When You’re Running on E...

Have you ever felt like you needed to just stop and take a break from the world? Like, a real break, from everything? Maybe go on a sabbatical or just stay home in bed for a few days so that you’ll feel more rejuvenated? Sure we’ve all been there before, but with popular songs like, “I Don’t Get Tired” by celebrity rapper Kevin Gates and with society’s pressure and standards to work and grind 24/7, the world has made it seem as if taking time to actually rest is frowned upon or deemed as being weak or lazy. There were even posts floating around social media while majority of the world was quarantined stating, “if you don’t come out of this with a new skill, a new business, a new side hustle, etc., you didn’t lack time, you lacked discipline.” DURING A PANDEMIC! A time when thousands of people are dying. A time when thousands of people are laid off their jobs, and everything had become closed and canceled as if the world had come to a complete halt. A time when just surviving to make it through should’ve been everyone’s goal. Now if that doesn’t speak volumes then let me simplify it a little. The world will always have opinions, but that doesn't mean you have to listen to them. Stop letting society pressure you into working yourself to death. Yes, our time on earth is limited, but working yourself until you have burnout, passion fatigue, or nothing left in you to keep yourself going, isn’t healthy.

Wouldn’t you rather enjoy the fruits of your labor? I know I would. But how is that possible if you have a major decline in your mental health because you didn’t take the time to rest when you needed it? How can you reap the harvest of what you’ve planted if your physical health is declining? Or if you have no one to share your success with because you were always too busy “grinding” instead of taking time out to build relationships? There will always be work to do. And as long as Earth still stands, there will always be lives for you to save. But, you can’t pour from an empty cup. You have to first make sure you are well taken care of before anyone else is. This may be foreign to some people, but take time to ‘rest’ when you need to. If I can be honest, oftentimes I would always find it difficult to stop and rest or take a break from work. I would find it hard to tell people “no” I can’t do this or I can’t do that. I always felt guilty when I would stop to rest or watch a television show while I ate dinner, knowing I had tons of work still needing to be done. I never declined invitations and was always available anytime anyone needed me, until I became so drained, tired, and mentally exhausted. I’d literally feel depleted. I needed rest — a lot of it. But by the time I realized I needed it, my work demands had grown, and I still had obligations I’d already committed myself to.

There’s a couple of things I could have done. First, I could have just canceled everything I had in my schedule. Or I could have stopped adding things to my schedule and only completed those obligations I’d already committed myself to. I chose option 2. I couldn’t wait till those things on my schedule had been completed! I was TIRED! And not only was I unable to fully enjoy any of those things that were on my schedule because of how drained I was, but I also didn’t give them a hundred percent of my time or effort. All of this because I didn’t prioritize ‘resting.’ Look, there’s always going to be things on our to-do lists. But being able to do them at an optimal level requires you to take time out to actually rest. There’s absolutely NOTHING wrong with taking a break. The word of God even mentions taking a break. “Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done (GENESIS 2:3 | NIV).” Go out and create. Go out and start your business. Go out and crush every goal you’ve ever made for yourself. But don’t forget to rest. You’ve got this!

Peace and love,

FA

Here’s a few things to remember to keep yourself from running on empty:

•Recognize when you need rest.

•Don’t ignore your body when it’s telling you to rest.

•Don’t overwork or overbook yourself.

•Don’t be afraid to tell people “No” when you need to.

•Take a break or rest as long as you need to.