Appreciate the pauses.
We’re encouraged to grind if we want to succeed. Unswerving effort is hyped as the route to our dreams.
If we don’t reach our goals or achieve our imagined best life, we may feel we’re somehow lacking. Perhaps we didn’t try hard enough, we reason.
We forget that ceaseless growth is not the natural way. In many climates, plants go dormant or die altogether in winter. Even during prime growing seasons, plants need the dark to process the nutrients gathered during photosynthesis.
Our bodies need sleep to repair or replace damaged cells, store new information in the brain, and clear out waste products from our cells. So, we need regular rest periods daily to keep our physical bodies in good order.
We also need mental breaks. We can’t concentrate and focus well when we’re constantly pushed or stimulated. Mental downtime and adequate sleep will make us more productive and effective.
Life may offer us pauses unbidden. We’ll certainly want to capitalize on them, using them to best advantage. We also will want to gift ourselves with regular physical and mental breaks. It’s an act of loving self-care.
Today’s message invites me to enjoy pauses in the action of my life. When I alternate downtime and effort, I enjoy life more and more capable of achievement.
Please reflect and share. Do you allow yourself downtime without guilt?