6 : Take a Leave of Absence (LOA)

Everyone has their breaking point.  It took me a while to get to mine.  At first I just continued working and suffering privately while I dealt with the dissolution of my marriage.  But I finally reached my point, and I knew I couldn't hold it all together any more.  I needed a break.  I reached out to my HR department and found out I qualified for a paid leave of absence and after a visit to my primary care physician I was on my way.  Okay...now I realize not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to do this, but if you work for a company that offers such a benefit, then I highly suggest you take advantage of this.  Time off from work eliminates one of the many stresses you are dealing with during a loss or severe heartbreak.  For me, I was facing a divorce which meant I had legal matters to deal with in addition to the emotional stress I was already feeling.  I needed to take care of myself  and limit the other stresses in my life.  I kept my nanny employed so it was business as usual for my children.  I used the Leave of Absence (LOA) to do a number of things- many of which will result in future postings.  Mostly, the LOA helped me take care of myself, just get through the day (See post #2) and get myself back on track.