Recently I took a mental & emotional health day. I had been feeling a need for space. To step away from the doing and just see what clarity I would receive about my work if I gave myself the space to reflect on it versus bury my head in it.
The plan was simple…don’t do anything that was work related. Yet that morning as I packed my bag for the day, I found myself including my business essentials: laptop, notebook, chargers. With a whole day of non-doing ahead, I felt anxious. If I gave myself this day to step away, how do I make it amazing? What should I do to have this breakthrough, aha moment that I was looking for?
I packed everything needed for a potential extraordinary day: swimsuit, hiking boots, yoga mat, leisure reads, favorite podcasts and left. Yet with epic plans in mind, I found myself at my regular coffee shop…answering emails. As I sipped my latte, I wondered how I got to this place. Where if I wasn’t constantly in motion for my business that I felt unsuccessful or that I was wasting time?
Oat milk latte complete, I went to my favorite garden shop, slowly browsed for some Fall colors and drove home with some Trevor Hall loudly playing. The rest of my day was spent getting dirty in the garden and resting on the hammock. Each time I had a ping to do some “work,” I took a deep breath to remember what was right in front of me.
I plan on taking this time away from work regularly throughout the month as a reminder that there are so many beautiful things that make up my life and happiness. I may not have all the answers that I am looking for right now, but I know that less doing and more being is a big part of it.