I work my a** off.
There are no qualifiers to that - I do.
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| Image by Prawny on Pixabay |
And I've noticed something, especially this week: the more I need to take a break, the less I want to.
When I've been working too hard, my natural inclination is to keep going and work even harder.
And I don't think I'm alone in that.
But I've had to learn something during this little life of mine: it's too easy to get into a cycle of self-neglect.
'Just one more task,' 'I'm not hungry,' 'I don't need to drink something...'
...Handy when the task is running away from a sabre-tooth tiger or whatever the f**k our ancient ancestors were up to, not so handy when it comes to sustained effort over a longer period of time.
We need to honestly take stock of the situation and decide what we need.
Yes, I'ma bring out the old cliché: it's not a sprint, it's a marathon.
(Unless you actually are a professional sprinter - in which case, good for you! I wish I could do that. You still take breaks between runs though, so my point still stands. #TrueStory)
I don't think the whole (completely false) 'lazy millennials' stereotype helps.
I know very, very, few people of my generation who are lazy.
On the other hand, I can name many helpful, conscientious, hard-working, determined, under-paid, under-appreciated, people of around my age.
While the world considers us lazy and entitled, though, there's a natural urge to prove it the f**k wrong.
We need to ignore the a**holes. WE know we're not lazy.
We need to stop weakening ourselves just to prove to others that we're strong.
Taking care of ourselves needs to become second-nature (or first-nature, even,) because if we don't we'll find that it's just not possible to do the things we want and/or need to.
My gut reaction to not being able to work as quickly due to the concentration and thinking issues that stem from my Depression is to work longer and harder.
But actually?
If I take more breaks, watch some silly YouTube vids, get a cup of coffee, or even take an hour or two to watch a film, I get more done in a shorter amount of time when I go back to work.
Take it from me, if you don't take care of yourself, things are just gonna get harder and harder.
I know I've said it on this blog plenty of times before, but it still needs to be said: you come first. If you don't take care of yourself, then you can't take care of anything or anyone else.
Have a good day, dearest nerdlets, and take care of yourselves!
Do you feel we need to take care of ourselves more?
Do you think it's important to take breaks?
Do you think stereotypes contribute to our urge to prove ourselves?
Talk to me! 😊💬
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Last updated: 15th March 2019
I think we totally need to take more breaks. Life moves way too fast for us, and we’re constantly moving from one task, to the next. I definitely don’t take as many breaks as I should. Then again though, I do think this is because of the pressures society puts on us to get an education, get a job, work for money, not for enjoyment, etc.
ReplyDeleteTotally true. We need to chillax and try to work at a more self-sustaining level! (If that even made sense... I really need coffee this morning! Lol.)
DeleteTaking care of yourself definitely has to be a priority! It can be hard to balance everything, but running yourself ragged isn't the answer.
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
So true! <3
DeleteIt's SO important to take breaks, I couldn't agree with you more. Especially because if I'm not taking breaks mindfully, I often end up being too distracted to do the work I wanted to do and also not feeling like I've had a break. You know?
ReplyDeleteDepression has completely shot my concentration to pieces, so I know what you mean about being too distracted! And then, trying to remember all the things I'm trying to do and running through them in my head when I'm trying to actually take a break isn't helpful either! Sometimes I've found that if I write down, just before I take a break, what I want I want to do *after* the break, I haven't got so much running through my head!
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