Taking Time for a Break
This week I have shortened my workday to give myself time to do more things that I enjoy. I started working full-time at Outschool last year, and we've been grown so much over the past year. You may have heard about Outschool being a unicorn start-up. We’re still relatively small, which means we all chip in to help one another get things done. I'm happy that our team has grown, and with the growth, I am taking advantage of the privileges I have with time off.
I haven't always felt comfortable taking breaks. Y'all, I don't mean only taking breaks from employment, but I mean taking breaks from the regular tasks of life. My daughters, I have been home with me for most of their lives. When they were still in the single digits, my husband asked if I ever wanted to send them to a day camp or someplace like that because I don't get a break. My response was, "we're fine. They're fine. I don't need a break." At the time, I believed that was true, and maybe it indeed was, but now, I take breaks in all areas of my life when needed.
I got to this place of embracing downtime after my full-time teaching experience. I realized that people would take all that I gave them and more if I wasn't careful about setting boundaries. Taking time to myself, I learned, is a form of boundary setting. It's my way of saying that I have reached my capacity of giving out, and I need time to replenish.
I decided to shorten my days this week in particular because I am hosting an event, and with that, it can be easy to put pressure on myself if I don't limit my time on the project. Knowing my limits has been allowed me to do my best in the time that I have.
Do you find taking breaks and placing limitations on your time as a tool to help you set healthier boundaries for yourself?
Three Reasons Taking Time Off is Necessary for Working Moms
Your kids need to see you intentionally taking breaks versus being forced to take a break. We live in a culture that tells us to push ourselves until we can’t go anymore. I don’t want to be that kind of example for my children, but instead, I want them to see that it is normal to take a break even when everything is going well.
It would help if you experienced giving your body time to rest and absorb all you’ve taken in that is good and let go of all that isn’t healthy. I take in a lot of information, and I can’t hold onto all of it. When I give myself space, I can take time to reflect on new knowledge I’ve acquired without needing to balance work along with it.
It just feels good to be able to put down your work without feeling guilty. Need I say more?
Even when I think about my family, I have noticed that when I take a break from cooking, it opens up room for my husband to step in and take over. It frees me from feeling overwhelmed by the list of responsibilities that I have. When I take a break from mothering, yes, I take breaks. I tell my daughters I am off today. They get it. They give me space to breathe for a period, and then we are back to our ordinary ways the next day.
I don't feel guilty about any of these breaks because I know that I am working, mothering, cooking, etc. I am putting my all in. The amount of time that I step away doesn't come close to measuring up to the time I have already put in. Because I know this, I can settle in and rest to recharge and be ready for whatever may come my way.