Burnout

So shortly after my last post, I reached total burnout, pushed over the top by the boss, who wrote me up for leaving probate papers on my desk after break was over.  If I get one more write up, I'm fired.  This is what happens when you burn a two ended candle at four ends.
(1) work stress
(2) mom caregiving
(3) night time caregiving (6-hour sleep interrupted 3-4 times/night)
(4) Auntie's probate

He was complaining about my time on the phone--hell, my mom had only been in assisted living for a month and I hadn't been on the phone in that time.  I had no need to watch the home camera anymore.

I know he was under alot of pressure.  He has two partners in the business.  One has retired out of the company, and tho the other still comes to work, he went through health issues for more than half of the last year.  He doesn't have the energy he did 2 years ago.  So the whole company has been riding on his shoulders for all the time, I'm sure he was feeling burnt out because he then went of to Hawaii for a week and came back with a better attitude.

While he was away I recognized my burnout and put in for 2 weeks vacation.  I didn't go anywhere, I was just away from work stress, I stayed at home to work on mom-care & probate.  Lots of probate.  If I can't be on the phone when I'm in the office, I can't be in the office.  The sale confirmation hearing was on Oct 1.  I didn't have to go to court in downtown LA, but I had to be available by phone in case they needed a decision from me as Administrator of the Estate.  Then I moved everything completely out of the house.  Anything I didn't take from the house was left for a cousin to sell off Craigslist & Facebook market place.  Anything that's left after that, the real estate agent will hire someone to haul away.  I made an extra trip to donate the last boxes & to sign escrow papers at the probate lawyer's office.  The other days were dedicated to moving stuff out of my house, 2 medical appointments for Mom and one for me.  I didn't really get physical rest, but there were half as much mental stress on me.  My bro took me to the movies twice.  With less stress, my gastric issues went away.

However, my first day back to work--OMG, my neck was killing me by 9am.  That's only 1.5 hrs into the day.  My acupuncturist wasn't answering the phone, I tried massage, heat packs, muscle relaxant & Tylenol.  Pain level was 0-1 when I woke up in the mornings but my the end of the work day, I was dying again.  I finally got an appointment with the acupuncturist (their phone service was broken) and VOILA it was like magic.  She stuck 3 needles at the top of my head and asked if I was feeling any pain.  No, nothing!  Just like that.

I have to work more at managing my stress, but I see the light at the end of the tunnel.  My aunt's house escrow will end this week.  In that run to the lawyer's office, I also signed papers for the last probate issue--it's wait & see on that one.  But like I said, last issue.  For all my troubles, I found out I will get paid for all the work I did equal to what the probate lawyer will get.