Sometimes, You Have To Take A Break

Even though you might feel like you cannot afford to rest, even though there is a lot of pressure being put on you, even though you want to spend your time making productive leaps toward your dreams, you cannot keep moving until you collapse.

You are allowed to slow down. You are allowed to take a break every once in a while. You are allowed to breathe.

Letting yourself relax for the first time in a long time does not mean you are being lazy. It does not mean you are slacking and do not deserve to reach success. It means you are self-aware and self-loving.

It doesn’t matter how desperately you want to reach your dreams. Sometimes, the answer is not to force yourself to go-go-go. Sometimes, you have to rest today if you want to be on your A-game tomorrow.

Even though it feels like you have a million different things to get done and a million people you could disappoint, do not fight through your mental or physical exhaustion. Do not push yourself passed your limits. Do not fall off the ledge.

You need to take care of yourself first. Your sanity comes before your work.

If you go without a rest for too long, if you end up reaching a point where you snap because you cannot take such a jam-packed schedule anymore, then you are going to suffer a setback and you are going to have an even longer recovery period than you would if you gave yourself a break today.

Instead of waiting until the last possible second to give a shit about yourself, schedule me-time every week. Make sure you have at least a few hours, or even an entire day, to unwind from the stress you have been under.

You have accomplished so much more than you realize, so stop telling yourself you are not good enough. Stop acting like you have not earned a rest. You have. 

Turn off your email notifications. Put down your pencil. Close your textbooks. Give yourself permission to enjoy  the rest of the day. Not everything has to be done right this second. The world is not going to end if you ‘waste’ one day.

Except, that is the thing. You should not think of pampering yourself as a waste. You should not think of self-care as a waste. You should think of it as a necessity.

Yes, reaching success requires effort. Yes, you have to do a lot of work if you want to make something of yourself. No, you cannot become lazy — but taking a break every once in a while does not make you lazy. You are allowed to sleep extra. You are allowed to binge watch a series. You are allowed to have fun — or do absolutely nothing at all. You should not feel guilty about days like that.

You might care about your work more than anything, but your priorities need to shift if you want to live your dream life. You need to start caring about yourself more than everything else. The rest can take (a close) second.