Editor’s Letter – Spring 2021

I’m pretty sure that ‘70s rock is not often used as an anthem to the subjects of stress, burnout and mindfulness, but as I sit here thinking about these themes, Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” is going through my mind.

“And I’m free, free fallin’, Yeah I’m free, free fallin’… All the vampires walkin’ through the valley, Move west down Ventura Boulevard, And all the bad boys are standing in the shadows, And the good girls are home with broken hearts…” Of course, I’m ageing myself and also possibly sharing an insight into lockdown-induced delirium. But maybe that’s okay. Spending more time with family and working from home have their benefits but there is also a trade-off of blurred lines between work and home time, and the juggle of trying to be productive, attentive to your children and some me time. And when the days blur from one into the other without clear lines, this can be hard. This can be a distillery for anxiety and stress.

In this issue, burnout expert, Lisa Grey describes the “Superwoman Syndrome” where we can be under so much pressure to optimise everything, be productive, kick butt at everything – be superwomen essentially – that we just end up creating a constant level of unachievable expectations, which leads to burnout. In this state, we are no good to anyone, especially ourselves. So maybe sometimes it’s okay to put that to-do list aside, make a cup of tea and enjoy a magazine while listening to some good old ‘70s rock in the background. “Free fallin’, now I’m free fallin’, Now I’m, Free fallin’, now I’m free fallin’, I wanna glide down over Mulholland, I wanna write her name in the sky, I’m gonna free fall out into nothin’…”

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Héloïse Garrity, Editor

Want to checkout our Spring 2021 issue. Click here.