Why it’s perfectly OK to take time off and nurture your health

Stress is bad news, and right now, it’s everywhere and shouldn’t be ignored. We’re talking about that moment you’re trying to keep it all together, but meanwhile, you’re missing appointment after appointment and at night you’re staring at the ceiling praying you’ll fall back asleep. Well, we hate to say it, but unfortunately stress isn’t something you can just shake off. Sure, there’s that mindfulness training you did at work and that weekly Yin Yoga class, but ever thought that maybe you shouldn’t have to work so hard in order to keep your stress system healthy? The solution is simple: just take a day off when you’re feeling drained of energy. And no, that doesn’t make you lazy, disloyal or selfish. Here’s how to deal.

If Ferris Bueller can do it, so can you

So, there’s this hero status for people who get into work no matter how sick they are. Especially in the corporate culture, it is somewhat required to always get into work, although recent events have caused a change to take place. That doesn’t change how your attendance levels can give you this stamp of ‘potential CEO material.’ Well, it’s not so heroic when you’re sitting at home unable to work due to extreme fatigue, anxiety or burnout. Unfortunately there’s also the pitfall of your guilt-conscience telling you that you can’t take time off, because now is not a good time; that important deadline is due this week; you don’t want to burden your colleagues with extra workload; and so on. Meanwhile, you’re getting more and more overwhelmed but instead of taking a break from work, you push through.

Jump of the guilt train

Remember: your body is trying to tell you something for a reason, these are signs you shouldn’t ignore. Never forget that health trumps work – anytime. You have the right to set your own boundaries and limits. If you don’t, others will keep crossing them. Moreover, if you don’t set your priorities, everything seems a priority. So, let’s start with making your health the biggest one of all, shall we? Skip the disempowering self-talk, it’s time to ditch the guilt and start listening to your body.

Quick fix = no fix

We’re all pretty busy people. I think we can all agree on that one, right? So often, when we experience burdens or inconveniences, we want it to go away as soon as possible. We can’t really help it – we’re wired that way. In other words: we want quick fixes. Like a Formula 1 car that pulls up for a new tire and is after 1,2,3 seconds ready to hit the road go again. But when you’re already feeling burnout, a quick fix often is just a band-aid and procrastination for becoming completely drained.

We want harder, better, faster, stronger. And we want it now. But we never really think about how sustainable the lifestyle is we’re living. Ask yourself: can you keep up this fast pace of working and living for the next 10 years? And use yoga and meditation in the morning as a stress-band aid to just keep on going?

Stop, in the name of love

Instead of going out on a limb to hold on to your busy lifestyle, how about every now and then you just stop? Literally. Stand still for just a day. Call it a personal day, a mental health day or just a self-love-day. Now, what would you do with it? Picture it in your mind,  visualize it. It’ll make taking that day off that much easier.

Sometimes we forget it’s just as important to take care of your mental health as your physical health. Sometimes the answer to your problems is right in front of you, but we just need a little reminder, so here it is. Don’t forget: it’s always better to act than to react. Well here at Spaces we’re cheering you on. Go, you.