I’ve been going a million miles an hour for longer than I would like to admit. And, guess what? It finally caught up to me when my body said—Enough!
Whether I liked it or not, for the better part of the last six weeks, I was on a mandated break. During my extended downtime, I caught up on rest and rehydrated my body both physically and mentally, and I eventually began to feel better. But feeling like my old self also meant immediately getting back to my daily routine…and I clearly wasn’t ready for that.
While I don’t mind taking a rest (I actually quite enjoy it), it’s usually the guilt that gets me. That nagging feeling like, “You should be doing something right now.” Or that voice that whispers, “You should have done that already.” For me, silencing the inner critic is hard.
But this past weekend, I took a major step. I decided that I was going to take a whole day “off” and not feel guilty about it. Yes, you read that right.
My glorious day of nothing-ness entailed sleeping in, having coffee at home, limiting my time on social media, and literally staying put for an entire day. I didn’t even go out to get the mail!
So, how did I escape the guilt? By simply granting myself permission. I mostly worked the entire time I was sick, so I didn’t feel the same sense of guilt I otherwise would have. And I also scheduled a “work” day the following day, allowing myself to catch up on anything I needed to before the week began. Taking a day and not feeling like it was a setback was a major win.
The moral of the story? When you feel like you need a day off, take it. Clear your schedule and allow yourself time to fully recharge with nothing on your itinerary. Believe me, you will feel like a new person in no time!
What’s your relationship like with taking breaks?
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