Where did February go? Or, self care for recruiters.

Y’all. We need to talk about something.

Taking care of yourself.

Here’s the thing – I spent most of February laid up with bronchitis and barely able to breathe let alone function. I did my best to keep up with work, irritated my sourcing partners and bosses to no end I’m sure (they’d never say that, they’re so nice 😉 ) and generally felt like shit on toast.

What I did NOT do, was take a freaking day off to just heal.

Why? Would my team collapse without me? Would candidates be lost to the void or hiring managers left on the side of the road holding an empty pipeline report wondering what happened?

OF COURSE NOT. What a dumb thing to say. So why why WHY did I torture myself? Frankly, I have no idea. If I really peel back the layers of my psyche it’s PROBABLY because I’m so new that I don’t feel like I’ve “earned” the right to take a day off. I still have so much to prove or something. Or, I’m a total control freak who can’t stand to hand over anything. Whatever the stupid reason, here’s one thing I know for certain. No one is impressed by hustle that hurts.

Another February milestone – my mom has been taking chemo treatments for a full year. One full year of biweekly trips to the wonderful Swedish Cancer Institute where she sits for hours, while nurses buzz around pumping her full of medicine. Prior to her diagnosis, my mom hadn’t been to a doctor in I don’t know how many years. If she’d also been a little better at self care (oh look – I come by it honestly!) MAYBE they would have caught the cancer sooner. While I’m so incredibly grateful that she’s responding well to treatment, my heart breaks that it’s even a thing in her life.

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve learned was from my previous director at Microsoft, Betsy. She said more than once, “we’re not saving lives”. I mean… so simple, so accurate, so hard to live by. Sure, our work is important, but no one ever DIED from not returning a phone call right away or getting an interview scheduled immediately. Let’s make each other a promise, ok? Promise me you’ll take care of yourself. Get your annual physical. Take a sick day when you need it. Ask for help when you’re overwhelmed.

Remind me to do the same.