4 Encouraging Strategies I Used After a Break

To get out of a rut and back on track

I’m a big believer in taking breaks.

Whether it’s a rest day from working out or a vacation from work, implementing breaks helps you come back stronger. The problem is when your break extends indefinitely, hurting any previous gains you’ve made.

And something these breaks can hit you unpredictably. For instance, I got covid last month. After feeling overconfident that the symptoms affected my partner more than me, I eventually succumbed to body aches, fatigue, and fever. I felt incapable of doing everything, including eating, since I lost my appetite and everything tasted as bland as water.

It’s a helpless feeling. You feel any progress slipping away or dread returning to life’s pile of papers at your desk. My household chores kept stacking up higher and higher. The first time I went into the gym, I noticed how difficult each lift felt.

If you want a sustainable routine, it’s better to wrap your actions in positivity. Here are four strategies I use to get back on track after taking a necessary break.

1. Mindset: Positive > Punishment

The most important thing for your mindset is to prioritize positivity over punishment.

For example, I went a month without practicing consistency during the holidays with my workouts and nutrition. Traveling always presents a break from my routine. I don’t have regular gym access. Additionally, I try to cram hangouts, dinners, and happy hours with all my friends and family until I can’t zip up my pants.

After a brief pause, I knew better than to punish myself with seven intense weekly workouts. I don’t need an unsustainable, leafy salad with an extreme calorie deficit that makes me miserable.

Instead, I told myself, “How can I feel better today?”

According to Healthline, the combination of endorphins and endocannabinoids provide that euphoric feeling you get after a hard workout. The data all points to exercise as a fantastic solution to feeling better. The hard part is implementing that when you’re short on time or energy.

This predicament came to fruition after I took a road trip to Vancouver. I indulged in a gluttonous food crawl with my favorite dim sum, boba, happy hour drinks, and Belgian waffles. After a 4-hour drive back, I questioned if I should go to the gym. Finally, I decided to show up. After ten minutes, I felt adjusted, and after the workout ended, I officially reset. My mindset came full circle in positivity as I felt ecstatic that I took the time to regain my groove.

How I practiced positivity after a long exercise hiatus:

I applied the same approach, “How can I make myself feel better?” to my next predicament. Focusing on what you can add to your life rather than subtract is crucial to making sustainable changes.

When I asked myself where I could improve my fitness, I immediately looked at my remote work schedule. I’m sitting at a desk for 8 hours and could quickly put aside an hour or two to get more passive exercise. I needed to add something fun and easy to my routine.

As a result, I indulged in a walking pad. Purchasing the walking pad helped elevate my fitness routine. The ultimate cheat code occurred — accessibility. I start my day with a one-hour walk and answering emails. If I opt for an afternoon walk, hopping on my walking pad helps me avoid the cold and rain.

Overall, I get that endorphin-induced euphoria that’s better than any strong cup of coffee.

2. Balance: Dig Yourself Out Of Burnout

We’re all familiar with burnout at a traditional job. But recently, it seeped into my personal life as I experienced burnout from wedding planning. The parallels with work burnout rang clear.

Based on a typical engagement 10 to 18-month engagement, wedding planner Amy Nichols says that couples without a planner will spend between 200 to 300 hours planning their wedding. That’s the equivalent of eight to twelve whole days. I didn’t want to pay thousands of dollars for a wedding planner and welcomed the change of learning something new. But this set the stage for the burnout phase.

The Harvard Business Review highlights the pioneering research of psychologist Christina Maslach and several collaborators, who focuses on how burnout is a three-component syndrome that arises in response to chronic stressors on the job. The three symptoms include exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficacy.

The exhaustion involves physical and emotional fatigue. This can occur from a 24/7 work culture, intense deadlines, or an unreasonable workload with little time. Even with a year to plan my wedding, I felt like I possessed a small window of time. There are recommendations for everything online — like booking your photographer and venue 12 months in advance, buying your wedding dress eight months in advance, sending out save the dates six months in advance, etc.

Next, cynicism represents an erosion of engagement. Instead of feeling invested in your work and team, you feel overwhelmed with negativity. In addition to the work overload, I was constantly met with sky-high vendor prices. A conversation about a florist charging a minimum of $10,000 for florals still scars me to this day. Sending email after email to get a quote made any excitement fade, as I felt like escaping a maze and hitting dead ends.

Finally, inefficacy refers to feelings of incompetence and a lack of productivity. While I finally settled on more reasonably-priced vendors, I navigated through numerous websites and emails to receive transparent pricing. Instead, I went through months of feeling, “I’m not getting anything done.” What I expected to complete in a week took much longer. Even something as simple as gathering guests’ addresses took forever, delaying my invitations and other plans.

How I dug myself out of burnout:

Sometimes we need a break from our stressors. Here are the everyday stressors I found: time, money, and family expectations.

