Sometimes we need a break.
Sometimes there comes times we've pushed so hard for so long, we've become broken.
Sometimes life puts us through the ringer, we've ended up so disoriented & disheartened that we're bound to self-destruct if we don't exercise the compassion for ourselves and allow the time for clearing, healing, grounding, and finding the space in inaction from which our vision arises.
We've become so indoctrinated into a culture of movement & progress, it can sometimes seem difficult to give ourselves permission to take the time we need to "do nothing." Believing action is the key ingredient to a successful life - a dogma especially in the personal development world - it can be easy to feel guilty about temporarily checking out. Yet, some seasons require ours stillness. Sometimes the action we need to take looks like inaction. Sometimes, the next step forward is taking a break.
Sometimes we feel beat up by the way life's events unfold - and rather than marching on all macho-like, we need longer periods of rest for recovery. Sometimes our hearts get broken, and we need months of retreat to let the grief pass peacefully. Sometimes we're overwhelmed by confusion & frustration - and while movement will only stir it up further, slowing to a snail's pace may be what's required to find the clarity with which we can see how we need to better manage our energy. And sometimes, that clarity may only be found once we commit to and follow through on taking a break.
So often, we've persisted with strategies that don't work; yet convinced we need to keep active and engaged, fail to allow ourselves the required time to reassess what we're doing. Sometimes, we need to stop. Sometimes, we need to quit. Sometimes, we need to start over. Though regardless of which is called for, it's most probable we're only going to end up more broke if we don't take a break when it's time...
Sometimes we don't realize the baggage we've collected along our way - feeling its weight pull us down, though not wanting to fully face the burden we've created for ourselves by pushing forward on paths not taking us to where we truly want to go. The faster we've been moving and more weight we've accumulated & are dragging behind us, the greater it's momentum. Perhaps we've avoided stopping, not wanting to get squashed with the momentum of that weight behind us - (picture dragging a HEAVY cart at good speed then trying to stop immediately). Yet, the only way we can ever unhitch that load is by first taking a break. And the more time we take to slow down to avoid getting hit with the force of that emotion - the further down the wrong path we're going to end up.
Sometimes it's just easier to distract ourselves with busyness, rationalizing it as productivity. Sometimes it hurts like hell to confess how far off we've gotten from our intentions & desires - pain we can't avoid in stillness and silence. But sometimes, that reality check is what we need. Sometimes, the relief we are craving most can only come when we take that break to let go. And more often than not, we can only orient ourselves to true productivity and a fulfilling life once we've given ourselves the gift of the freedom to just be.
Sometimes, we need a break.
