When was the last time you have felt like you have taken a break? Some people feel like they spend a good amount of time on themselves but as entrepreneurs, business people, and overall adults with adult responsibility, most of the time we feel like we can never catch a break.

Self-care has a different definition to every person. For me, I sometimes need time for myself to read, watch a documentary, and be free from pressure and priority just to recuperate. Others might need to spend time with their families, meditate, take a bath, or work out. Time to recharge and hibernate is increasingly important in the holiday season where our lives are constantly go, go, go and we feel as though there will never be a time where we will be able to sit and just relax.

My father (you know him as Chad) constantly complains about wanting to just be “horizontal” yet he insists on doing things around the house on his off time instead of taking care for himself for even for a couple minutes, it always has to be go, go, go. Well, that may be dramatic, but he has seasons of intense business where it seems like there is a never ending list. His excuse when I ask why he doesn’t takes a break is always along the lines of how he CAN’T take a break. Like if he does it will be the end of the world. It’s never a big deal because we all know that he checks himself frequently and generally finds balance quickly. But when it’s happening, it’s like dude, just chill. He could have spent the ten-minute conversation about how tired he was getting into a quick relaxation mode. I do think that fire inside of him is what makes him such a good business owner and leader. He also has gotten much better at knowing when a break is needed.

In the grand scheme of things, self-care compounds onto itself and can save you and your family from the explosion of your stress and efforts. Instead of thinking “what can I be doing right now” ask yourself “what can I be doing right now that will be best for me” and make sure that you have time for yourself and your priorities are straight because that how true productivity happens.

As an International Baccalaureate student, I feel as though I never have time for myself. There is always, I mean ALWAYS, something to be working on and when I am not working I am thinking about what I should be doing. I noticed myself becoming drained and unmotivated and I don’t think I even started a book during the entire semester (that’s me in the featured image, and reading is my passion). Now that I reflect back on how I handled the work, it could have been significantly better, and I could have used the time that I spent stressing, complaining, and frankly whining to spend some time on myself, recuperate, and get on with what I had to get done. As you reflect upon this year, I am sure that it is more clear to you how you could have handled things better. Now that you know, or have been reminded, try it out for once. Take some time to recharge, you deserve it.

Thanks for reading!