding something out in such a state. And maybe you double or triple-check our work just to be sure it's correct.

I suspect we've all been drained from time to time. But the wheels of commerce don't care. so we have our ways of dealing with this. Here's what I do:

Taking breaks helps. When you're super-fatigued, sustained work isn't your friend. But small chunks, enlivened by little energy bursts are doable. Too much coffee becomes counter-productive, but a well-placed shot of espresso can spark the brain for a small stretch, if you need an extra boost. Naps help a lot. Not "power naps" (a stupid invention of business writers), but a real rest to recharge.

Moving around helps. When I'm drained and sit too long, I feel like I'm imploding. So I avoid being too sedentary. Frankly, moving around works great when you're energized too. That's why I use a timer. When it buzzes, I get up and move around, even if only for a minute or two.

Prayers help here, just like they do in every circumstance of life. Breaking out of our work for mammon and turning to the "work of God" (as St. Benedict calls his monks' regular prayer in common throughout the day) refreshes body, mind, and soul. Why not combine quick bursts of work, then engage in prayer while moving around?

We Catholic men at work aren't alone in our drained state. Many of our saints were overburdened with work. They can serve as perfect examples for us. And to know their burdens and how they dealt with them would be so much more enriching and spiritually rewarding than the typical business "tips" you read - if you still bother to read that stuff.

One of my favorites is St. Peter Damian, who lived in the 11th century. An abbot, spiritual writer, first-rate administrator, his personal preference was always isolation and contemplation. But his skills and talents were such that he was a man in demand by his religious order, his local church, even becoming a Cardinal and serving the Pope in the midst of all his other activities. Those demands constantly tore him away from his beloved cell in his monastery. His writing speaks of these demands taking him from his prayer and contemplation. But he did what was needed anyway. Perhaps you have a favorite saint. If not, cultivate one or two - or more - and call on them for inspiration and renewal when you're particularly drained.

We'll continue our discussion next time and hear from a wonderful spiritual writer who has not yet been canonized, but - when you read his works and read about him - you may think: maybe some day. I think you'll appreciate what really being drained can mean, and be inspired by how this man dealt with it.

We adore Thee O Christ and we bless Thee. Because by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.