She did this by combining a demanding full-time job in insurance with raising three sports-mad children.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey loved swimming, rowing, running, and horse riding,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019d get up at 5am so they could be in the pool by 5.30am. Then we\u2019d rush to school and work. There would be even more activities afterwards. It was a hamster wheel that didn\u2019t stop for 17 years. Looking back, I don\u2019t know how I kept it up.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was absolutely wrecked every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n
She may be an extreme example, but Healy isn\u2019t alone in not getting enough rest. The Price Waterhouse Cooper\u2019s Hopes and Fears Workforce Survey 2023 found that 23% of Irish workers felt overworked.<\/p>\n
Chartered work and organisational psychologist Leisha McGrath believes this could be because many people place too much emphasis on being productive.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not our fault,\u201d she says. \u201cThe society we live in is based on the economy, and we\u2019re encouraged to be productive members of that society.<\/p>\n
“We even have productivity tools on our computers, phones, and wrists that push us to be more and more productive all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n The pandemic exacerbated this trend with many employees working flextime.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause we had the technology to work from home, we all became more adept at weaving work into all hours of our day,\u201d McGrath says.<\/p>\n Work is essential, McGrath adds.<\/p>\n It allows us to provide for ourselves and our families, gives us a sense of purpose, teaches us things, expands our social circles, and opens up new horizons.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s vital to our wellbeing in so many ways,\u201d she says. However, it has to be balanced with rest.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to challenge this perception that we have to always be on,\u201d McGrath adds.<\/p>\n \u201cHard work may be important, but so is rest. One without the other can lead to the nervous system becoming overwrought, and a subsequent nosedive in mental and physical health.\u201d<\/p>\n She refers to the polyvagal theory of American psychologist and neuroscientist Stephen Porges to explain why.<\/p>\n \u201cHe pictures the nervous system as a ladder,\u201d she says. \u201cAt the top is the ventral vagal state, where we experience a sense of calm and connection with the world around us.<\/p>\n Our heart rate is reduced. Our breathing is steady. We\u2019re digesting our food, and our stress hormones are low.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The middle rung is where the nervous system is mobilised and active.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re in this state when we\u2019re doing things, and it\u2019s associated with an increase in stress and anxiety, but also with productivity and flow,\u201d McGrath says. \u201cThis is a useful state, reinforced by society, except when we become stuck there and find it hard to switch off.\u201d<\/p>\n The bottom rung of the ladder is the dorsal vagal state, which we experience when we lack energy. \u201cIt\u2019s not a state that our society tends to value, even though it\u2019s a place where we should all spend some time,\u201d says McGrath.<\/p>\n In an ideal world, we would all move up and down this ladder throughout the day, reaching the top rung as many times as we can.<\/p>\n \u201cBut modern society doesn\u2019t allow for this,\u201d McGrath says. \u201cIt reinforces the benefits of that middle rung, doing things all day long.”<\/p>\n Recognise the value of rest<\/strong><\/p>\n Siobh\u00e1n Murray, a psychotherapist and author of\u00a0The Burnout Solution<\/span>, believes we need to recognise the value of rest, define what it means, and incorporate it into our daily lives.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople really struggle with restorative rest,\u201d she says. \u201cOften, when people say that they were resting, they weren\u2019t.<\/p>\n \u201cThey might have been sitting on the sofa watching TV, but were also scrolling on their phone. That\u2019s not resting. That\u2019s multi-tasking and it\u2019s exhausting in itself.\u201d<\/p>\n Another reason people struggle is because they spend all day being frantically busy.<\/p>\n \u201cThey get up and it\u2019s chaos from the word go as they get themselves and the kids ready for school,\u201d Murray says.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no way that come 8pm that night, after being in a heightened state of adrenaline all day, they will be able to unwind enough to get a good night\u2019s sleep. Rest needs to be woven into the whole day.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n She gives examples such as taking quiet time to read the newspaper midmorning, going for a walk in the afternoon, and spending time with friends at the weekend.<\/p>\n \u201cI mostly work from home and have two dogs who need to go out regularly,\u201d Murray says. \u201cI go out with them for 10 or 15 minutes in the morning, again at lunchtime, and later in the day.<\/p>\n \u201cThese are restorative reset moments in my day that clear my head and keep my cortisol levels in check.\u201d<\/p>\n For McGrath, achieving balance between work and rest is all about understanding triggers and glimmers.<\/p>\n \u201cTriggers are things like work overload and feelings of overwhelm that can bring us down off that top rung of the polyvagal ladder,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cGlimmers are things that can help us make our way back up.\u201d<\/p>\n Triggers and glimmers vary from person to person. \u201cOne of my glimmers is swimming in the sea,\u201d McGrath says.<\/p>\n \u201cBut we\u2019re all wired differently, and we all have to figure out what helps us get back up that ladder. It could be exercise, breathwork, lying in the bath, or a simple conversation with a friend.\u201d<\/p>\n Opportunity to slow down<\/strong><\/p>\n Healy began to understand how hard she had been pushing herself in 2018 when her youngest child was sitting the Leaving Certificate and stopped attending early morning swimming sessions.<\/p>\n \u201cThat gave me a taste of slowing down a little,\u201d she says.\u00a0Then, her employer offered her an attractive redundancy package.<\/p>\n \u201cI suddenly realised it was a change for me to do something for myself,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I took it and started my own business,\u00a0Biddy’s Good Luck Horse Shoes, creating and selling good luck gifts made from Irish horseshoes for all occasions.\u201d<\/p>\n Because old habits die hard, Healy continued to keep up a fast pace.<\/p>\n \u201cThen covid hit, and I was forced to slow down,\u201d she says. With time unexpectedly on her hands, Healy instinctively began incorporating glimmers and moments of restorative rest into her day.<\/p>\n \u201cI now go for bike rides or walks in the middle of the day,\u201d she says. \u201cI meet friends for coffee and chats. I go for lunch with my husband, and I get more sleep.<\/p>\n![\"Leisha](\"https:\/\/www.irishexaminer.com\/cms_media\/module_img\/8005\/4002863_4_articleinline_Leisha_20McGrath_20_1_.jpg\" "\\"Leisha")
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![\"For](\"https:\/\/www.irishexaminer.com\/cms_media\/module_img\/8005\/4002866_4_articleinline_iStock-963149514.jpg\" "\\"For")
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![\"Anne](\"https:\/\/www.irishexaminer.com\/cms_media\/module_img\/8005\/4002869_4_articleinline_Anne_Healy_1.jpg\" "\\"Anne")
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