It’s safe to say that the majority of us that work in PR tend to fall into the workaholic category. I will fully admit that I am one of those. Of course, I’ve trained myself to take social media breaks, etc., but I am now about to enter new territory.

If you haven’t heard yet, I’m almost ready to deliver the next member of the PRBreakfastClub family. That means that I’ll be taking maternity leave for six weeks. SIX WEEKS! Gulp.

Now, I know having a baby is like a big deal, but not being immersed in the PR universe for six whole weeks? This concept is starting to turn into a very hard pill to swallow.

If you are a workaholic like me, when you go to sleep, you dream about work. When you’re on your way to the office, you think about work. When you watch the news, you’re always wondering how you can get your clients on it.

Anytime I envision my upcoming time away, I start to hyperventilate. I know (or so I’ve been told) that my days and nights will be filled with diapers, sponge baths, tummy time, sleepless zombie walks to Dunkin’ Donuts, etc.

However, I can’t help but stress over what I’ll be missing.  The PR industry is ever-changing and I’m afraid that when I come back, I’ll be so out of the loop. I’m sure some of you are rolling your eyes, but what if you were gone for a long period of time?

What breaking news is going to happen? What new trends will emerge in the social media world? What are you going to do without my PRBC posts!?!? (I’m kidding with that last one).

Look, I get it. Work isn’t – or shouldn’t be – a person’s entire life, but when your world has been focused on it for so long, it’s difficult to imagine anything different. Don’t get me wrong, I’m freaking out about excited for this new adventure and I know the PR world will be here when I come back. Yet, my inner workaholic is in full on panic mode.

I assume the majority of these feelings stem from the fact that I am a publicist. It’s my job to know what’s going on all day, every day. While six weeks might not seem like a long time, in the PR world it translates into months.

So readers, have you been in the same position? Do you have any tips or suggestions on coping with lengthy time away?

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