I’m officially on leave! I’ve taken advantage of the Easter break and taken some time off work. Boy do I need it!

You’d think that after 17 years of working in a corporate environment, I would have become accustomed to the hardness of the culture, the relentless drive by colleagues to succeed and the constant pressure to deliver. So why am I feeling so tired, over emotional and sensitive? It feels as if the smallest thing will tip me over the edge.

When I think about it, I must admit that it’s become too easy for me to go into work each day, put up with all the mess and stress and come home untouched. I make excuses for other people when they make decisions that I don’t agree with – it’s business after all. I allow them to talk so casually about people who cannot defend themselves – it’s dog eats dog folks. I choose to ignore the politics because I suspect it ‘helps’ people cope with their stress. I keep up a smiling, happy, positive face…all day long. It’s exhausting.

But being engulfed in such a negative, stressful environment every day, suppressing your feelings and going along with the flow does have its consequences. It silently chips away at you inside.

So this break could not have come at a better time. I need to stop, catch my breath and relax.

I plan to sit on the beach, squashing my feet in the sand and close my eyes to feel the sun on my face.

I will allow the smell and sound of the sea to wash over me and cleanse me.

I need to escape.