Stop what you are doing right now and take 3 deep breathes.
How often do you do that? Just pause and take a step back. If your answer is not often - then you are probably in the majority. We get so caught up in trying to finish our to do list, get where we “need to be” or even just in our phones or own heads that we forget how important it is to just pause.
Our bodies are not machines that can constantly pump out productivity as we want them to. Even small things like having a difficult conversation or watching a sad video take a mental toll. Instead of stopping to assess them and how we are doing we just think we have to keep pumping through with no brakes. Small things add up, minor irritations suddenly feel unbearable... eventually we HAVE to stop because we don't feel like ourselves anymore.
Our bodies need rest. We are not superhuman. Even God rested on the seventh day! It’s crazy to me that we somehow think this is just an inconvenience or another minor thing we can procrastinate. “I’ll sleep when I die.”
It just doesn’t work like that. When you’re deprived of rest you’re simply not functioning the best you could be, you’re not thinking as well and it DIMINISHES creativity.
Can you imagine a HIIT workout with no breaks? That 5-15 second rest between reps or sets is not optional. It’s crucial and arguably the most important part of the workout. It’s when your body finally gets a chance to replenish its cells and recover your muscles so they can grow. So that when you jump back in after your break you can go in strong and move with all the power your body has.
Things like brain and muscle recovery actually can’t happen while we’re awake. They happen when we’re sleeping.
I used to be the person that took every vacation as a way to “catch up on work” or “get ahead.” This week I’m dedicating my time to just resting. Pausing the to do list and pausing the high intensity schedule to just breathe. I encourage you to do the same. Schedule resting time. Don’t see it as a negotiable break you can use to “be more productive.” You’re just cheating yourself when you do that.
Pause. Breathe. Take as long as you need. And get back stronger 😈
Comments