Taking Time Off
When was the last time you took time off? Even just a day or two?
For many of us, we don’t even remember what a day off is-since we mix our work and home lives together so much that to have a 24 hour period (even a 12 hour period!) where we spend time just relaxing and not working is a rarity.
I took a few days off last week. I visited one of my best friends for her birthday and had the benefit of actual DAYS OFF while I was there. What did I do during that time? Well, we did some shopping, went out to eat a couple of times, sat on the couch, watched TV, talked, and played with her puppy. THAT’S IT.
But what was most significant about what I did during that time wasn’t the activities-it was my ATTITUDE about the activities. I stopped thinking about work and the various stressors in my life and, instead, got really present to simply throwing dog toys and playing fetch with her puppy, and sitting on the couch with my friend (she and I rarely see one another in person, so to be in the same room together was awesome, even if all we were doing was talking back to the TV as we watched The View and a number of morning shows.)
What was the most restful thing about these few days was simply that I changed my mindset-which is usually on “Am I being productive? How can I be productive?” to, simply, “Ahhh….I’m in Minnesota. It’s pretty cold outside. Where’s a blanket I can curl up in?” It gave my mind a MAJOR break.
When was the last time you did that for yourself?
I don’t mean, when was the last time you “avoided” working (or things you thought you should be doing) while doing something else, but never actually stopping yourself from thinking about what you thought you “should” be doing instead. I mean, when was the last time you just SHUT OFF the zillion requirements and shoulds in your head and just did whatever came up that was fun and relaxing in a day?
There is such a difference between acting like we’re taking time off (when we HAVEN’T shut our stressed out brains off) and when we ACTUALLY take time off-when we stop looking at the clock or thinking about what we have to do by next week or next year.
The thing is, it’s GOOD for us to occasionally shut work out and simply REST.
And don’t get me wrong, that can get boring after a few days-which is totally fine-in fact, getting bored with doing “nothing” usually means that you’ve actually had a chance to truly relax.
I challenge you this week-whether it’s for fifteen minutes or a whole day, take time off. Shut OFF your brain that’s running and running like a crazy thing, spend time with those you love, or even by yourself just zoning out. Give your mind a rest and see if it doesn’t breathe new life into your life NEXT week!
Subscribe to Blog