This year, I have earned my Ph.D in “adulting,” and I navigated simultaneous big-life moments that pushed me to the edge. As I moved between overlapping crises, I still had to work and I am not alone. No one knows that in the stillness of the night, you laid in your bed with tears streaming down your eyes or in between deadlines and meetings, you painfully navigated a healthcare system for a loved one that seemed determined to thwart you at every turn. And while there is no mandate to expose our wounds, we should be aware that many of us are just dealing with a lot of things in addition to doing our jobs. So what does this have to do with PR? 

We may be dealing with our own big, scary life stuff but others are too. Our colleagues, clients and publics are filled with people who may be wounded, weary and working in spite of it all. None of us has the luxury of abandoning work to focus solely on her life stuff, so we do our best to pack it away while we navigate the rest of our lives. 

PR professionals must not only be aware of those who are silently hurting but add compassion and grace to their toolkit of soft skills. That cranky colleague or checked out client may simply be reacting to life and not you. Maybe it seems unfair, or a little overwhelming to be the bearer of grace when everyone’s got stuff, but it’s the job, and in a bigger sense, it’s humanity. People have always had burdens that they carried in silence but all of it seems heavily magnified in these times. In our communications and interactions with one another, we must lead with understanding rather than judgment. 

In my own struggles I have learned / reinforced three key things:

1. Be quick to forgive errors and work together to make them right. Even in the best of times people make mistakes. Lead with language that respects the person and allows room for learning, and correction. As a Solo PR Pro this can extend to contractors, support team members or clients. 
2. Allow extra time for everything to accommodate the surprises life throws our way. Pitching a big media campaign?  Build in a lot of extra time because reporters are not immune to the same issues we are all facing. And as we know the media landscape is challenging even when there are no additional stressors.
3. Communicate with respect. Whether crafting content, or running a strategy meeting, respect the humanity of your audience and ensure that your words acknowledge that they are humans who may be going through a plethora of challenges.

I know that I do my best to not allow life to interfere with work, but I am human and sometimes life wins and takes its toll. Perhaps the most important lesson I have learned is to extend grace to myself. After all, I’m human too.

How do you handle work when life gets heavy? Please share your strategies or your struggles with us in the comments or hit us up on social media. 

Photo Credit: Deagreez via istock by Getty Images