In the past month, I have found myself falling into old patterns of working too hard, of not making time for me, of burying myself in busyness.
In the middle of all of that, I would ask myself: Is this want I want my life to look like?
I would remind myself: Remember how you burned yourself out in your old job? Do not fall back into the same routine.
I would tell myself: Take a break NOW. Stand up from that desk, put down your cellphone and walk.
In the middle of long to-do lists, endless Viber messages, reminders from my boss, birthday parties to plan, Christmas gifts to buy, it was hard to remember me.
It was easier to fall back into old habits of powering through.
But when I did take a break, when I did remember to breathe and make time to talk to people and be curious about what was happening in their lives, when I looked around me at cute things in the office, I was reminded why I did what I did.
I saw that there were so much more interesting things beyond my Numbers spreadsheet and the Flipboard app on my cellphone. That little pause even gave me more energy to tackle the budgets—and the Christmas list and the pile of unwrapped presents.
When things get overwhelming, breathe, take a break, step back from your computer or your to-do list, put down your cellphone, look around you and find something that sparks your curiosity or at the very least, makes you smile.
It can be a photograph of your last beach vacation.
It can be your vision board.
It can be a chapter of the latest book you’re reading.
It can be a short nap.
It can be a long-delayed phone call to your best friend.
Just stop. That little pause, that reminder that *you* exist, that your needs matter can help make the day a little less overwhelming, a little more doable.
Taking a break from Christmas cray by remembering this gorgeous vacation last September
