Why Taking a Break Is Important

You may have noticed I’ve been absent on Twitter recently, or that my last two posts were further apart than my usual posting schedule. In short – I took a break; an unintentional one to be honest, but essentially, “life happened”. Social commitments piled up and I became sick with a stomach bug, followed by a mild case of hyponatremia (low sodium levels in the blood). Which is often seen in athletes but also common after a stomach bug – due to dehydration.

Thankfully I’m on the mend and a break, however unintentional, definitely helped with that.

So if you’re feeling burnt out, sick or simply lacking motivation, I’d like you to remember that it’s more than OK to take a break if you need it, and here’s why.

Why taking a break is important?

To relax and unwind

You might have a lot going on in your life at the moment (like the past couple of weeks I’ve had), and everyone needs some time off to relax once in a while. Whether that’s from blogging, work or something else. So do something nice for you – like a relaxing bubble bath, some colouring or even painting your nails.

There are often so many things pulling us in many directions and it’s more than OK to take some time away from that, if you need it. In fact without a break your more likely to experience stress and burn out, which leads me to my next point.

You get sick

Whether that’s a pyshical or mental illness, it doesn’t matter. What matters is you take time to heal yourself; that could be time out from blogging or calling in sick to work.

If you’re anything like me, you’ll experience guilt when calling in sick to work. I’ll feel lazy, unreliable and selfish, or that I’m letting my colleagues down. Of course none of that is true. They’d all rather I got myself well and didn’t infect the whole office! lol.

Putting pressure on yourself when you’re not well is not going to help you get better. The best thing you can do is to relax and nurture yourself.

You Feel Stressed

Similar to getting sick, if you find yourself feeling stressed it’s important to take a break from the thing causing it. Not only will it help prevent burn out, but it will give you a great opportunity to reflect and find out what’s really important to you.

To Disconnect from Social Media

I think it’s fair to say that in recent years being online has become the norm, and with so many social media platforms out there, there’s an expectation to connect with others. From responding to tweets, posting photos on Instagram and catching up on Facebook, it can be very overwhelming. Which is why disconnecting can be so invaluable.

Last year I stopped using Facebook for a few months and instantly felt less pressure. I didn’t feel the need to post about my trips, I wasn’t bombarded with images of others seemingly perfect lives, and most importantly, I had time to heal.

You’ve lost interest

As bloggers we all suffer from writers block but if you find yourself really losing interest in your blog. Take a break. If and when you return you’ll (hopefully) feel more refreshed, maybe with some new ideas or inspiration and ready to start writing again.

Blogging aside if your other hobbies aren’t fulfilling you anymore, try taking a break from them or switching up your routine. You’ll soon learn what you love because you miss doing and should learn to enjoy it again.

To spend time with people you love

If you often find yourself cancelling on friends or family often to catch up on work commitments, it sounds like you need some time off to reconnect with them.

Send a text, call them, or organise a day or evening out doing something you and your loved one both enjoy. For me and my friend Kelly that usually involves baking or binge watching chick flicks on Netflix. Having that time together should help you to relax, have fun and get away from the office for a while.

Whatever your reason, everyone deserves a break and it’s more than OK to take some time off, even from blogging. Of course the length of your break is entirely up to you (although you may want to check your work’s holiday policy!), and you certainly shouldn’t feel guilty or ashamed for taking care of yourself. That’s one of the hardest things I’ve had to learn myself.

What do you think? Have you ever taking a break from blogging? Or something else?