5 Signs You Need to Take a Break… Like ASAP

2020 has been a trying time for all of us. The pandemic. Lockdown. Quarantine. Second Lockdown. Isolation. The list goes on…

Whether you’ve been working from home or not, or you’ve been volunteering or even studying, you know how overwhelming this year has been on your mental health, as well as your overall wellbeing. It has been a challenge yes, but we are still here! Still ready to take on the last few weeks of this year with all we’ve got. (To be honest I’m ready to call it a day on 2020 altogether!)

If you’re in the UK like myself, you’re probably still readjusting to the second lockdown that has been put in place, from the 5th November. (I’m definitely still readjusting!) And if you’re not in another lockdown you might relate to this post all the same.

You may be thinking, right now is a time to be accelerating your pace at work, or your studies. Like you need to be doing more for yourself and for others too. Putting a lot more on your plate because you can fit more on, not because you should or even want to. Although, the motivation to keep pushing is inspiring, we shouldn’t forget we do benefit from having a moment to ourselves. To help us regain our energy and relight that spark that keep us going.

Taking a break may not be the first thing on your mind in this current climate. Considering many of us have been at home for the majority of 2020! But that doesn’t mean our minds are not mentally exhausted. And our emotions may feel fatigued. Inherently, we are made to feel worried and tired in a pandemic, but that shouldn’t be all we feel.

Some of you reading this, might not notice you haven’t given yourself some time off lately. So, I’ve written up 5 points that might be familiar and help you come to realise, you need to take a break sooner rather than later!

1) Losing interest. The more time we spend overworking ourselves, the less time we have to doing our favourite things. Yes, in a pandemic it is difficult to do a lot of what we love, but we shouldn’t lose all hope! Our minds need intervals to rest throughout the day, to allow us to come back to our tasks with a clearer vision. So, if you find that you’ve worked or studied for a long period of time without taking any breaks, try and schedule at least a couple in!

2) Feeling overly exhausted. When we constantly work hard without a timeout, it eventually wears us out. It may sound like common sense, but as hardworking as we are, we might not even realise our energy levels slowly depleting. As time goes on, the lack of energy will catch up to you and start affecting not only your body, but your mind and emotional stability too.

3) Change in sleeping patterns. Have you ever noticed anything random or uncommon in the way you sleep? Either sleeping too much or too little? Well it’s your body’s way of telling you, something needs to change, asap. As mentioned in point 2, the lack of time you dedicate to recharge, will catch up to you somehow. Yes, your sleep is important, but it should not be the only time you have to rest! Acknowledge any signals your body is telling you, and act on them accordingly.

4) Lack of motivation. Your productivity will actually suffer! For example; you may feel like your creativity is stagnant, or you’re getting tired of a job you once used to love. When we become demotivated, it’s difficult to snap out of it. When we feel uninspired, having low energy levels will only worsen the feeling, and negatively impact our lives. For the sake of what you love to do, don’t forget you need you time.

5) Negative thoughts. I’ve noticed that, I’m more likely to overthink if I’m doing too much work at once. Overthinking can then sometimes lead to negative thoughts, asking myself questions that don’t need to be asked! It can be a struggle sometimes to overcome these thoughts, but we are all capable of achieving this. We are greater than our doubts! If you feel like a negative thought has taken over, try and dedicate some time to doing something you enjoy. Free your mind and remember how great of a person you are! Period.

If any of these points did apply to you, then do take some time off for yourself. It can be anything from a power nap, to a session of listening to your favourite music. Do what makes you happy in that time. Your mind, body and spirit will thank you later.

-Seraphina