So you’ve finally made a move to take a break or take some time off. Go you! The next question becomes, what do you actually do with that time for your peace of mind?
Well, to me, the question is really… What do you want to do?
Too often, we spend our days absorbed by the daunting MUST do list. The must do’s usually absorb most of our time and all of our energy. In turn, we neglect the list of things we WANT to do. If you are nodding your head, then you should definitely keep reading.
Look ahead at your day and genuinely ask yourself, do I really need to be doing all that? What would happen if I removed this? Consider what a day filled with a little of the MUST do list and a bit of the WANT to do would feel like. Most likely, you would feel more inspired and motivated. (My guess is you may even accomplish more from your MUST do list because you are moving around your day motivated rather than dreading and procrastinating all the MUST DO items.)
When we free our brain space from the daunting list of musts, and we allow ourselves a little room for what we want, we open ourselves up to a world of self-compassion. What if you simply did whatever and whenever you wanted for a whole day? Unapologetically?
Sometimes you might want to read a book, take a bath, go for a walk, cook, do yoga, or some other recommended activity bucketed under “self-care.” But what if you expanded your thinking to think broader and allow your WANT list to include things that aren’t always prescribed in books within the self-help section of Barnes & Nobles.
So, yes, I’m giving you full permission NOT to do those self-help things and ask yourself what you actually WANT to do.
The answer is there, and if you quiet your mind and connect back to yourself and your heart, it might just pop up. Give yourself space and the time to tune in. While the self-care route is AWESOME, the real key to taking time off is making sure that your time is spent doing what you really want to do rather than what you think you should be doing because you read it in a book, article, or otherwise.
What if all you want to do is clean or organize? Maybe it’s even on your MUST do list, but it keeps dropping down in priority. Yet having a clean and organized space will likely radically increase your energy! Instead of walking into clutter or mess, you walk in and feel a new energy flow that brings you peace of mind.
Self-care isn’t always a good book and a bubble bath. Sometimes it’s changing the energy of a space, calling up a long lost friend or family member, disconnecting from the news or social media, taking time away from toxic relationships, or maybe it’s just being here.
After all, sometimes self-care looks like being perfectly okay with where you are.
What if you gave yourself permission to connect with your heart and what you want to do? What if you allowed a few things on the MUST do to slip? Would anyone really suffer if you didn’t cross off everything by 5pm on Friday? Are you Suffering by forcing all those MUSTS to happen?
So, what should you do with your time off to find peace of mind? Turn off your mind, and tune into your heart. (And listen up close, it’s speaking to you already.)
Want to start working with a coach during your time off? Book your free discovery call here, or learn more about our intuitive scheduling method in this video.