It's Ok to Take a Break

 Life happens. Job responsibilities change, you may have kids, you may have relationships, you may break up from those relationships or you may lose a loved one. Some of us have businesses, We want to be our own bosses. Sometimes we have to fight and struggle to turn a profit and keep them going. Sometimes we may have 2 or 3 jobs.

 We get stressed or tired, mentally, physically, emotionally. Maybe burned out and even a little bummed out. What can we do? What do we do? I don't know. I'm not therapist, LOL. But what I can tell you the we have to take time to learn things, learn about ourselves. Learn how to cope and keep ourselves motivated. Broaden our horizon and think outside the box.
One interesting thing I did find out is that it is okay to be a little selfish sometimes. By being selfish I mean that, we may have to put a little less time into working, and other people and put more focus into ourselves. 

   I never knew that being selfish can be a form of self-love. It's okay to say, "NO!" You can't feel bad about not answering the phone all the time or responding to that text message. You may have to decline some invitations or cancel some social events. It's okay because You are focusing on You. We have to take the time to do what's is best for us in order to move forward. We cannot wonder what someone is thinking or saying about us because we are taking time out for ourselves. People may not understand and may question your actions. You may even lose a friend or whatever, I know I did, but you have to think, 'was this person truly my friend, anyway?'

WE know what WE are doing for US. WE only know what WE need. 

Selfish=Self-love 

   What gets us in this predicament? Everybody's situations are not the same. I have recently have gone through a career change, a recent break up, kids growing up adjusting to their personalities, my body is changing, I'm getting older, struggling with business and maintaining a full-time job, house falling apart, felt like I was going crazy. Almost 40, What did I do or am doing different, to get through and cope? I'm simply living. You can only handle what you can handle. To accomplish this I have:

1. Realized I'm no super hero, I can't fix the world.
2. Found a hobby and focused more on my existing hobbies.
3. Rid myself of negative energy
3. And my personal favorite: Volunteering

1. You are no super hero. I have always been nosy; always wanting to help. Some people are genuine and want your advice or assistance, let them ask you for your guidance. If they take to your advise great. If not, even better, its not your problem. You can't help the helpless. Sometimes you helping someone who doesn't want to help themselves will literally drain you. Have you ever experienced that? Leave a comment about your situation below.

2. Find a hobby. Gardening is my main hobby, but this summer in Memphis, TN, it was really hot and dry. Super hot! I did not spend as much time outside as I would like this summer, plants died, hard work gone down the drain, and that kind of bummed me out. I had to think of something to do in place of my favorite past-time, so I got a new hobby, coloring. Yes, some may say its a childish hobby. I say its a great simple stress free hobby. I even went to the dollar store and found some adult coloring books. By adult I mean, pictures of birds, scenery, cars, etc. They may have some "adult adult" coloring books but I'm keeping it PG-13. You could paint, color, or maybe even lose yourself in photography or even music. I also want to teach myself a foreign language like Spanish or French.  I also have gotten more focused on my physical health, that's has become a hobby as well.

3. Rid yourself of negative energy. You ever had that friend that always complains, never has anything good to say, gossips, no accomplishments, no goals, nothing. Yeah, its okay, go ahead and kick them to the curve! Declare: No negative vibes! And stay away from drama, dramatic people and situations.

4.Volunteering. Nothing makes you feel good like helping others. I volunteer at a local arts center here in Memphis, TN. I volunteer to feed the homeless as well as volunteer at a local tax center. (I'm learning a new skill for free: tax preparation) I'm teaching my kids to give back and volunteer. I am very happy while volunteering because I am helping out others not for profit but in a good way. How am I rewarded? With smiles. Corny I know but I don't care, I am doing the things I enjoy.

My methods may not work for all but I do hope my suggestions are helpful. The main thing to conclude is, Take care of yourselves. You cannot take care of others if your are all beaten down, tired, and unhappy.

Work on You and be a better You!

Please leave me some comments. I love you all!
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