Mental Health Breaks And Why You Need Them

 

I needed some space to lay myself out, so that I could decide which pieces I wanted to pick up.
~ Fennel Hudson

Hey, Lovelies!

I was scrolling through my social media feed yesterday and came upon a post from one of my favourite creatives. She was posting to let us know that she is taking an unscheduled two-week break effective from today, because she could feel the familiar symptoms that herald impending burnout cropping up too frequently and she could no longer ignore them.

So, I have to ask. How are you?

It’s been such an intense few years, and the pressure is still there. How are you managing?

As you know, I’ve just recently come back from my own little break, and I have already pencilled more into my calendar. I was at burnout before my vacation, but when I look back over 2020 and 2021, I can clearly identify moments where I was at the edge of breakdown. At times it was only my momentum holding me together as I was bounced from trauma to trauma, as well as holding space for all of the friends and clients in my community dealing with their own pain, drama and tragedy.

You don’t realise when you’re in it, just how far down the hole you can go, and how stale you can become; how much you can end up on automatic pilot, how much you can lose your joy, your flow, your creative or intuitive connection.

I’ve made a promise to myself to never again be in that place where I’m backsliding in my physical or mental health, or running short of inspiration. To do that I have to embrace change, because doing things the way I have always done them will only bring the same results. Life is too short to be under constant pressure and still not getting to the things that matter most. My calendar is now rearranged, my priorities have changed, and I will never go back to the crazy levels of work that I sustained before this last break in my schedule.

I need space and time to myself OFTEN in order to keep showing up in healthy ways for you, and in order to make art (writing, courses and other creations – which can also be as simple as being able to think of something to cook for dinner and having the energy to do that!).

My friends, this is as true for me as it is for you.

What can you do to reduce pressure and stress in your life?

Can you create more breaks, or schedule more self-care?

Can you make some big decisions, and really change things for yourself?

What are you not doing that you want to do, or know you need to do?

What small steps can you take towards those things? What concrete actions? (Actions because thinking about things is never the same as doing them!)

How can you nourish yourself better – body, mind and spirit?

Sometimes it really is as simple as unplugging for a while, taking a break, and rediscovering yourself in those quiet spaces.

I’m wishing quiet spaces for you today and in the days ahead,

Love, and deep gratitude for those pauses that refresh us, Nicole