THE IMPORTANCE OF PERSONAL TIME-OUTS
I have a confession to make: I’m a workaholic. Always have been, but since I became self-employed my work/life balance really got into trouble. The problem is that I love love love my job and I couldn’t be happier to inspire so many people on a daily basis. But I kinda lost my personal time-outs on the way. My offline hours, my digital detox, my me-time.
We are living in an ambitious world, full of analog/digital temptations and input. Quite often we are hustling through the week, trying to make everything right while we totally forget to take care of ourselves. It might sound pathetic but our health (both mental and physical) is our greatest gift and a healthy body is the biggest treasure.
I used to work 6-7 days a week up to 10hours (sometimes even more) without really taking a break. Until this summer things got blurry and I couldn’t see much else than work. I still had fun writing and taking pictures – but I just felt worn out. I knew I needed to change my workload in order to avoid a burn out (I think It was quite close…). The first thing I did was going on a girls trip to London. No laptop, no camera, just shopping and girls talk. It was such a pleasure to get rid of all the duties and being just a girl. That might sound weird but I almost never allow me to do “nothing”. It was amazing.
Next up was my turkish time-out where I enjoyed plenty of massages, healthy food and good reads. I even switched off my phone for a day (don’t laugh) and never checked my mails (luckily my agent got my back). When I got home I started my weekly home spa ritual which I’m pretty obsessed with right now. It gives me the weekly time-out I needed and it’s so much fun. More about it soon…
Then, last week, I decided to do some detox and get rid of all the unhealthy stuff (stress is killer for any healthy diet). First It was tough to drink only fluids (although the Detox Delight team really created tasty juices) and I got headache and problems with my concentration. But after the 3rd day I felt much stronger, healthier and happier. I’m proud what I have accomplished (not only the 5 day cleanse but also my self-enployment in general) and I’ve recharged my batteries.
However, personal time-outs are more important than ever, especially in our success driven society. Allow yourself to be down, weak and tired and take good care of yourself! The only way is up…
