Last week, I had a post ready to go for Wednesday, and I quickly nixed it that morning. Why? It was how to keep going while your mental health coped with the uncertainty of the election. The problem was that nothing was uncertain on Wednesday morning. It was all very, very certain. And many people were trying to figure out their place in a certain world that didn’t necessarily reflect their values. My post just wasn’t relevant to the reality so many were in.

A lot of accounts were posting messages about how it was okay to not be okay, and while that was a great place to start with your mental health, it wasn’t far enough. Something that might have been closer to what we needed to hear was, “It’s okay to stop.”

You might be thinking that this is pie in the sky thinking, because you can’t simply start. You have to work, take care of your family, etc. And while complete stoppage may not be possible, it is possible to shift priorities from what is draining you further to what will fill your energy back up. So if complete stoppage is impossible for you, stopping some things likely is possible.

What does that look like? And when should you stop?

Overwhelmed

When I’m overwhelmed, I stare off at absolutely nothing and can’t figure out what to do next. Literally nothing gets done while I’m in this mode. You probably do something similar when you are overwhelmed. Work is just not getting done when you’re overwhelmed.

Regardless of how much you have on your plate, this is a time to stop. It’s better to admit to yourself that you’re not getting work done. Otherwise you will have loads of wasted time and not much to show for it.

Instead of staying in this mode, I get to work. I write down all of my tasks that need to be done for the day. I then break them down into their simplest components and put them on my schedule for the day. Nothing should take more than ten minutes. I now have a game plan for the day, and my brain no longer has to think about what I need to do next. It’s all right there in front of me.

And then I get things done. That’s because a lot of that overwhelming feeling is decision fatigue. Once I remove that obstacle, I can get to checking off my task list and definitely get way more done than I would have if I had just continued without addressing my mental health.

Grief

Last Wednesday, there was a lot of grief being expressed online. That was just where people wanted to live within the moment. I’ll be honest that I was one of them. And grief is a curious emotion. It seems to have some anger in it, and anger tends to make me lash out. Maybe I’m lashing out at someone who deserves it or maybe I’m lashing out at an innocent bystander. Neither is really all that good when you manage social media for a brand.

So what do you do? If you continue with your job as normal, there is a chance that you will do something to put the brand’s reputation in jeopardy. You’re a human being, after all, who is prone to mistakes. And because of that, I would look for someone to step in for you that day. If there isn’t anyone, then I wouldn’t post and only manage comments and posts that need your attention. In this case, you might want to find someone in your organization who can proofread your replies to make sure you have the right tone.

This is a temporary state, and you will get through it. But it’s better to be overcareful during the initial moments of grief, so you don’t have to pay for it later. Just stop and take care of your mental health in that moment. You’ll be able to do more later.

Being proactive about your mental health

When your fans are very preoccupied about something that you can offer nothing on, then it’s okay to say that today is not the day to post. At best, it will be a wasted post that no one will interact with. At worst, it will seem weird or insensitive. That is the start of a social media crisis which can take you down fast. So yes, you are being proactive here.

Save your mental health, and know what your audience is talking about. Don’t post when you will get in the way of their conversation.

Mental health toolbox

And what do you do when it’s time to stop? Like I said above, it’s time to do things that refuel you, and you should be proactive about this so you don’t have to figure this out when you are in a place to stop.

For work, have a list of tasks that you really like to do and give you energy. Shift your priorities toward getting one of those tasks. But be mindful when you are creating this list. Make sure you have a variety of tasks that mostly keep you offline and away from interacting with others as much as possible. First off, you won’t fully know what your brain will allow you to actually do until you are in that moment. And if you are stopping, you probably aren’t effective at talking to others at the moment as well, so it’s best to be avoided.

And then in your personal life, offload the tasks you can. If you have a partner, be frank that you need some pressure taken off of you. With the things you absolutely have to do, once again break them into those smaller pieces to get yourself through them with as few mental challenges as possible. And just focus on each and everything you’re doing to find the joy in it.

Just like at work, you should also have a list of things you can do that recharge you. Prioritize those tasks until you feel centered again.

When do you stop work for your mental health? How do you get centered again?