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Saturday, February 15, 2020

Wife of a traveling tech guy

My husband is on the road for work 60% of the year.  This is down significantly from when we were dating.  Our relationship was built on weekends and holidays together as he use to travel close to 80% of the year.

But sometimes he has to go away from weeks at a time. Currently he's gone for at least 4 weeks. No confirmed return date.

We've done this type of trip apart before, but it was different then:
1) I wasn't working, it was in August over the summer
2) I got to visit him because my work schedule didn't interfere with his.
    But the 1 week I could visit this time he's 1) working nights and 2) is on call the rest of the time because it's the first week of "roll out" so that's a no go.

I don't think it hit me how hard this time around would be.
I don't think I realized how much I rely on him just being here to help reduce my stress.
I don't think I realized how much going home to an empty house every night for weeks would impact my work.  I didn't realize how much he helps me keep my demons at bay. 

When he's normally home on weekends it "refills my cup" or "restocks my spoons" but with him gone I've struggled to find ways to get that reset met in the same way.  I feel like I've been running on empty.

I have to figure out how to restore myself as much as he restores me. Because for the most part, he enjoys the work that he does, and I would never want to take that away from him.

I need to learn how to set the re-set button.

I'm going away on holiday this week. I am hopeful that the time away from home will help me reset, relax and enjoy life. So I can come back with the energy to the work I really do love, but that is draining all at the same time.

I colleague suggested I tell my co-workers when my husband is gone for longer duration, because I can become a  bit more intense when I am stressed.   But every time I try in 1:1 settings I'm close to tears.  So I will share it here. It's hard.  It increases my stress to be a lone all of the time.  I may be an introvert, but there is a line between a lone and lonely.

I don't want pity, but prayer and patience would be nice.



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