What I tell clients who struggle to take breaks

Here’s something I’ve been saying to seemingly all of my clients recently:

“What if you feel like garbage when you do it…

…and *nothing* is wrong?”

We may know that we need to close our laptops at 6 pm so we can rest + rejuvenate…

Or stop accepting meeting requests from that low-priority project…
Or walk our dog in the middle of the day so we can clear our heads and come back mentally sharper…

… And we may feel like absolute garbage when we do it.

Jumpy in our bodies.
Minds racing.
Worried that we are making a terrible mistake, or that someone will be super mad at us.

This is a tough situation. These actions (closing the laptop, turning down the meetings, walking the dog) are supposed to make us feel better. Is something wrong, if they make us feel absolutely terrible?

The answer is clear: No.

No, nothing is wrong. In fact, it's completely normal to feel like absolute garbage the first 5 times we do something that is hard + scary + out-of-the ordinary for us. 

Of course, we can take action to feel less jumpy or mind race-y (see also: journaling, lying on the floor). But even if we do all the positive personal development in the world, it may still take at least 5 times, or 10 times (and occasionally more), before our nervous system + our mind calms down enough for us to reap the full benefits of those activities.

What if it could feel terrible and garbage-y… and nothing could be wrong?

…

As always, I’m rooting for you in the week ahead.

Katie




p.s. Would you like to work with me 1:1? My clients do higher quality work with less time and effort, change careers, finally write that screenplay, make more money, cultivate deeper friendships, and improve their marriages.

And, even more importantly, they feel: clearer about their paths and their values, more confident, more satisfied, and like they have more energy, calm, meaning, and joy.

 Learn more here.  

---

Want to receive essays like this every Sunday morning? Sign up for my newsletter!