The Importance of Slowing Down

In today’s world, it’s common to feel compelled to keep pushing through when you’re exhausted. However, sometimes, you need to slow down for a while.

Intro

I recently took a short break after over a year with no time off other than being sick. What happened then made me decide never to let that happen again.

About my daily routine

I am a software engineer. As of this date, I work at a consulting company as a contractor allocated to one of its clients. Due to my relationship with the company, any time off comes from my pocket (I work for a fixed hourly rate), which makes it very tempting not to take any time off.

One could say I’ve had it easy, working from home for a good company, and I agree. I’m incredibly grateful for everything I’ve accomplished, mainly since I started working in this industry. That doesn’t mean I don’t feel tired or overwhelmed at times, though.

Unexpected good results can happen from doing knowingly good things

More often than not, you will see signs of stress when you’re on the edge. In my case, it was anxiety for apparently no reason. I remember feeling extremely uncomfortable and asking myself why I felt like that. After all, life was great!

Despite the above, I didn’t take a break from feeling stressed out. I did it for my wife’s birthday getaway. We both appreciate silence and nature, two things you can’t easily get living in a big city. I did some digging and found a place just outside the city that seemed perfect (see picture below).

For a few days, I went to bed bathed by the moonlight in the clear countryside sky and woke up to the first sun’s rays at 5:00 a.m. We ate, walked, talked, and sometimes got bored—something we hadn’t allowed ourselves to do for a long time. When we finally got home, I felt better than ever. I could solve problems in my professional life that I had tried for weeks to no avail. It made me realize that by working all the time, I was increasingly becoming less productive, not more.

Takeaway

Whenever you think of why you shouldn’t take a break, you owe it to yourself to think of two reasons for taking it. You will thank yourself later. I know I did.