Why Rest Feels Unsafe When You’re a Manager

Being a manager often means you’re never really off. You can’t fully rest. You find yourself checking emails on a Saturday, feeling the tension of possibly seeing a problem. You’re always half-waiting for a call that alerts you to an issue and when that call comes, you’re instantly exhausted.

It can feel dangerous to let things go. Most of the time, there was nothing catastrophic in my inbox, just basic stuff. Yet as I scrolled through, I felt that familiar nervousness in my stomach.

There’s never a full break from it. It lingers like a dark cloud.

There was once a time when I enjoyed my work. I could get lost in it. I never felt like I couldn’t wait for Friday or Saturday, because all the days felt the same to me. That’s what it’s like to be truly satisfied in a job.

I lost that feeling in management. My peace of mind drifted far out of reach. I was stressed during work, stressed on weekends, stressed on holidays. I’d wake at 3 or 4 a.m., thinking about work, unable to go back to sleep.

There may be people who thrive in that kind of role.I am not one of them.

What about you?