The concept of how to pace yourself in this busy world can be difficult to achieve. How often have we felt or said these things?
“I need a vacation.”
*Crashing on the weekends*
*Feeling like you need a vacation from your vacation*
“I can’t keep up with this.”
We stay so busy it feels like we are running 100mph, only to come crashing down. Whenever I talk through this with someone or when I am processing it on my own, many roadblocks come up. We find various things getting in our way of allowing ourselves the rest that we need.
These deeply held expectations about work levels often go back to our values of what we believe about work, our value, and what is expected of us. A big piece that hits all of these things is our belief around what pace is acceptable and expected. I want you to take a moment and evaluate that as I say it. “Pace” here covers the rate of work and activity that you think is anticipated and needed.
Picking a Good Pace Instead of “Overwork or Nothing”
Work pace is often the balance that most people struggle with. There is an internalized belief that we must be working ourselves into the ground at all times. Deciding between overworking or resting does not have to be an either-or scale. However, sometimes we tend to feel that it must be one or the other. Going from working all the time to taking time to do nothing…only to hit the ground running again. What would it be like to find a livable balance where you didn’t have to do that?
This question can be posed for pace with our families and with ourselves as well. Let’s take a moment and look at what we are saying “yes” to. Remember, we don’t have to say “yes” to everything. It’s often that we believe that we have to work to feel “approved” and “valued”. This way of thinking increases our feeling of security, but in the end, it puts us in a negative spiral of constantly trying to fight uphill to reach those goals. Your value and security do not have to come from how much you work! It can come from you. Take time to find where your value lies, beyond your job.
Here are a few ways to get started!
- Set boundaries around when you will answer work calls or emails
- Take a few minutes between meetings to breathe and slow down
- Establish a coming home routine to help you transition from work to home life
Vacations are nice, even though you may need to crash for part of the weekend to recover. Let’s work to create lives we don’t have to run away from! If you need help figuring out how to pace yourself in this busy world, feel free to reach out to us to schedule an appointment at admin@naturalbalancecounseling.com!