Giving Yourself Permission to Hit the Pause Button

Throwback to the first week of January 2021.

This was the week I went back to work in person for the first time since March 2020! We did a short, 3-week stint in October but we knew it wasn’t going to last long. 

Every Monday I make a list of goals I want to accomplish for the week. These are house chores as well as personal and business goals. Monday, January 4th, like every other Monday, my notebook was full of tasks to accomplish this week. However, I had not woken up at 6am since March and October, and I have to be honest, I absolutely hate it. I know, I know, “The early bird catches the worm” and studies show that waking up early helps get the creative juices flowing and the most successful people in the world are early risers. I wish I was a morning person, I really do, but I am so miserable in the mornings. It’s the absolute worst part of my day. I hear my alarm go off and I am instantly in a bad mood. 

Knowing it was my first week back to work, I should have limited the number of tasks on my schedule but I underestimated what a mess I would be and what an adjustment it would be to get back into the swing of things. I was on the struggle bus. 

All week, I was falling asleep all over the place. My eyes were glazed over, my head was fuzzy, I was so groggy, I was forgetful and making tons of mistakes. I would talk and mid-sentence I would completely forget what I was saying. Despite feeling this way, I tried so hard to be productive and work on my goals. I would read the same sentence 10 times before I threw in the towel.

By Wednesday I realized that I had to give myself permission to take a break. Though it was difficult, I had to put my to-do list aside and just relax! I’ll admit, I stared at my goals for the week each day, trying desperately to find something I could do that was quick and low energy. I tried many times until I finally gave in. I put my planners aside, laid in bed, and watched a movie. Three nights this week I watched shows or movies or documentaries. It was painful but I needed it.

By the weekend I felt refreshed and ready to tackle the upcoming week. 

The moral of the story: we are human. We get overwhelmed and sometimes we need to hit the pause button and realize what is really important. We need to give ourselves the permission to take a break and to take care of ourselves. 

Consider this your reminder to…

Give Yourself Permission To:

1. Take a break
2. Take care of yourself
3. Make yourself a priority
4. Take a day off
5. Read a book
6. Watch TV 
7. Engage in your hobbies
8. Make mistakes
9. Play
10. Spend time with friends
11. Ask for help
12. Spend time outside
13. Exercise
14. Treat yourself
15. Get Creative

If you would like the list above in a printable format, click the button for the PDF version

Printable Version

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