What I Learned From Taking A Break

Around a month ago I decided to take a break from all of my responsibilities revolving around the internet. And when I say I decided, I mean it was forced upon me. I wish I could take credit for knowing I needed a break but how often do we really know what we really need? There has never been a point in my life where I didn’t think, “Yeah this SUCKS but it’s okay I got it.” 

So when the people around me all unanimously and aggressively suggested I take a step back, I didn’t argue. I was dealing with shit storm after shit storm, well not even after, it was like a shit storm on top of a shit storm. And although we all have our shit storms, they can easily become too much for anyone to handle. Before my break, my coping methods were sleeping, working, sleeping, and working. That’s all I did. I did nothing and I mean nothing to take care of myself. As someone who loves self-care and is a huge mental health advocate, I had unintentionally let all of mine slip away. 

Flash forward a month later and although I am in no way cured of my existential crisis I have learned enough to be able to confidentiality and ACTUALLY say “I got this”. 

Here’s what I learned: 

You Can Take A Break 

Anyone (including yourself) who tells you that you can’t, is lying. Will you miss out on opportunities or have to move things around? Yes. But it’s not going to kill you. Nothing is more important than your mental and physical health. You CAN take a break and the world will keep spinning. 

You Probably Need A Break 

Once I committed to taking a break and the moment my calendar was cleared I felt the weight of the world lifted off my shoulders. Holy shit I didn’t realize how badly I needed it. A break was something that never crossed my mind because I never thought I could take one (see point above). Feeling this sense of relief was no coincidence, I needed it and that’s okay. Time flies, the next thing you know, you’re back to work. If you need a break, take it.

There Are More Hours In The Day Than You Thought 

So often I was consumed by work and social media, just thinking of the next thing I had to do. With all this newfound time, I started doing new things. I realized that there really wasn’t any good reason I couldn’t do those things when I did have work in my calendar. My whole day doesn’t need to be full of anticipating the next event and reacting to the next thing on my phone. I can make choices from moment to moment. Something as simple as stopping for a coffee while I’m in my friend’s neighborhood shouldn’t feel like the end of the world. That 30 minutes isn’t going to make or break my career, but it will definitely make me happy if I grab the coffee. 

You’re Addicted To Your Phone (Shocker)

I posted I was taking a break and although it was a relief, I definitely didn’t know how to live my life if I wasn’t documenting it. It’s great that I love my job, but being addicted to our phones isn’t cute honestly. It took me a few days to really even stop posting because I couldn’t even help it. I had to force myself to realize life isn’t just worth living on Instagram. You know how people say, “no one cares if you go to the party or not” the same essentially applies to Instagram. WhenI wasn’t posting, I quickly lost interest in what other people were posting. It made me realize that I don’t need to post EVERYTHING I do to make an impact. But that’s a larger conversation. Just trust me, no one cares if you’re on Instagram or not and you’re not missing anything.

Your Mindset Is Everything 

The more I read the more I realized I really needed to take control of my mindset again. I’m the first person to call something “woo woo” or “lame” but there’s a point where the only person you’re hurting is yourself. I can make a funny ass joke but at the end of the day what you put out, you get back in return. It was time to really start focusing on my thoughts because they were creating my reality. The moment I began to tap back into gratitude, love, compassion, and kindness...my days became so much easier.

I Am In Control 

When my mindset started to shift, I realized on a deep level how in control of my life I really was. My days were so much better by choosing better for myself. I realized there was so much power in choosing my own life. I felt this weight lifted off of me that I was no longer tied to anyone. No one could judge me, tell me what to do, nothing. I realized I could choose what I wanted to do moment to moment and every day moving forward. As someone who always puts others' needs before their own, realizing I could choose first was liberating.  

There Is Freedom In Letting Go 

When you realize life is essentially how you react to things and carry them with you, it feels almost unnatural to move forward with them. There were so many things I was angry about and sad about. But quite literally the only person affected by it was me. I was the one angry and sad. If I could just let go I could literally be free of it. So I did. I’ve handled many hardships with grace towards others, but why not myself? So I gracefully let go for myself and her alone. 

Kindness Always Feels Better 

I have never left a situation in which I was kind with regrets. My favorite parts of each day are the small acts of kindness I share with others. I love getting coffee and chatting with the barista, I love the overly talkative Trader Joe’s cashier. I love my new florist friend at the Farmers Market. I don’t see any point in being anything but kind to strangers and it connects you to humans in real life, not just online. It always makes my days brighter. And when things are hard with people in your everyday life, I’ve found that acting out of kindness even when I’m upset, has gotten me better results in the end anyway. It may sound cheesy, but try it and I promise you’ll be happier. 

Endorphins Are Real 

I spent so much time sleeping I forgot how good physical activity feels. I’ve always had a negative mindset around working out because in my head it was just to look a certain way. But this time around I knew I needed to be strong and get outside. I started hiking, doing pilates, playing tennis, golfing - and now it’s literally all I can think about! I get excited about my outdoor activities. I get excited after I crush a pilates class. I feel so strong and accomplished but have a good time doing it. If you’re struggling to get outside, do it with friends! It was the best first step I took over my break.

Keep The Faith 

Even when all of these good things and new habits are falling into place, you’re not going to always get what you want. Learning to keep the faith and trust that everything is happening for a reason is all you can do. The universe has not let me down yet. Has shit hit the fan? Absolutely. But has everything ended up being okay? 100%. I’m still here aren’t I? I have full faith that things are working out on their own time. So in the meantime, all I have to do is live each moment to the best of my abilities at each given time. We are all we have and we need to care for ourselves above all else. When we do that, we can care for the people and things that we love. I read recently that the only thing that is real, is love, everything else simply is our ego-created reality. Interesting right? 

Would you take a break? What’s holding you back?