I think a lot of us don’t think we do.
I think a lot of us feel there is prestige in saying we don’t think we do.
I think a lot of us are burning the fuck out.
I took a few days to just putter about this past week.
Not do too much of anything.
A little work, as needed, but largely just focused on me.
Now, I’m not sure if you know this but there are harder jobs than the one I currently have, which is… umm… Bon Vivant? Social Media Buffoon? Commenteur (a fancy way of saying ‘mildly entertaining peanut gallery guy’)?
Yes, what I do for work is pretty cushy compared to many other jobs.
It takes me to cool places, I meet cool people, I generally have fun.
So, to have the audacity to say “I think I need a break” requires, it would seem, a brass neck.
But… I do, sometimes.
And if I do, then you sure as fuck probably do too.
(I’ve been told by one or two people to swear less but I’m getting too old to waste time and energy filtering my missives and diluting their emotion. Fuck it.)
Again, my point is…
If societal froth like me need to take a break every now and then, you probably do too.
It’s too easy to feel guilty about hitting the brakes or taking a time out.
Though feel guilty to whom exactly, I am unsure.
Gosh, I hope I used ‘whom’ correctly there.
I see this refusal to take time for yourself from caregivers mainly.
For example, my Mom taking care of my Dad when he was alive (to be fair, she’s really slacked off since he died).
I also read about a social media friend who is caring for their spouse with dementia and was evidently burning out but felt they were the problem.
They are, of course, not.
But it’s more than just caregiver heroes.
It’s everybody.
Kids, adults, students, employees, business owners, parents, etc., etc..
If you feel you need take a break or you are going to snap…
you should have taken a break ages ago.
So take a goddamn break.
We’ll all thank you.
It’ll feel weird at first.
Selfish.
Preposterous even.
But then, it’ll feel great.
It’ll feel like something you should have done ages ago.
It’ll feel like you’ve just invested in yourself.
It’ll feel like you’ve recharged… even a little.
As an added bonus, by taking a break, even though you will perhaps need to lean on others, you will be making life easier for those others you lean on in the long run.
A squeaky wheel is easier to remedy than one that rusts off.
Take some time for yourself.
You deserve it.
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I shall say it once again....COMMON SENSE JOURNALISM ♥♥♥
I retired from a pretty stressful job( learning resource in the public school system ) 15 years ago. So it might seem I am permanently on break but you are right on the nose with this. Sometimes I need a break from the obligations of the day even something as simple as cancelling a lunch date with friends because you just don’t feel up to it. So enjoy your break. Some inherent force will tell you when it is time to return to the routine.