Do you love your job? If you’re one of those rare people for whom luck, determination and hard graft have paid off and you actually look forward to going into work each day, you’re bound to feel an occasional pang of fear at what would happen if it all went wrong. How could you replace the focus and direction provided to you by your dream job?
That was the nightmare scenario that Dominique Browning was landed in when her time in a high flying role was abruptly cut short. She’d been editor of US title House & Garden; a glossy lifestyle magazine that has kept her busy, active and focused for many years. But the magazine folded with very little warning, leaving her unemployed within days of hearing the news.
With her job and primary focus gone, Browning initially felt that her world had collapsed. She was alone, anxious and very vulnerable, and developed an obsession with hoarding and over-eating to fill the void. Not only did she miss the structure and routine of having a regular job; she began to lose her sense of identity, too. Everything about her had become the job.
Browning underwent a period of depression and disorientation as she adjusted to her new situation. But slowly, after coming to terms with her new pace of life, she began to change: she began to engage with the world in a completely different way, taking pleasure in the beauty of everyday moments. Eventually, Browning began to feel a sense of purpose that for the first time in her life, was not intrinsically linked with work.
As part of her transformation, she started up the Slow Love Life blog, which chronicles her journey through life with humour, insight and some brilliant photography. ‘How I lost my job, put on my pajamas and found happiness’ is her new book, which explains a little more about how her transformation took place.
If you often find yourself fretting and worrying over what would happen if you lost your job, think seriously about the role that work is playing in your life. It’s wonderful to enjoy your job, and finding a career that matches your interests and skills is something to be celebrated. But if you’re putting all your energy and focus into work, while neglecting other areas of your life, it’s important to figure out why you’re doing that. What are you running away from?
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Image: SlowLoveLife.com
