*Open room door*
*Close room door*
*Deep breath in*
*Huge breath out*
After crashing on my bed immediately following my first day of work, so many feelings and emotions swirled around inside my body and brain. Excitement, anger, frustration, anticipation, and exhaustion were just a few that I could name easily. That was Monday. I wrote this piece on Friday just four days later. I had just finished my first official week on co-op.
I have been anticipating the corporate working life for years. I’ve always wanted that real-life, professional work environment complete with dressing up in long coats, blazers and heels, slick back hair, and bringing my coffee to work. While typing, I’m realizing this is not a dream. This is my life right now.
Being on the academic class cycle was exhausting. My previous semester at Northeastern University involved classes that I didn’t want to be taking because I was in the process of switching my major. I kept telling myself: “Once I’m on co-op, I won’t be overwhelmed at all. I’ll get home around 5:30 p.m. every day and have nothing to do.”
The co-op working life seemed perfect to me. Now, after a week of actually experiencing it, I want to provide a first round of reflections.
A note to both my readers and myself: I’m sure my thoughts and feelings will be ever-changing throughout the next six months that I am working, but this is where I’m at right now.
Okay, let’s dive in. Overall so far, co-op has been a really great experience. The people I have met are fantastic. They are so helpful and encouraging, and I love dressing up and feeling confident. It’s really not the actual work that’s the problem.
It’s making time for myself.
Turns out, when you finish work at 5:00 p.m. and get home at 5:30 p.m., it’s really not all about relaxing for the rest of the day. It’s cleaning out your Tupperware from lunch and cooking your lunch for the next day. It’s picking out your outfit for the next day. It’s charging your laptops and prepping your backpack and materials. It’s still following through on your workout routine. It’s cooking dinner. It’s reading and still trying to inform yourself about the world and the news. It’s still trying to have a social life and seeing some of your friends. It’s completing the weekly work for your online class. It’s attending meetings for clubs. It’s still trying to read 20 pages of a book a day. It’s showering and making sure to go to bed early.
It’s definitely a lot. I was blind to the reality of all of this because of the “glamorized idea of being a working gal.”
I know a daily routine will eventually come and make transitions in the day much easier. For now, here’s what I’m doing to make it all happen while I’m experiencing the transition to corporate life:
- To stay informed, I listen to a news podcast twice a day. My favorite at the moment is “What’s News” by The Wall Street Journal which consists of a 15 minute morning and nightly episode. In the morning to save time, I listen while I do my makeup routine and get dressed. At night, as I take off my makeup and put out the next day’s outfit, I listen to the second session.
- My original plan was to take the train to and from work every day, but now I walk, getting in some extra steps and exercise before and after work. Walking to work helps clear my head and get in the right headspace. Walking home allows me to debrief the day.
- Another plan of mine was to work out right when I got home from work, except I’ve found that I need a little bit of time to relax. I take an hour before I go to the gym. This is when I do the easy stuff: putting out my outfit for the next day, cooking my lunch, cleaning my Tupperware and prepping my backpack. By the time I am done with all of this, having relaxed for a little and switched gears, my body has reset, and I’m ready to get moving again.
- Working out always helps to clear my mind even more, so this is non-negotiable!
- The last hour of my day is strictly the fun stuff: making tea, getting in my jammies, and choosing to either watch some “Gilmore Girls” or read my book. (I am currently reading “Man’s Search for Meaning” by Viktor E. Frankl.)
In terms of being social, this week has been tough. Why? I’ve felt drained and overwhelmed. But I know that’s normal and okay after starting something new. I have chosen to focus instead on what I can do by reaching out to people via text and call to make plans for the weekend and the following week. That way, I’m still connecting with my friends and have a set plan that I know I can look forward to.
Overall, this is a new chapter of my life I’m excited about, and I also know it’s going to take some getting used to like anything else. But that’s life in the real world. The challenge is to manage what comes at you and find what works best to achieve balance. YOU and your mental well-being are what’s most important outside of the job in order to perform to the best of your abilities during the work day.