My Fear of Slowing Down

By Jessicavenoy @lovelyjesscuh
This weekend was eye-opening for me. That sounds really dramatic, doesn't it? Ha! But I really mean it. I've always been a go, go, go type of person. If my plate isn't full and my to-do list isn't overflowing with tasks, I feel like I'm being unproductive. If I take more than 5 minutes to sit down and just BREATHE I feel like I'm being lazy.
SO NOT TRUE.
I hit my breaking point on Friday night. It was 7PM and I was just getting to my workout after being ridiculously overwhelmed/busy all day. I broke out in tears. I felt overcome by the never-ending tasks that seem to accumulate every single day.
I know that I'm not the busiest person there is, but at this stage in my life my plate is fuller than it ever has been. I'm a full-time student (and to be honest I didn't realize how intense speech classes would be - not to mention how intense summer semester is...so fast paced, y'all), I have 2 jobs (one of which is owning my own business which is a lot in itself), I'm a wife, dog mom, friend, daughter, sister, etc. The list goes on. Blah blah blah. We all have a lot of responsibilities.
But my problem was - I refused to SLOW DOWN. Day in and day out I burnt the candle at both ends, so to speak. I was AFRAID to slow down. Afraid that it would put me behind, delay my progress.
Until I figured out that by not slowing down I was really making everything worse.
I was tired every day, which made getting through my to-do list that much harder. I was grouchy since I had no energy. It just wasn't a good situation.
So this weekend I STOPPED. I got done what I needed to do but refused to look ahead and try to tackle the next day's tasks with the few hours that I had left during the current day. I actually disconnected from my responsibilities at the end of the day (I know it's only been 4 days but hear me out) and let myself decompress. 
I've woken up the last few days ready (and excited!) to take on the day and also excited to CHILL OUT at the end of the day. I'm making a point to SHUT DOWN (as in my busy-ness) at a decent hour each day. And I'm going to do my best to continue doing this. It's really helped me feel more alive, more productive (who would've thought, right?), and just less burnt out.
Do you struggle with slowing down/mentally chilling out at the end of the day? 
xo, Jess
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