To save time, I’d establish weekly tasks to complete. Then, just like I have deadlines at work, I’d create due dates for tasks to keep me on track. Additionally, I delegated things like gathering family members’ emails and addresses to our parents.

On the financial side, I quickly realized I needed to adjust my budget. I didn’t have to go over budget. But my expected price for a photographer was lower than in reality. Therefore, I changed my photographer's budget and completely decimated my florals.

Finally, thinking big picture also helped me quickly dig myself out of burnout. Our parents invited their friends and extended family in a second wave of surprising invites. While I prefer to keep my wedding small, it’s worth extending the invite list if it’s important to them.

3. Creativity: Think Outside The Box

I usually credit writing for satisfying my creative outlet. But creativity doesn’t have to be reserved for an artistic hobby. Instead, it can provide a more practical purpose — thinking outside the box to get more with less.

Time is a massive currency in today’s market. Recently, I started listening to podcasts to save time. For example, I can listen to a podcast while driving or working out. While some podcasts provide me entertainment value, others offer gems of information that just aren’t available widely elsewhere. In addition to reading books, listening to podcasts inspired me with memorable quotes or pivotal studies to get me back on track for writing.

About one year ago, the perfect opportunity presented itself. I got engaged and wanted to maximize the upcoming thousands of dollars. With deposits due each quarter, I could time my credit cards to meet the minimum spend and receive a hefty sign-up bonus. The overwhelming amount of misinformation made me want to give up this dream. After all, where do I even start?

How I got out of a creative rut:

One of my favorite podcasts is the GeoBreeze Travel Podcast. Julia Menez is a points strategy coach who interviews travelers from all walks of life about how they approach the game of points and miles and travel for next to no cost.

This podcast and other research gave me ideas for starting my travel hacking journey. I learned to forget about the free credit cards and opt for annual fee credit cards with high sign-up bonuses — a benefit that could cover a $95 yearly fee for the next ten years.

Next, I started simply with Hyatt redemptions. It’s a much easier route for a beginner than searching airlines for a limited number of business-class flights. I also found a helpful email template to receive complimentary hotel upgrades for special occasions.

Award travel is a perfect example of doing something better. Instead of paying cash price, I’m able to redeem my sign-up bonuses and regular spending for travel perks beyond my imagination. I’m optimizing purchases I would buy anyways, not encouraging myself to spend more than I planned. These rewards and different strategies helped me reduce the skyrocketing costs of vacation and travel.

4. Preparation: Planning Is Your Best Friend

When I visit home for the holidays, I don’t cook. My parents spoil me with gourmet-ready-made food. Or I can indulge in the multitude of restaurants available.

But then a reality check occurs every time I land back home. Time to start adulting again. The problem is that brainstorming for dishes, researching recipes, grocery shopping, washing and cutting produce, cooking, and washing dishes feel like a daily marathon.

However, the consequence of not meal-prepping is worse than my “marathon.” Call me dramatic, but going through the week without a plan or prepared meals makes me grumpy. I’d stress about what to eat for the day. Usually, the default option would equal something quick and unhealthy, like instant ramen. Or, it would lead me to also spend more money on a convenient option rather than a healthy option.

Meal-prepping is a proven good habit. A 2017 study of more than 40,000 people found that those who planned their meals adhered to more nutritious meals and were less likely to be overweight or obese. There’s comfort in home-cooked meals. I’m not left to wonder why my stomach hurts because of something I bought. There are fewer surprises I have to deal with. My wallet and stomach are both happier.

How I started meal prepping consistently after the holidays:

Eventually, I realized that efficient meal prepping means doing the heavy lifting 1–2 days per week rather than for 21 meals per week.

I started by buying some premade salads. Is it the best or freshest? Unfortunately, no. But it gave me the kickstart when I was feeling extra lazy. I add creative juice to the arguably mundane meal prep routine by making one new meal a week.

Step by step, I can craft a sustainable meal-prepping routine. I’ll batch tasks like chopping all my veggies one day, or cooking dishes with similar ingredients. I’ll pair up a lamb shank with a Vietnamese beef stew that both share the same core ingredients — yet produce two completely different dishes.

The perfect combo includes a bulk dish I know I’ll enjoy, a new dish, a pre-made meal from Costco, and a cheap takeout option that I pick up while grocery shopping.

Final Thoughts

A quick recap:

1. Mindset: Positive > Punishment. Focusing on the positive brightens up your mood. Ask yourself, “What should I do to make myself feel better?”

2. Balance: Dig yourself out of burnout. Recognize your stressors. If you’re stressed about the minute details, take a step back and look at the bigger picture.

3. Creativity: Think outside the box. Creative people have a superpower. They can create art nobody can replicate. But they can also apply that logic to discover better alternatives.

4. Preparation: Planning is your best friend. If you’re procrastinating about planning, think about what going without a plan is costing you. More than likely, it’s money, time, and your health.