Hi friends! Happy Friday to you!
How’s the first week of August been?
It’s been a busy one over here, and it’s only going to get busier as I leave for my trip to Europe next week!
As I mentioned on Monday, I took a break from blogging, and I didn’t mean to, it sort of just, happened, and I didn’t do much to stop it.
It started when I got back from an awesome trip to Savannah, and didn’t get back in my groove.
Even though I didn’t intend on taking a blogging break, I’m really glad I did. Not because I don’t love it (I do!), but because I was feeling a little burned out. I was struggling to come up with ideas, and I wasn’t moving forward with some of the blogging goals I had set for myself. I didn’t know what to do, so I took a step back.
Taking a step back actually helped move me forward. Funny how that happens!
If any of you are experiencing burnout in any area of your life, please know that it’s okay to take a take a break. Heck, a break might even be the best thing for you!
Here’s why.
1. A break can free you.
Yes, I missed blogging, but no blogging also freed up some of my time and energy. I focused on spending quality time with Dan, wedding planning, and diving into a fun summer job. I crossed a lot of things off my to do list that had nothing to do with blogging, and when I wasn’t busy, allowed myself to just do whatever I wanted, and it felt great. Instead of getting up early to finish a post, I’d sleep in just a little, or head out for an early run instead. I felt relieved. You don’t realize how much of your mental energy and actual time something takes until you give it a rest for a little bit. Free yourself up if you need to!
Free time is for fun!
2. A break can inspire you.
Before I took my blogging break, I was feeling pretty blah about content. I didn’t really know what direction I wanted to go with posts and felt like coming up with great ideas was pretty tough. #3weekbrainfart
Maybe it was difficult because I was trying so hard to blog about life and fitness and spending less time actually living life and being in love with fitness! When on my break, I read a lot of blogs, tried new workouts, (hellooooo Bikram yoga!), and went on lots of hikes and walks through the woods. I’m feeling more like myself and I now have fresh blog post ideas again! Hooray! This just goes to show that you might just find what you’re looking for if you let it come to you without trying to force it all the time!
3. A break can refresh you.
At the heart of it, I just needed a rest! I needed to regroup and get some energy back. I needed to eat whatever I wanted without feeling like a bad health & fitness blogger (silly, but sometimes those thoughts do creep in!) and I needed to take an evening stroll or read a few extra pages instead of doing blog work. I was tired, y’all! If you’re overdone, you’re not able to give yourself or others all you got, that’s for sure!
I always think about how in the Insanity workouts, Shaun T says, “Take a break if you need to, a break can save you!” He’s right. Better to tap out for a minute and come back stronger, than stay in it when you’re exhausted and not able to give it your all – which can ultimately have negative consequences.
I want to encourage you to give yourself permission to take a break if you need to. A break might mean an hour, a day, a week – as long as by taking a break you’re doing something that’s helping you.
On that note, hope you have a relaxing weekend! Mine will be spent working and packing, but it will all be worth it when I’m traveling around Europe!
Don’t forget you still have today to enter the KT Tape giveaway!
Wicked Healthy Wonderings: How often do you take a break? What’s your favorite way to enjoy one?!
All are wonderful reasons to take a break. I feel so refreshed after I take a break from work.
Haha, I’m talking about how to keep from taking a break entirely when you have to take a break today, and you are talking about taking the full thing! But I totally agree with you–sometimes, we all need a break, even when we don’t know we need to. I’m glad that you are back and feeling like yourself!
We missed you but I can definitely relate to needing a break!
I LOVE Bikram yoga!
A break from anything is a good thing! So glad you got the downtime you needed!
I truly believe everyone needs a break from time to time. Sure it’s easy to publish posts, but it’s not always easy to publish posts that really matter and aren’t just written for views. I think you did the absolute best thing. I love that you were able to cross things off your bucket list Life is about living, and that’s what you did! I hope you have the most wonderful time traveling around Europe!