Busy bees need breaks too

Busy bees need breaks too

So, it’s official, my diary has something written in it until the second week of January 2019.

It’s funny really, because if you said my name to any one of my friends or family and asked them to say a few words next to it, I am sure ‘nap’ or ‘sleep’ would be one of the first they came up with.

I am most definitely a sleepy one. Always have been, and probably always will be. As a baby, I used to sleep from 5.30pm until 8am, and I could absolutely do the same now if it fit in with my schedule.

I am often surrounded by conversations starting with ‘I just could not fall asleep last night,’ or ‘My sleep was so disturbed—I kept waking up.’ I cannot sympathise. I lay down and bam, out for the count until my alarm rudely awakens me.

Not only am I lucky enough to sleep all the way through—falling asleep within seconds—but I can sleep anywhere, anytime. A plane, a train, or even a chair. It sounds like I am making this up for the sake of a story, but this is 100 percent true: I once drifted off going up an escalator—even I was impressed at that one.

I digress. Despite my love for rest and sleep itself—with all my loungewear telling me so—I am often nudged by the dreaded guilt. I see one gap in my diary, and I suddenly find myself frantically filling the space. Saturday 23rd November—booked.

On the rare occasion I do have a day free, I never fully unwind—with my mind ticking, telling me there must be something proactive I should be doing. These are usually the days that my entire wardrobe is pulled out and I do something unnecessary, like colour co-ordinate my clothes… we all know this lasts for two weeks tops anyway.

This has been the cycle lately. Busy with work, busy with hobbies, busy with projects, busy with booked events, and busy with working out. I am grateful. I am grateful to have a job I love; I am grateful to be passionate about so many things; I am grateful for my wonderful family, boyfriend, and friends where we do such great things; I am grateful that I can work out.

But… I am now sat here full of cold, feeling slightly sorry for myself—the way you do with a sickness so minor that makes you want to say ‘get a grip.’ Nevertheless, I would like a cup of lemon and honey, while tucked under my warm duvet, taking a day of nothing to recover.

It takes something like a silly cold to remind me of the importance of relaxation. I love being active and filling my life with fun things, and mind with ideas—there is so much to do, I never want to stop—neither does my mind, but we are humans with very clever bodies. We repair and mend, until we end up burnt out.

The continuous activity sometimes becomes too much, and it is time to s-l-o-w d-o-w-n.

It is amazing to be so full of life and appreciate the one you are living but remember to appreciate your body and mind too. Factor in some time for yourself—whether that be introducing yoga; a few evenings without emails, your phone and thinking of chores; or one weekend a month where you say no to doing things.

Sickness season (some call it colder weather) is coming, so look after yourself and if you can’t stop ticking, write a list for tomorrow. It’s the best way to momentarily park your creative mind.