Every once in a while after this January blog challenge (Bloganuary) I’ve realized, 4 years into this blog, that there continue to be prompts given daily ! Yes I definitely dove into writing without the full understanding of this platform. But today’s blog prompt somewhat supports why I’m not the ultimate blog expert !
Do you need a break? From what?
As a millennial, I’m part of the generation of girl boss hustle culture. The idea of monetizing everything you do and creating productivity in every moment of your day.
So do I need a break? Heck yes. From what specifically? Depends on the day!
As an occupational therapist, one of my pillars of practice is self care. Often times in OT this falls into the category of bathing, eating, brushing your teeth etc, but this expands to so much more. In an era where more people than not experience mental health challenges in their lifetime, self care expands to things like worklife balance, attending therapy sessions, seeing friends, and taking time to be intentional. On a regular day, with work and transportation, you might spend between 8-10 hours doing work related tasks (if you’re lucky of course, you may work more than this too!)
On top of your job you are expected to cook and clean, perhaps attend classes, take care of children and stay healthy. The push to be productive consumes us and you may relate to the statement that when you reach the end of the day and want to read or do something for you, you’re so exhausted you can’t bother.
If this is something you relate to, you should consider scheduling self care and break time into your day. It sounds silly, but we have a harder time letting go of part of our schedule than something we want to do! By working something you want to do for YOU into your schedule, you may actually make time for it! For example, yoga is a self care activity that sometimes makes me feel good but I’m never motivated to go. So I found a studio near my work (which is an hour away from my house) and on certain days of the week I will pack my yoga bag and go right after work. This is now part of my schedule so it’s easier to do! If I’m trying to read more for myself, (we’re talking enjoyment not studying) I sometimes try to read a bit Saturday morning before my client of the day, or I’ll get ready for bed early and read in bed. If I don’t take the time to plan out the activity time though, it won’t happen.
I recognized this was a helpful strategy for me when I started needing a break from socializing.
Coming back into routine after covid, I found myself meeting social burnout very easily. Often times I would come home from work and just be so socially drained (I’m also constantly talking and being “on” as an occupational therapist), that I just couldn’t imagine scheduling time with friends. However, many of my self care/happy times were with my friends. And when I would be at home I’d feel guilty about not being productive so I wouldn’t ever do nice things for myself!
Here is where the scheduling comes in: why can we schedule time for friends, family and work but not for ourselves? So now I take time to schedule “intentional me time” in the little moments. I put a book in the bathroom so I can read when I’m brushing my teeth instead of mindlessly scrolling. I set an alarm for the end of the night so I can take a solid chunk of time to decompress, do a nice face care routine and lay in bed and read before sleeping. On the weekend I’ve scheduled at least Sunday as my “rot day” where I’m doing all the things I love to do, and if I don’t have a full Sunday I try to schedule either a bit of time in the morning or before bed to relax and do something for me.
I could talk forever about scheduling your self care, and I do! This is a big piece of my knowledge sharing to my placement students, as I know that as much as I’m busy and tired, they’re even more busy and tired! As a student you’re always trying to learn so much, always doing projects, balancing workloads from school with potential part time jobs, raising children and then if you’re on placement that’s another whole job! As much as they don’t have the time, they also don’t have the time to burnout! So I try to talk a lot about doing something kind for yourself at least a bit each week! If you don’t, stress can build up and hit you physically to slow you down!!
Do you schedule your self care time? Do you take time daily to take a break and rest? what is your favourite way to make sure you’re taking care of yourself?
Be Your Own Sunshine 