We all need mental breaks
Yesterday was a challenging one again. I felt tired, I was mad at myself for feeling that, but at a point through our voice messages with a wonderful friend living miles away, I just realised that there is nothing wrong with me, I simply need rest and mental breaks inserted into the day, because I was running nearly empty. These realisations and acknowledgements are vital during difficult times for several reasons.
Any form of mental rest also replenishes our emotional resources. I personally had to realise that since we returned after the holiday and started January, I am constantly pushing through challenges, I am sure you can relate to this, and if we just keep pushing through, we deplete our capacity for acting from a place of resilience, effective decision-making, and even our capacity for our own emotional regulation as well. Taking breaks helps restore these essential capabilities, making us better equipped to handle ongoing challenges.
Physiologically, stress and emotional strain trigger our body's fight-or-flight response, releasing cortisol and adrenaline. While this helped our ancestors survive immediate dangers, prolonged activation of this stress response can be harmful. Rest allows our bodies to return to a balanced state, reducing stress hormones and allowing our nervous system to recover.
Our brains also need downtime to process experiences and emotions. During rest, our minds can integrate new information, work through complex feelings, and gain new, fresh perspectives on challenges. Think of it like defragmenting a computer: without occasional maintenance, everything starts running more slowly and less effectively. That was me yesterday and it was painful to realise that, but served me well. I made myself reflect on how I felt and asked myself what I needed and I needed mental breaks during the day. Between clients I rested in meditation, mindfully observing what was. No judgement, just observing. Before picking up my daughter, I took a mental break through demonstrating the daily self massage challenge I do on Facebook. I felt the difference. I felt that I had gained new perspective. Those mental breaks throughout the day helped me defragment my mind, bring my energy back up and be able to show up for others too, because I felt better, as rest also replenishes our emotional resources.
When we're constantly pushing through life’s challenges, we gradually deplete our capacities. This is pouring out from the jug constantly and still expect water from it after it is dry. Taking breaks, even short ones, in whatever form it serves us in the moment fills our cup, helps us restore our essential mental and emotional alignments, making us better equipped to effectively respond to whatever we are navigating, rather than react to the ongoing challenges and stressors in our lives. This is crucial to prevent a burnout.
When we're facing difficult times, it's tempting to push ourselves constantly with the urge to solve everything immediately while we are spinning several plates at the same time. However, this often actually prolongs our struggles, keeping us in a negative loop. We must know and allow space for a break and maybe even have strategies listed what the most nourishing forms of rest are for us and when the tension is building up (because we are humans and we experience a wide range of emotions) we can turn to the list and pick what we need most or just check in and ask this question and let the answer arrive intuitively.
I chose to grant myself those mental breaks throughout the day and this choice served me well. I gained back effectiveness and I definitely feel much more myself today, even if I didn’t have the most quality sleep again last night. I had those meaningful times inserted and prioritised in my day that help me move this energy through.
Massage from a professional (I can help you with that 🙂) or self massage is a fantastic way to help release physical tension that we often carry and it's not just about muscle relaxation, it is only one aspect of it. Massage is doing its magic to get the brain release endorphins and oxytocin, which reduces cortisol levels, so the body gets out of the grasp of that constant stress and the whole body, mind and spirit can feel at ease and enjoy a powerful pause. Physical human touch activates our parasympathetic nervous system, promoting that crucial "rest and digest" state when healing and recovery can take place, the immune system can work effectively, instead of the ‘fight or flight’ mode, when obviously physical protection and survival is the main mechanism.
Meditation complements massage love beautifully by providing the absolute mental relief. Meditating can be just sitting and observing the constant thoughts coming and letting them go without judging them or engaging with them as I referred to this eariler. It can be breathwork or a short guided meditation ,whatever feels calling to you. Meditation helps create distance from overwhelming thoughts and emotions, allowing your mind to settle like a glitter jar shaken up becoming still, realising that in a very profound way we are not our thoughts and not our emotions, we are the witness to all that chaos and witness the chaos settle down. Regular meditation practices can actually change how our brain responds to stress over time, making our resilience flexed and stretched like a trained muscle in our amazing physical vessel.
It's particularly powerful to combine both of these practices, as they bring profound overall clarity and space to breathe in our body-mind-spirit. This mind-body-emotional connection must not be overlooked, but rather communicated with and nourished at all three levels.
Always with love
Bee ✨
