Give It A Rest

My faithful followers have been asking for another post and for the past few week I just haven't been able to produce words. In fact, a running joke I have with one friend is that we can have a full conversation just using the word "words" with varying tonal inflections. The fact that English has had a difficult time expelling itself from my inner sanity means that writing has become blocked. This is a phenomena called writer's block.

A lot of changes have been happening at work over the past month and a lot of inner personal changes have been forcing themselves to the surface as well. The combination of internal and external factors really weighed me down. It wasn't completely bad but it sure was heavy and taxing. In response to everything that was going on, and in the midst of one of the points of highest stress, I did something I have never done before. I called in to work and took a day off.

Now, I have used sick days before. Sparingly. But I use them when I am sick. This particular occasion I was not sick. I was simply overstressed. I hadn't been sleeping well and minor things became major emotional events.

I needed a mental health day.

Although the stress was mounting to the point where I couldn't do my job properly, I still felt a bit ashamed that I took a day off. I usually try not to show anyone when things get stressful but there comes a time when you just need to detox.

How did I detox? I caught up on sleep that had been evading me. I went on a walk to clear my mind. I ate comfort food to remind me that it's okay to indulge a bit. And I breathed 

For the first time in a while, I stopped everything and felt myself breathe. At first, my breath was more shallow than I remembered. I was realizing that my stress (and the fact that I held it in) was having more effects on me than just lack of sleep and slight moodiness. I literally was not breathing well. I felt like I was underwater and grasping for air.

Taking the opportunity to breathe and relax and think and forget about thinking healed my soul.

I went to work the next day, and although there were still some stressors, I felt calm and capable. I felt new. I still don't love every day and work still drains me but I have a greater appreciation for the "mental health day" because it really does renew one's energy and takes the clouds away from the eyes. 

Hopefully this will translate to no more writer's block. This post has been surprisingly free flowing. My advice for you faithful readers is to really take time for yourself. Deny the craziness for a day. Take a day off. Give yourself some rest from all the worries and cares and lists and stressors and thoughts in general. Breathe. Take a full day to do it if needed. 

It feels good. I promise.