It’s Ok to Pause, Rest, & Recharge!
Let’s keep it real! Sometimes life just be coming at you FAST! And you be like, “what the heck was that?!” It just throws you a curve ball that you didn’t see coming that often will require you to pause, rest, and reassess things before you move forward from a recharged version of yourself. And that is OK! Sometimes you just need to pause and sit still to process and release the energy from the experience that stirred up some upheaval. Whether that be from a draining one-sided relationship or friendship, a stressful job, school, or just the life in general, it’s important to honor yourself including your mind, body, and soul so that you can reset and refuel yourself.
Unfortunately, it took me soooo many years to get to the point where I really got committed to PRIORITIZING ME! And I admit, I was a people pleaser….and I didn’t even know it most of the time because people were always telling me or expecting me to put them before myself. To prioritize their needs before my own. And that was also reinforced in the workplace where I always seemed to get the “overbearing, micro-managing”, the manager who created a toxic and draining workplace. And by the time I got home, all I wanted to do was bury my head my pillow.
And when I wasn’t being drained in the workplace, I was being drained in one-sided friendships and romantic relationships. So it often felt like a never-ending cycle of burnout with no outlets to replenish myself. But by 2020, I knew that I had to make a change! I was tired of feeling constantly drained, and willing to do the inner work to create a better life experience for myself. I was ready to create boundaries and stand 10 toes down on those boundaries, even if it meant that some friendships, relationships, or jobs would be coming to end. The burnout simply wasn’t worth it anymore! I wanted a slower life, a more peaceful life where my nervous system could be at a normal, stable state.
And with that intention in mind, I knew that I also needed to drop that ridiculous “hustle-culture” mindset that seemed to dominate city-life culture during the 2000s and 2010s. That idea that you have to be on this “rise and grind” mindset in order to create a meaningful life. By 2020, my mind, body, and soul were like “nah, there has to be a better way to create a meaningful life” where it’s ok from me to listen to my mind and body when it wants or needs to pause, rest, and recharge.
And even though I didn’t have all the answers at the time on exactly how to do this, there were a few things that I knew that would definitely help me foster my desire of creating a slower, and more peaceful life.
1) Getting help and support from a licensed therapist so that I could begin to unpack and work through my emotions and experiences that were keeping me from living the kind of life that I yearned for.
2) Boundaries! I knew that I needed to set stronger boundaries, and get better at implementing them, which also forced me to reassess the people and things in my life that were out of alignment with me and my values.
3) Unplug From Technology! The way I immediately got to using the “Do Not Disturb” feature on my iphone, and reduced my time on social media. It can be really helpful to unplug from technology, as it will help your mind and body rest and recharge without being glued to your cellphone or television as well. Additionally, it’s in this time with yourself that you begin to learn more about you. Which brings me to my next point.
4) Spend more time with Yourself! Once I began to unplug more from technology including tv and social media, it forced me to cultivate new practices with myself. I learned to do things that did not evolve me being tethered to my cellphone or other technology. I started finding hobbies that I enjoyed which helped to fuel my self-discovery while also helping me pause, rest, and recharge. I taught me to fill up my own cup!
5) And not to be forgotten…..Get some good rest and sleep! It’s important to get some good sleep. You and your body need it so that you can recharge and recover. So that your nervous system can settle down.
Although there are certainly other items that can be included in your time to pause, rest, and recharge, these are just a few that I’ve used in my journey that I have been helpful for me. Listen to your body and your inner self for what practices might be helpful in your efforts to pause, rest, and recharge.
~Peace & Blessings