Do you ever feel like you need a break, but you can’t imagine how to do that? I tend to believe I have to do it all, no matter how hard things are. This belief comes from my upbringing and the value placed on obligation. This belief has served me well throughout the years in achieving my goals. How about you? Have you pushed through and found positive results?
The last few months have been overwhelmed, and this belief is not serving me well. In January, the entire family got COVID. Work has dialed back up to include more in-person meetings and work travel. I am chair of a professional committee without a co-chair; the girls are starting new activities and this blog. While managing all that, I am also working through my divorce settlement. It is a lot, and pushing through has not yielded positive results. As a result, I have been experiencing several health issues that seem to be getting in my way. I won’t go into the details, but I don’t feel well. After much consideration and the wise words of a dear friend, I decided I needed to take a break. Right now, fewer demands on my time and energy are what I need.
This blog has been my dream for over two years; I am proud of myself for launching it. It is off to a great start, and I am excited to bring it into my vision. Nevertheless, it is the thing that I need to take a break from right now. My plan today is to return in mid-May. Thank you so much for being one of my readers. It has been a pure joy to serve you, and I look forward to the next time we connect.
In the meantime, please enjoy today’s Star Stunning Realizations. I share what brought me to this conclusion. Maybe you need to take a break from something as well. Learn how to recognize signals from your body, unhealthy habits or actions you may be taking to do it all, and how to identify what may be the thing you need to give up for the time being.
This brings me to today’s Star Stunning realizations:
- Monitor your bodily functions. I mentioned I had COVID in January. I recovered from the fever, the headache, and the achiness, but my GI functions were still not regular. Life was busy, and I muscled through. Two weeks ago, I was in New Orleans for a conference. I felt awful from the rich food, and I was exhausted from meeting with clients and attending seminars. I was trying everything to help my stomach, Metamucil, MiraLAX; you name it. It was so bad that I left the conference and spent the afternoon in bed one day. That is very uncharacteristic for me. I need to handle what is happening to my system. I wasn’t dedicating time to finding the root of the problem. The various quick fixes were causing more issues. Upon my return home, I started making a food log to monitor my system, and I started a journey to eliminate gluten and dairy and reduce my red meat to one serving per week. Being in tune with my body takes study, time, and observation. I can’t do it if I don’t allocate any time to it. What health concern do you need to dedicate more time?
- Are you experiencing sleep erosion? I have been waking up at 4:45 am since January of 2020 to ensure writing and exercise time each morning before work. I also write on Saturday and Sunday mornings. I get up simultaneously and write as long as family obligations allow. I have been behind and writing my posts one or two days before my publish deadline in February and March. I started getting up at 4 am three days week for the past two weeks to keep up. In the meantime, work demands continue, dinner needs to be on the table each night, and the girls’ after-school activities continue. As a result, I was experiencing sleep erosion. I was getting five and a half to six hours of sleep a night. Over time I became sleep-deprived. I need at least 7 hours, and I thrive on 8 hours. Are you experiencing sleep erosion? Consider what you can do to give yourself more sleep. Getting enough sleep is the most unselfish thing you can do for your health and wellbeing.
- Check-in on your disposition. Between my stomach problems and my lack of sleep, I am not showing up the way I want to for my family, friends, career, and blog. I have been irritable with everyone. Patience has always been a challenge for me, and right now, it is at an all-time low. I am not the person I want to be. My body and mind have told me I need to adjust, and my disposition is slapping me in the face. I am listening and therefore taking this needed break. What signs are you seeing? If you are not showing up each day the person you want to be, consider why.
- Seek advice from a friend. I have a good friend who I meet for coffee, breakfast, or dinner once or twice a month. A month ago, I told her how overwhelmed I was and that I was considering taking a break from my blog. Her response, “the beauty of something truly yours is you get to decide.” Her advice stuck with me, and it is my choice to decide where I put my energy and at what time. Still, I wasn’t permitting myself to do that. I was sticking with it; this is my dream, and I need to keep going. My friend helped me realize how hard I was on myself. What are you sticking with that you may need to slow down or halt right now? You can pick it back up; give yourself that permission.
Thanks for your blog, nice to read. Do not stop.