I’m not a patient person. My modus operandi is setting huge goals and compiling long to-do lists as I schedule my daily and weekly tasks.  Friends and family council me, telling me I am too optimistic, too unrealistic and too driven. They caution me to decrease my breakneck pace, saying I will burn out and quit.

I have a slow speed. Sometimes I downshift into a lower gear. I recognize it is necessary and healthy to disengage and relax, and I take days away from my work. I can manage to do nothing… for a while. Extended periods of rest and relaxation increases my stress, it grates on my nerves, my anxiety escalates, and I can’t sit still. I pace the floors, roaming from room to room, desperate to find an activity to keep my hands and mind engaged.  I know I will attain my goals because I cannot stop.

Once upon a time, I ran headlong into burnout, and I swore I would never allow myself to reach that state again. Sundays are the day I hold for me. I assess the prior week and plan next week’s schedule. I fill my agenda to fit my pace, setting aside time to rest and recover from my activities. It is a fickle balancing act, but each day I step forward.

How do you relax?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer