Your Work Can Be A Kindness to Yourself
Self-compassion is great. We all need it!
But have you ever got caught in the “kind to myself” spiral that becomes self-sabotage?
There are so many valid and healthy breaks from productivity:
a walk
a good book
video games
hangs with friends
coffee
a brief social media scroll
But if you’re anything like me, you may find the breaks stack up and you can start feeling defeated because you’re not making the progress you desire.
A friend recently pointed out to me:
“Sometimes, the kindest thing I can do for myself is my work.”
And I realized they were right!
If I do my work, even when I don’t feel like it, I enjoy a sense of satisfaction that I showed up. And it builds towards the moment when my project is done and I can feel pride in completing what I set out to do.
Setting myself up for that success IS kindness.
Allow yourself breaks. Is your brain fried? Do you need the refreshment of a walk or connecting with someone? Go for it.
Notice if the amount of time you’re giving to breaks is actively sabotaging your progress. If so, it is no longer in your best interest.
Do both breaks and work WITH INTENTIONALITY. Distractions and unintentional leisure are not usually the best for us. Sometimes I find myself scrolling distractedly. Not only am I kept from purposeful work but I’m also not relaxed or rested. I feel off. Be intentional and ‘all in’ with whatever you’re doing: resting or working.
Treating your work as a kindness is SO MUCH BETTER than considering it a punishment for relaxing too much.
“Oh I spent way too long on IG, I HAVE TO work now.”
vs.
“Okay, it’s uncomfortable to get back into my writing, but I’ll thank myself so I’m going to do myself that kindness.”
A LITTLE VULNERABILITY
It feels weird to express all this in my current season.
I just came off a very busy stretch of work and family commitments that extracted every ounce of my energy. In the days that followed, I crashed hard. I was temporarily in an extreme state of recovery and needed to not do anything.
As I recuperated, it was difficult for me to return to doing my work. But it was crucial to my bouncing back.
If I had kept sitting and allowed inertia to claim me, I would have been in poor shape longer. So I gently started working. It helped.
I’m not going to pretend to have any rule of thumb for knowing when to work and when to ease off, but I hope that both you and I are able to keep getting better at paying attention to what our bodies are saying and what appears wisest in each situation.