It’s Thanksgiving week and I’m not here to tell you about the latest black Friday sale or the projects I’m working on.
I’m here to tell you that you deserve a break. If you were looking for a sign, here it is.
You might want to brush off this message and say you don’t have time, but hear me out.
It’s okay to NOT think about all the holiday gifts you have to buy. It’s okay NOT to show up for the obligations. It’s okay NOT to do everything and be everything for everyone. It’s okay.
I was forced to take a break when my life got flipped upside down and I moved in with my sister. My brain isn’t operating at the same pace it normally does. At first I tried to fight it and resist it, and now I’m leaning into acceptance.
I’m not sure what this year has been like for you, but I know it wasn’t a walk in the park. You feel the burden of all of the tasks and projects and deadlines hitting harder than usual. You feel the stress that comes with every email and message you get that takes up space in your head. I’m right there with you.
This is why I really want you to prioritize. And if those priorities don’t literally come between you and putting food on the table, then cross them off of the to do list this week. And no, that email back to Karen doesn’t count.
You are far more important than the things on that list and you deserve to feel supported and like you have permission to just take a break. Show up for yourself. Take a breath and reevaluate the difference between what you actually need to do and what your pride wants you to do.
Do you need to get that project done that you’ve been talking about for months? The one with the floating deadline that makes you feel like a failure with each push. Push it off again and forgive yourself.
I tend to go and go until I have nothing left in me. When I’m coming from that place of fear and that feeling of, “If I stop moving at the speed of light I’m gonna fall asleep,” even more reason for a break.
Reflect on that list of yours. Don’t act when you read the list and feel the pings of urgency. Just breathe and review.
Take a look at how many of those things will matter 5 years from now. Will you remember any of them? Chances are the answer is no for the vast majority of those tasks.
You will remember that space you gave yourself during a stressful time. You will remember that feeling of rest that you allowed yourself to take from a place of grace and self-love and compassion.
If you find yourself downplaying your year and saying, “Others have had it worse,” that will always be true. But don’t let that statement make you feel like your struggles don’t matter and that you just have to power through.
You matter and so does what you’re going through. Find that extra five minutes and instead of frantically filling it with something, sit and let yourself breathe deep and think of something that makes you feel joy. That could be a loved one, a special memory, or just that cup of coffee you enjoy from your favorite place.
Give yourself permission to stop racking your brain and you might be surprised at what comes from it.
xo, Jess
If you find yourself downplaying your year and saying, “Others have had it worse than me,” that will always be true. But don’t let that statement make you feel like your struggles don’t matter and that you just have to power through.