Declined a job offer. I know my stingy-cum-hard-working self will regret this later (when bills start to pile up). But, I honestly need a break. We all do.
If there’s one thing that this quarantine has taught me: it is to be more mindful of what’s going on with my body, mind, and spirit. To be more aware of the battles that I have been long trying to win. To be more mindful of the thoughts that are in my heads. And to take some time to pause and rest – without feeling guilty about it.
Because of this inability to travel and set forth on adventures, I channeled my energies trying to do something productive on weekends. I’ve accepted several side hustles to keep me busy – and for quite some time, it worked. Until it didn’t.
While everyone is capitalizing on being productive in this time of pandemic – to venture into a new hobby, look for new job opportunities, stay on top of the demands at work – I realized that it is also equally important to take a break. To just do nothing because resting is also a form of productivity.
Yes, there are lots of tasks to be accomplished, but we also need to give ourselves ample time to take a break – from email notifications, meeting reminders, to-do lists, and backlogs. On weekends (or on designated rest days), we are allowed to sleep a little longer, binge-watch those series on Netflix, do things that absolutely make us happy – or do nothing at all.
Allowing ourselves to relax from time to time does not equate to unproductivity. Or being lazy. In fact, it does the other way around. More than anything else, it means that we are conscious and aware of what our exhausted selves need. Remember: sanity comes first.
So, let’s give ourselves a break. Turn off the computer. Mute all those unnecessary messages. And let’s do the things that will make us more productive on the days to come: rest.
Dakilanglaagan 