the stress of rest 😢😌🥲

I'm preparing for a few days offline!  Before I go, I want to share this video with you.  It was mentioned in the Psychotherapy Networker conference I recently attended, and I'd never seen it before.  It brings a tear to my eye every time I've watched it since.

Created to inspire empathy in healthcare, I believe we could use more reminders to view one another in our full humanity in all areas.  

If you agree, I hope you will spend the 4 minutes to watch and share it.

What would your day be like if everyone could truly empathize with your behind-the-scenes reality?

How much different would your interactions, and the world, be if we all took the moments to truly imagine and connect with what else that smile, frown, or far-off look might represent?

Where do you experience being truly visible and understood in this way?  

As I prepare for the time away, this video also speaks to me about the necessity for us to connect to ourselves and have empathy for our own emotions, struggles, and perceived shortcomings in order to be genuinely present and connected with others.

The time to rejuvenate and recover is essential...and yet, as you may understand all-too-well, it's incredibly difficult to plan and protect the time for your own wellbeing.  

The to-do list only grows longer. 

The temptation to carry the computer along "just in case," persists.  

The inspiration to take along "maybe just one or two" projects that usually get pushed to the back-burner in the hustle of everyday grows strong.

I can't begin to recall how many times a client, friend, or colleague talks about being unsure if it's even worth the time off given how much stress builds before and after a "break."

It's true.  

No matter how much you intend to take care of yourself, many pressing concerns remain around you...ones you truly want to attend to (and some that are just annoying, right?) 😉😁

The trick is not to fall prey to this productivity myth...that working to get it all done and get to a real "resting" point is possible...that getting more accomplished will contribute to more relaxation.

The trick is to realize that productivity follows rest.  

That accomplishment is inspired by rejuvenation.  

And that true empathy, connection, and presence manifests out of the empathy, connection, and presence you curate for yourself as well as others.

As I take these few days offline, my hope is that you, too, are tending to what you need.  Not with the goal of "someday", but with the awareness of "right now."

You matter.  You make a difference.  I'm so thankful you're here.