This post was originally written as a newsletter article for ETNZ (Oct 2016)
I sat down to write the next instalment of the “fatigue trilogy” only to fall asleep at my laptop…. actual true story. So I went for a nap instead. And now I’m sitting here with less than an hour to get this done so the lovely Ruth Love can format it into the newsletter.
So here’s a personal take on fatigue…
Why am I so tired?….
- Workload. Juggling prep for a three week tour with health and safety contracts, a GST return, professional development… not many full days off this month.
- Work hours. Communicating with different time zones for the tour has had me working later into the evenings and not having a decent wind-down period.
- Less sleep than is ideal. I love sleep. I’m an 8-hours plus person. The past week I’ve had to combine early starts with late nights, plus I was sleeping in my sister’s lounge for a couple of nights. Although I’ve napped on airplanes its not really enough to fully recharge.
- Busy mind. Touring to India has its fair share of problem solving and adapting of plans. It’s fun, but tiring.
- Personal life. Life has ups and downs. Sometimes family and friends need you more than other times.
- Environmental factors. I always forget to drink enough water in Auckland’s humid climate.
- Food. I maybe haven’t fuelled my body in the most ideal way while away from home, and being busy.
Warning signs for me…
- Irritability. Anyone who’s ever toured with me knows that one! When I’m tired I get grumpy.
- Trouble concentrating.
- Loss of coordination. I get all fumbly.
- Headaches.
- Impaired decision making. This includes taking “short-cuts”, which almost always backfire.
- Losing stuff. This one’s a killer! I’m so much more likely to leave something behind when I’m tired. Combining this point with point a) and the scene will suddenly get highly explosive.
Actions and remedies…
- Fessing up. Telling my workmate’s (or boss) I’m tired and need help.
- Avoiding safety sensitive work. When I’m really tired I’ll avoid doing any works where a poor decision or lack of coordination could result in an accident (e.g. driving, using machinery, working at height…)
- A big, long sleep.
- Downtime. Doing something other than work.
- Exercise.Sounds crazy when I’m tired, but when its mostly mental tiredness blood flow through the brain works a charm for me.
- Salads. Or other healthy food.
- Water.
- A bullet point newsletter article… taking some of the pressures off myself…
Cathy Knowsley – HiViz Event Management www.hivizevents.co.nz (and ETNZ committee member).
