It’s important for everyone to take time off from the daily stressed every once in a while. Whether it’s time off from a hardcore diet, or time off from a strenuous exercise plan, or simple time off from work. I’ve always preached that a little bit of stress is important and helps us grow as a person with our professional and personal goals. However, every now and then that stress can build up and needs to be flushed out.
Recently, I noticed my body becoming sore in all the wrong places. The majority of this is soreness I account to weightlifting. I noticed my neck and upper back to be in rough shape and it started to affect my sleep and everyday movements. That’s when I realized I had to take some time off from exercise. However, I didn’t need to take out exercise completely. I still went on walks, went for runs, and did some stretching. But as for heavy weightlifting, I needed a short break. I took one week off from heavy weights to fully recover from the stresses of exercise. And now (writing this a week later) I feel much better after following my gut. My neck and back feel better, although not perfect, and my enthusiasm to get back into the gym has come back. Sometimes we all need a little space from our passions to remind ourselves why they are our passions.
This advice is important for any passion that helps us grow. Passions like work or exercise or relationships can be stressful and sometimes the best thing to do for long term success is to step away for a short bit. Taking time off to recharge your batteries is beautiful way to reignite your engines.
If you feel like you’ve plateaued in any aspect of your life, try taking a few days to a week off. You may notice that with a clear head and some rest that you’ll get reinvigorated. This enthusiasm leads to all sorts of new ideas and motivations which could be the piece that’s missing at that moment.
Yes of course working is important, but don’t underestimate the power of a short rest. Your body and mind will thank you and there’s a good chance you come out the other side better off for doing so.
How do you like to spend your time off from your stressful passions?
Dabbl 