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Sometimes you don’t know when you need a break. You go and go and go until it’s just a habit to be busy and not rest. Until you are too busy to notice you are breaking. 

I’ve become much better at recognizing my boundaries, resting, and saying no over the past few years. But sometimes I don’t know I need a break until I take one. And then, suddenly, after a few days of rest, I sink in, and begin to notice. Really notice how badly I needed to rest. 

I just got back from a two week ‘break’ and it wasn’t until a couple of days in that I noticed how tired, and simultaneously rested I felt. Things felt heavy, but calm. 

I’ve come back feeling rested, refreshed and ready to dive in to a new season. And this break got me thinking. I believe the reason why it’s so hard for some of us to take breaks is that we think it needs to fit into the ‘holiday’ box. If it’s not two weeks at the lake or a weekend in Vegas then we tend to devalue times that could serve as very restful. 

But first, let’s backtrack. 

How do you figure out if you need a break?

Do you wait for your body to tell you? A cold or virus… or an injury? Or maybe more anxiety than usual? 

Personally I tend to start losing sleep and getting digestive problems (read excruciating stomach pains) when I’m not getting the breaks I need. But sometimes the signs are more subtle.

I know (after many years of learning to listen in) that I’ll usually get much softer, quieter hints that a break is due, and that it’s wise to heed that message. 

I know I need a break from running, not when I get injured, but when my knee starts to feel niggly. Or when I feel unmotivated to run. (Seriously, this rarely happens so when it does I know there’s something wrong.)

Sometimes all I need is an extra few days rest, and other times I need to swap out my running for cycling for a whole week or more.

I know I need a break from my kids when I feel overwhelmed by every tiny request. When I want to hide in the wardrobe after someone asks for a second glass of milk, I know it’s time to schedule proper ‘time-out’ for mummy. 

As an introverted parent I feel like I need these breaks frequently. Regular breaks from them make me a better parent so I try really hard not to feel guilty about this. 

Is there something your body or mind is trying to tell you? Can you practice listening in to that quiet voice before things get louder and desperate?

What type of break can you take?

If you take one thing away from this post let it be this…

You don’t have to go on #vacation to take a break!!! 

As I hinted above, we need to change our concept of what a break can be. When we start to think outside of the box we have more freedom to explore different types of breaks. 

This is especially important for those of us with young families. We all know that it’s more difficult to get a family of four (or more) out the door for a week long trip, or even to get ourselves a weekend pass! But if we wait till it’s easy then it might be too late.

Be open to considering different types of breaks.

I have a friend (who has 3 loud teenage boys) who regularly takes herself out for coffee. It’s her break. It’s not a trip to Fiji, or even to a day spa, but it’s what keeps her going.

Figure out what a small break could look like for you – in this season of your life. Maybe it’s an hour in the garden after work? Maybe it’s getting a babysitter for the afternoon so you can play back-to-back games of tennis with your BFF? 

Or maybe like me, it’s bingeing your new favorite podcast while washing the windows.

Also consider what you need a break from. Away from home vacations often give us a break from loads of different things, work, family, and everyday life. But you might just need a break from something specific.

Like social media. Or a heavy relationship. Or a break from cooking! 

We all need breaks from all sorts of different areas of our lives. The trick is figuring out what you need a break from and how to get it.

How to come back from a break….

You know that feeling when you get back from a really good holiday? And you just can’t get started again. Everyday feels like a Monday for at least a week and you just want back! 

It’s totally normal. 

But there are some ways we can make it a bit easier to come back from a break. Ways to set ourselves up for getting back on track a little faster and a lot happier.

1. Don’t try and ‘catch up’ 

Putting pressure on yourself to ‘catch-up’ on everything is the worst way to come back from a break. Unfortunately, in many work places, our work just goes on hold when we are away, and we are expected to play catch up when we return. See what you can do to delegate or outsource before your go on your break. 

I love my regular(ish) breaks from social media but I have to be very conscious not to try and catch up when I come back. I just don’t need to. Truthfully, if anything happened that I really needed to know, i’d find out another way. 

2. Ease in, slowly.

Again, this takes forethought and preparation. See if you can add an extra day onto your break to ease back in rather than having to hit everything at 100 miles an hour.

This counts for small breaks too. I always try and spend a few moments sitting in the car after a long run doing some deep breathing. It helps the transition between that break and walking back into my ‘mum’ role. 

3. Plan your next break

Once you get more in-tune with when you need a break and what type of break, you can get into a rhythm. Schedule breaks in advance before you get desperate. This is why I practice a quarterly(ish) break from social media. It’s why I practice a 3-week cycle with my exercise, two hard weeks and one rest week. 

And of course, knowing in advance that we have a break coming, helps fuel us for productivity (or whatever it is we need a break from) in the meantime.

If you are looking for more tools to help you slow down and find more rest then you might be interested in signing up for my new course, The Slow Living Tool Box.

This course is an 8-week journey designed to give you the tools to start working towards a slower, more intentional pace of life.

You can find out more about the journey and enroll HERE.