Take a break; you deserve it, for you have been working hard. Pause, take a breath, focus on yourself and your surroundings, appreciate the moment you are in because, if anything, you only become stronger.
Little do I care if this sound like a piece of advice from a cheap, meaningless magazine, between a bit on how to make your partner fall in love with you again in five easy steps and the recipe of the day. It’s pretty legit, nonetheless.
Break. What does it come to your mind? If it’s a short one, probably something worth skipping one too many times because who has time for breaks. If it’s a long one, maybe one or two weeks of holidays somewhere dreamy -since only then is a break worth it.
If it’s an intermediate break, we are talking about some extended pause prescribed by a doctor due to burnout.
People tend to underestimate the magical touch of a break, regardless of its length, especially the short ones. I used to be such a person, but this year I have been more intentional with giving myself permission to let go, even for half an hour.
I used to frequently skip my break at work, thinking falsely that a short break was basically pointless. Zero contribution to my well-being. Instead, I anticipated the holy weekend, only to cram it with all kinds of things and forget to take a break.
Or I used to place too much pressure on my Christmas, Easter or summer holidays to fulfil my dream of a well-deserved mental and physical rest.
But to take a break is to show self-appreciation for all the hard work. For the daily tough decisions, the internal fight and eventual overcoming of negative feelings, the commitment to your goals and the positive impact you have on others-because, that’s damn hard work!
Take a break to let go of the stress and the seemingly important decisions you are called to make at work or home. Let go of other people’s behaviours and actions that bring you down instead of propelling you.
Give yourself permission to regroup and reconsider the urgency of some situations; is everything and everyone worth sacrificing a break and peace of mind? Are they worth all the stress that averts you from the essentials?
Take a break; you deserve it.
Even fifteen minutes of pausing a normal activity can help us out of an ostensibly sticky situation, for a break can offer the clarity and tranquillity we desperately need.
Longer breaks, such as holidays, are undoubtedly miraculous; even better when one can escape to another city or country. I personally find myself wishing to get out of Berlin every two months, even for a weekend. It’s not always feasible, but the innate urge to momentarily escape reality is there.
Nevertheless, even when a trip is not plausible, holidays can also be great while remaining on your basis.
A change of routine or the addition of a novel activity can do the trick. And by novel activity, I am also referring to the wondrous art of doing absolutely nothing.
Take a break; you deserve it more than you think.
