A vulnerable share, in the hopes that it might be helpful to someone out there: I recently realised that I’m burnt out. I do not use that term lightly.
I’m realising more and more that self care is something that we must make time for. I can hear you rolling your eyes at this cliche! I used to roll my eyes at it too: Where the hell am I supposed to find more time?!
Then I heard a hard truth that shocked me: If you sleep for 8 and work for 8, there are 8 MORE hours left in your 24-hour day. I was like, where the hell are those 8 hours?!
Obviously, some of that time gets spent on meal prep, eating, toilet breaks… Things we can’t go without. But then there are things that just suck up time and give us nothing of value in return.
It honestly felt like I was just wasting my 8 hours. Nothing I did inspired growth, calm or joy… I realised if I proceeded down the same road for the second half of the year that I had tread for the first (which lead to burnout) I would end up in serious trouble. So, I made a change, starting with treating those hours as a gift:
I sacrificed 1 hour of my work day to do something that I love. I read, knit, garden, walk, cook. I can literally do anything that brings me joy, as long as it’s off-screen and GUILT-FREE. My husband aptly calls it “happy hour”.
It’s been so restorative, and really influences the other 23 hours of my day! It's scary cutting into work-time, but I’m way more productive in the hours that are left. And the 8-hour-work-day-concept is super toxic anyway!
We also meditate every weekday morning with an online group, hosted by Mandy from Human Waking. Once again, I feel the effects all day! It just makes me feel so GOOD. Sharing this space with other people holds us accountable and creates a unique, shared energy. After meditation, we have a cuppa and a nice chat, and go for an invigorating walk.
So, that’s the first 2 hours of my day, and the last hour of my working day. 3 hours that are spent with absolute purpose. I am doing exactly what I want, and it feeds my soul…
If you’ve made it this far (thank you!) — how do you currently spend your extra eight hours? How would you like to spend them? Let me know below!
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