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We’re taught to push and push and push. To work past the point of exhaustion. To keep going at all costs.
To do the thing and get it done, no matter what.
It could be that we were taught this at home. And odds are, it was an expectation that was set in the workplace.
Or, it could be what we’ve learned at some point on our journey and became instilled in us that this is not only the right way to be, but the ONLY way to be.
And yet, this way of thinking - of believing - is hugely detrimental as it leads to exhaustion, frustration, and ultimately, burnout.
Every day, our goal is to show up at our fullest and powerfully for others but even more crucially, for ourselves. Our aim is to work in a smart way so that we can maximize our productivity while also reducing and eliminating distractions.
We aim for continued progress and productivity.
But there’s also a time when we need to rest.
To rest so that we can recharge our internal batteries and also our minds. To embrace the stillness and just simply be in the moment.
And when we rest, the silent goal within ourselves needs to be that we recognize that our rest is an essential overall part of our productivity.
While this feels counterintuitive to what we’ve been taught before, embracing rest and downtime helps us to steer clear of the inevitable self-recrimination for not being productive and not getting just one more box checked off our TO-DO list.
Accepting that rest is essential to our overall well-being eventually transitions into claiming that time off and then actively building that time off into your life and your schedule. Rather than looking at our downtime as a nuisance, impediment, or waste of time, we gradually see it as a vital part of our own self-care.
We stop harshly comparing ourselves to others and we instead recognize that we’re all divinely unique and special in our own way.
So today and every day, I invite you to slow down your life so that you can intentionally take that necessary downtime that your soul is yearning for. Honor your time off, make new memories, and embrace rest and your connection to it.