Everything Is Okay, Even When You Take A Breather

The world will still keep turning.

Take the next 24 hours and just relax with the knowing that everything is okay. Let go of the stress and worry for one day and see what happens.-Mike Basevic

Today I don’t feel like doing anything.

I’ve done everything I have to do, but I don’t’ feel like doing any more than required today.

Because, lately, I’ve been doing quite a lot.

I’m writing every day, publishing at least one story a day on Medium, editing a book, and getting another ready to publish. I’ve also been reading a self-help book as a response from another writer’s challenge (thank you, Michelle Thill), so I haven’t exactly been idle.

For me, though, all of these things are fun. None are a chore.

I love to read, write and engage with my Medium community, so even when I push myself to do as much as I can in a day, It’s always a labor of love that leaves me excited and fulfilled.

But today, I just needed a break. I published an article, did some tapping to keep on track, exercised a little, and read a bit of my book, but other than a bit of reading, I just couldn’t get motivated to do much more.

And I think that’s okay.

On the weekend, I took two days off from publishing on Medium, and guess what? The world kept turning.

When I committed to doing this writing thing back in December, I decided that I’d take everyone’s advice and publish frequently.

I had lots of ideas, and since I’m usually giving everyone I know unsolicited advice anyway, it just made sense for me to channel my multitude of opinions and years of experience to my writing.

And for months, that’s what I’ve done.

I’ve written and written and written and written.

It’s been a fantastic journey, and I’ve loved every second, but today I feel a little low on energy. Also, I just wanted to eat chicken fingers and watch Lord Of the Rings with my teenage daughter this afternoon instead of sitting at the computer.

I spent years sleeping my life away. First, because of chronic depression that started in my teenage years, and then because I had a heart problem I didn’t even know about.

Years of therapy plus open hear surgery restored my mental and physical health. Along with quitting drinking and a lifestyle change that resulted in a 40 lb weight loss, I’ve been on quite a roll. The last six months especially.

I’ve been so relaxed and happy that my fears have had to find a new place to live.

So they’ve managed to creep into the only crack they could find.

A new beast has slowly awakened. It’s the part of my mind that says you can never stop. That if you let up for even a day, it will all disappear.

I still have that little voice that says if you take care of yourself, you will fail; it’s either full steam or back-slide. It feels like there is no middle ground.

So my job now is to try to find balance.

To release my fear and my expectations.

To approach this path as the grand experiment it is, and give in to the journey. I need to address it like it both doesn’t matter, and like it matters very much.

Because every time I get caught up in stressing out about an outcome, I jam my gears.

But in reality, the gears are imaginary, and the jamming is imaginary because everything that’s happening is happening in my head.

No matter how I feel, the world is still turning. My life is still going on. My posts are read or not read; my books are getting done little by little, and life goes on.

Life is for living. No matter who you think you work to serve, your priority is to protect, nourish, and nurture your soul first. You must take care of yourself before you take care of others.

Take a moment to think about how you can do that today.

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is relax. — Mark Black

Thanks so much for reading!

If you’d like to read more articles that uplift and enlighten, join us here on ILLUMINATION. Here are some more excellent writers to check out: George J. Ziogas, Tree Langdon, Jessica Cote, Kevin Buddaeus, Chris Hedges, Roxanna Azimy, Bill Abbate, Dr. Jeff Livingston, Dr. Kylie Harris, Aurora Eliam, CMP. Why not write for us? Bring your talent, courage, and insight, share your story, and let’s do something great!

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