Taking Breaks Is Okay

Taking a step back from your day to day working life can seem impossible sometimes, well it did to me anyway. But taking a break is what you need sometimes to get back to feeling normal again. 

When I first thought about taking a break my mind was telling me, “You can’t take a break everything will mess up, you need to keep on working even though it stresses you out, it needs to be done”. 

It’s like you’re in a war against your own mind but also you have deadlines to meet, targets to hit and people to support. All of it can get too much for your mind to handle sometimes. It’s like your mind is storing piles of files that are needing to be read.

I was in a battle with my own mind debating whether to ask for a break, but then I’d be overthinking about what needs to be done, who’s going to do it if I do go on break etc. It can be a stressful situation at times, especially when you’re dealing with your own health problems too.

But, the job has its benefits too. It keeps me busy, it keeps me in a focused mindset. Yes, sometimes it can become too much, but what I learnt is that you have to be vocal about this. Don’t store up your worries, don’t build it up because over time it will collapse. 

My problem was that I was scared about what others would think of me if I did ask for time away. Would they think lower of me? Would I be seen as a weak person if I couldn’t handle doing the job that I love? 

You can solve a problem if you don’t open up about it because people are not mind-readers. So opening up about your situation is the way to solve a problem.  

Taking on a role like that was a huge step in my life, it became my career. But, you need to take time away from your daily life and just relax. Go away for the weekend, watch movies or just take a long walk outside. 

During this difficult time, it is hard to book a holiday away from reality as travel is limited. But there are other ways of finding that escape for a while. Here are some of those ways to try; 

• Turning off your mindset from work. As I work from home I’ve decided to turn off my workspace and put it on silent for a few days. So then I won’t be getting notifications from work about what is needing to be done. 
  
• Discovering the outside. You may be familiar with what’s around you in your local area, but have you ever tried to explore what’s around you at different times of the day? I discovered recently that the colour of the sky changes within a few minutes when it’s sunset time. It’s a beautiful scene to witness, also relaxing too!
  
• Turn your busy mindset into a relaxing one. Meditation is a huge love for people at the moment as they have said it helps them to take time out from the world and be calm within their own safe space. 
  

You shouldn’t be holding back from what you need to do for your own mental wellbeing. It’s life to enjoy not to b stressed about. Taking time away should be enjoyed not worried about that’s what I learnt anyway. 

Taking that time away has really benefited my lifestyle by appreciating what I have around me in my local area. Taking the time to notice what’s around you in your life, family, friends and pets. 

Since being back from my time away, I have noticed I’m more calmer at dealing with situations. I have also noticed that I approach a problem differently which is to not ask in the moment.

​-Mel