Last week, here in Nashville, I felt for our city, our Mayor and those helping our former Mayor through a 34-day crisis. Through a PR lens and even from arms length (though we dealt with periphery aspects for a couple of our dGC clients) I hoped that our fellow PR professionals were finding time to rest. And there was truly, no rest for the weary. (side note: I have strong feelings about this topic overall [blog post for another day]). At issue is the stress I know everyone, directly involved, experienced.

“Each and every person in the American labor force feels stress. And, according to the American Psychological Association’s 2017 report, how much stress we feel has climbed for the first time in a decade.” – CareerCast

When a former client, needed help, I was asked (along with my company) to polish, perfect and position after resurfacing, post scandal. That took energy, stamina and lots of coffee…in addition to deliberate strategy, experience and strong relationships – that in most cases I lent to ‘the cause.’ While we were not directly in the midst of that crisis, the aftermath felt like we had been. We were drinking through a fire hose and that was on a good day, even though we can totally handle it.  I looked up after we could breathe and I was exhausted and tired. The stress of building a new perception (I promise) tacked on two years to my life in a six month window.

A 2018 CareerCast study, recently said that PR Executives are ranked eighth on its list of most stressful jobs. According to the American Psychological Association’s 2017 report, how much stress we feel has climbed for the first time in a decade.

PR is what I love the most, but I’m definitely raising a glass of wine, finding my way to the gym more and learning how to shut it off after dealing with a crisis.  It took me a long time to understand this and realize that stress does…stress you out.

Here’s to learning how to deal with it just a little better, each time something else hits the fan!