Today I attended an all-day planning retreat with LifeAction owner and coach, Lynn Zettler. It was challenging and supportive – and a much needed time for me to recallibrate heading into the fourth quarter of this year and then into 2012. Several businesswomen participated. At the end of the day, we all discussed what we’d gotten out of the planning and coaching, and the answers ranged from clarity and focus to certain goals participants wanted to achieve.

However, it was our introductory comments that struck me the most.

Several women in the room were moms; all were working professionals and all owned their own businesses. And everyone said she was exhausted. Now, we all walk around saying we are tired, too busy, etc. But this group pegged the meter on fatigue: and the ways we talked about getting rest demonstrate the level of burnout. One woman said she wanted to “get a little bit sick” to have an excuse to miss work. Another said if she could just “go to jail,” she’d be assured to get enough rest, be left alone, and have 3 square meals a day. Someone else said the anesthesia from elective surgery might be a way to get some rest.

Are you reading this?

To our group, it seemed easier to serve hard time or go under the knife just to get rested. Talk about out of balance!!

I am delighted to report that we all worked through some of the issues we brought with us to the meeting and by day’s end had sorted out the things that were draining us. It reminded me, though, of how tired I was when taking care of my mom and others and how we need to make rest and rejuvenation a priority on a regular basis. That means that whether you are taking care of kids and parents or just one or the other, you still need time to restore your energy for yourself and for those under your care. (This applies to non-caregivers, too!)

And, I am told that jail food is not that tasty, anyway.