I have been working on one case for the last 7 hours.
SEVEN
Trying to figure out where kids are, where money went, where it SHOULD have gone, why it didn’t.
My brain hurts.
I will admit to avoiding working on this case, because I knew it was going to be a bear. But reckoning day is upon me, and I had to get my butt in gear and fix everything.
My self-assuredness at being able to work a child support case competently is seriously diminished. I probably spelled competently wrong, but my brain is too fried to think about what it should be.
I feel stupid. I know if another worker looked at the case, s/he would probably be able to fix it in a snap.
Go for a walk or something, even if it’s only for 5 minutes (though I would recommend more like 30). Get some fresh air, even if it’s cold, and try to get your mind off what you’re doing. If you can separate yourself from it, you’ll probably have a fresher take next time you work on it. And if you still don’t, ask a co-worker to take a look and offer suggestions. Even if you really, really want to do it yourself, if you’re having problems with it, it’s better to ask for help and do a wonderful job, giving your co-worker credit for helping you, rather than do a crappy job and take all the blame.
Sometimes it helps just trying to explain something confusing to someone else. Do you have a spouse or a best friend willing to listen?
I second the suggestion to go for a walk. Seven hours is too long to work on anything; you’re probably goin around in circles by now and not doing anything productive. Maybe after a good night’s sleep everything will look different, too.