How do you shut down your workday? Are you someone who can log off and switch off, or do you allow a sense of guilt and the notion that you could or should be doing more to overcome you?
Pushing beyond the bounds of a ‘normal’ workday can lead to burnout – the return route from which can be long and challenging.
Rest – a time to restore and rejuvenate – by definition, rest is a necessary act of survival. It’s time to rewrite the narrative!
We’ve become hardwired to believe that being busy and doing more is a symbol of success, a badge of honour to be worn with pride! This belief dictates that if we fail to reach the lofty heights of ‘busy-ness’, we’re doing it wrong, and for this, we prescribe ourselves a generous dose of guilt. This guilt is irrational, and for the most part, is driven by the fear that we will be deemed a failure.
The alarming news is, if we exist in a phase of perpetual motion for too long, resting or shutting down can become difficult to enjoy, or worse, totally inaccessible. The physical effects of which can be catastrophic. Among them, compromised immunity, adrenal fatigue, and disrupted sleep.
In truth, if we are to be of service to others, we must strive for a sustainable balance and take* the time to care for ourselves. When we create time for the things that bring us joy and fulfilment, we immediately slip into a state of happiness. Happiness releases the feel-good hormones and triggers our body’s natural restorative response.
Give yourself permission to log off completely and allow your body to take pause, recalibrate and rest. Ignore that last-minute email or phone call or the urge to glance over that doc one last time – everything can wait until tomorrow.
Whatever it is that fills your cup, take the time to make it happen. You don’t think twice about nourishing your body with food, nor should you think twice about nourishing yourself with time.
Here are five simple changes that you can make tomorrow:
- Make a plan for the day and stick to it as much as possible – deal with urgent things that arise but don’t be distracted by tasks that are not mission-critical.
- Plan to end your workday with a job that you can complete end to end – this will encourage a sense of accomplishment, making it easier for you to log off guilt-free.
- Determine a reasonable time to end your workday, then mute all phone notifications until the morning.
- Get physical – walk, run, swim, bike ride, or yoga – clock off and change gear (literally). Getting your body moving in a new environment will stimulate all those feel-good hormones and ignite the rejuvenation process.
- Get to bed at a reasonable hour, and if you’re inclined, meditate or escape into a good book for 30 mins. Both are great ways to unwind and relax.
Together, let’s rewrite the narrative and stack the deck in favour of wellbeing, not a state of fabricated and damaging ‘busy-ness’.
Spread the word – this is the new normal.
*Note: Using the term ‘take’ the time is purposeful. Taking time implies, and rightly so, that we are allowed it. To ‘make’ time suggests that we need to do something to access this time – it’s all about the narrative!