With all of us working from home, it can be easy to overwork yourself. You feel that you have extra time to fill, so you take on extra side hustles or work overtime at your job. If you're at all like me, the feeling of being productive helps offset the stress of quarantining and having normal life so completely disrupted.
In a turn from what is normally written on this blog, I want to focus on a few things that I've found help overworked people avoid burnout.
1. Yoga
Yes, yoga is a form of physical exercise, but it's also an exercise in spirituality and connecting with yourself. Focusing on each pose, regulating your breathing, and giving yourself words of encouragement as you move make yoga a relaxing experience - an experience that will let your forget about work and everything that's going on in the world.
2. Mindless hobbies
Our work-obsessed culture pushes us to be productive even in our downtime. Our free time needs to be spent on online courses or creating a piece of art or reading self-help books. While that's all great for personal development, sometimes a movie marathon or a stack of trashy romance novels are all we need. Just unwinding, allowing your brain to shut off for a while and simply focus on fun are crucial to one's mental health.
3. Naps
This one sounds simple enough, but take a nap! Set aside an hour or forty-five minutes to just get some extra shut-eye. Between working, homeschooling and the million side things you have going on, you've earned it. Bonus points if you play music or a cheesy movie in the background to help you rest.
4. Find a new creative hobby
Okay, this one slightly goes against #2, but if you're not a very creative person to begin with, you might benefit from trying to learn a new skill. Practicing drawing, playing around modeling clay or trying your hand at poetry could help you discover a new form of self-expression. Not to mention that the simple act of trying something new will help divert your attention for a while from your busy life.
Remember to take care of yourself! Whether it's just a few minutes every day or a Sunday afternoon, always set aside time for your mental health.
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