What To Do When You Need a Break?

What do you do when you finally realize you need a break? What from? The frizzled pace of life, the constant handling and doing, or even that mind-numbing input from multiple sources.

You could “brake” your busyness and minimize all activities to just a few. Or, set some new priorities and boundaries – what you have done in the past could be no longer realistic.

Maybe you need some enforced disconnects. Turn off the noise, back away from the inputs, and coast for a while.

We are 1/3 into summer. Our pace has constantly been going with a little respite of an hour or two thrown into the mix. I know something about myself. This has been a too harried time. Some can handle it. If I don’t do something, there will be a breaking response, and everything will get tossed aside while I recover.

It’s not just about people or my calling, it’s about the constant movement with no retraction time to allow freshness to flow in, and out of my world.

I Am A Loner

I define myself as an introvert, come out of my shell and connect (as an extrovert), and then retreat to my distance, happy to be alone.

Even last night, at the end of a busy focus, I stepped into the front yard and watched the stars until the mosquitoes convinced me it was time to go back inside.

Even those few moments were refreshing as I learned something about myself again. I remember the first time pausing to look at the skies as someone pointed out the constellations. I was about six years old. After that first time, I’m happy to watch stars by myself.

Star light, star bright,
First star I see tonight,
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have this wish I wish tonight.
~Anonymous

Take away my alone time, and I get internally frazzled and start making mistakes. As someone overly tired shouldn’t be driving a vehicle, I cannot be responsible for my reactions when I’m around too many for too long. My alone time can sometimes be in a crowd, and you will find me sitting on the sidelines aimlessly watching the world go by. Shrinking into my mind, I think about nonsensical thoughts and ideas. Happy to feel alone.

It used to be I would escape into my books. James Michener. Louis L’Amour. Isaac Asimov. James Alexander Thom. These names just dripped from my mind to the keyboard. I pause and consider these authors. The Past and The Future. Stories that let me relive and hope.

Maybe that’s why I’m introverted. I get to Relive and Hope.

It’s Saturday. The day is full from sunrise to sunset. There will be a few minutes in between when I will unwind from the stressor of busyness. Relive. Hope.