A Period of Disconnect and Rest

In order to recharge and get my mind back together, I have a habit of disconnecting from everything and everyone. I disconnect from all of my routines, projects, obligations, my phone, and interactions with people. The only person I would interact with is usually my mom. In my Alone Time post, I talk more about this on a regular basis as a form of self-care. But for some reason, I get greater urges of wanting to be left alone for a while. Kind of like I want to hide away in an area where I am cut off from everything and no one can find me for a few days. These urges usually happen at the beginning and ending of school’s breaks, such as winter break and summer break. I think it’s my mind and body’s way of wanting to wind down from the semester and prepare for the upcoming one or anything else I have upcoming. It could also be a sign that my mind and body need to process and adjust to what I have been doing in the last couple of months and what does it mean for me and my future. Something like a resting, regrouping, and recharging period.

Sometimes when these urges come, I get fearful that it is a sign of something else. I don’t fight the urges, I go along with them while monitoring myself and making sure I still do some forms of self-care. (Basic stuff like taking showers, drinking water, washing and taking care of my hair, my skin routine, listening to music, etc.) Recently, I completed my first year of graduate school, yay! During my first few days back in New York, I did not feel like doing anything much besides sleeping, eating, and watching movies/talking with my mom. And I did just that. I also walked outside a bit and talked with one of my friends. During the spring semester, I made a list of the things and projects I want to do for the summer. I do this every year. For the summer, I find things for me to do like self-work or other little productive activities, so I am not too idle. During my days of doing nothing much I began to question if I was going to accomplish the things on my list because I did not have the energy for them. I did not want to force myself to do anything I was not in the mood for. I listened to my body and mind. I went with the flow and whatever was drawing my attention. By the 4^th night of being home and doing nothing much, I got back my energy. I started feeling creative and excited again. I started writing blog posts and personal pieces. I planned two activities from my list to start working on for the next week. I am also taking it slow with myself, so I did not start everything on my list. But now, I feel like my regular self again.

Time to Focus on You:

Tune in to what your mind and body is telling you. If you need to take a break from whatever you are doing, take that break. That break is important to your well-being.  The break can be on your own terms, it can be a short break or broken up into intervals, etc. In order to create and do whatever you are doing effectively, you need time to rest and recharge. You can’t keep going and going without some rest time. That period of rest can look different for everyone. For some people it is a 2-week vacation in a different location. For some people it is spending time alone or one close person or a few close people. For some people it is spending time off social media for a few days. Work with your mind and body, listen to whatever it is that they are telling you that you need for your rest period. Also monitor yourself throughout this process.

Photo by David Mao on Unsplash