Recently I’ve been really stressed out with my day job, my graduate program, and building my business and it’s been taking a toll on my mental health and on my family. My intentions are good, as I’m trying to build a better (and more fulfilling) life for myself and my family, but sometimes we tend to have tunnel vision when it comes to accomplishing goals. Well, out of nowhere I suddenly got a pretty bad head cold and it’s basically taken me out of commission for the past couple of days. As frustrated as I was when I first realized I was getting sick, I’m actually better off that I did.
Being sick forced my body to rest. I’ve been going non-stop for months now and it had really started to wear on me. I wasn’t sleeping all that well, and I felt a constant pressure to make sure I was spending an equal amount of time between work, school, the business, and my family. Yesterday, I literally laid in bed and napped throughout the day. Sure, I felt bad because of the cold, but I wasn’t stressing about anything. The illness gave me something to concentrate on that was singular in focus. A big part of my stress is that I have so many things going on at once and it gets to be overwhelming at times. Being able to throw all that out the window and focus my mind on only one thing was a great relief.
This morning I’m still feeling under the weather, but definitely better than yesterday. I feel somewhat refreshed and excited to get going again (as much as possible), and taking a “day off” is the biggest reason for that. I know that right now is the most challenging time in building my business because I can’t spend all my time on it, and I have to endure the stresses of my day job instead. However, I’m a firm believer that if you have a solid plan, good mission, and the will to see the execution through, then you will be successful. The will is the hardest part for most people, because it’s easy to give up when times get hard. This is especially true if you’re still working your day job anyway. There’s less risk in stopping if you’re still getting your paycheck every other week.
Sometimes as motivated people we are a little too motivated for our own good. There is a lot of benefit in taking some time off, both for your health and for the quality of your work. We tend to keep pushing even when we’re tired, and while that can be an admirable trait, it can also be a hindrance to your life and your business. So, if you’ve been feeling the pressures of all the things you’re juggling in your life, decided to take at least one day off, and really take it off. You’ll find yourself refreshed and excited to get back on the horse. Don’t be like me and wait until mother nature does it for you.
