Where I live, winter is very dark, slow, and quiet.

I love it.

I am doing much less during the days, moving slower, even walking around my house slower. I am canceling commitments and not making new ones.

And, in this slowed-down state, I can feel the stress of the last 20 years of my life dissolving from my system. It feels amazing, and it is very obvious to me for that this level of deep healing to occur, I need my world to be quiet. I need to feel relaxed.

I need to take a break from being so utterly, darn responsible for everything all the time. It is not sustainable for our systems to try to be responsible for everything all the time.

It is too much.

Yes, I have kids—but they are older now, and I can see that I don’t need to be so tense about our schedules and the house cleaning and every single little (or big) bill that needs to be paid.

Sometimes, you just need to skip a piano recital and have a nap or not get the house cleaning completed on a Sunday—because, we all need a break.

The only way our bodies can properly heal from the constant stress of daily life is through rest and relaxation.

Each day something happens that throws us off. We are almost in a car accident, or we learn of someone’s death or illness. Perhaps, we get criticized or are the one being critical to another.

Every day we come up against shocks, disappointments, regrets, and all-around-human challenges.

This isn’t a sign of failure. This is a sign of leading a normal human life. But, we can’t sustain holding on to all of life’s stresses all the time.

We need to take a break sometimes.

What I am really trying to say is that we must take a break sometimes.

Because the only way we can clear, release, let go, and eventually heal from the stresses, pain, and trauma we’ve experienced is through our system relaxing.

One of the things about being constantly connected over our devices is that wherever we are we can do everything. We can be working when we are recreating, and we can be parenting when we are adult socializing.

But, just because this is possible—is it good for us?

Taking responsibility for our lives and the people who depend on us is very important and is one of the ways we make good in the world. But, at a certain point, we start to break, crack, and fall apart from the weight of the responsibilities we are carrying. If we can see this trend in ourselves, we can start to realize we need to take a break from our responsibilities on a regular basis, so that we can come into rest and relaxation before we completely break down.

Not everything needs to be completed, decided, organized, or even known today.

What responsibilities can you put down for the next little while? Do this, so that you can have a break, and let your system relax and release. Then, you can return to your responsibilities even fresher and more ready to tackle the important aspects of your life, as a result of the clear, refreshed alignment that de-stressing has offered you!

~

Relephant:

25 Ways to Resist Fatigue & Recharge Ourselves.

To Get More Done Take a Break.

~

Author: Ruth Lera
Image: Unsplash/Asique Alam
Editor: Yoli Ramazzina
Copy Editor: Travis May