Knowing when to take a break

It’s difficult in college because we are constantly doing things and are usually non-stop some days by packing on a job, extra curricular activities, exercise, schoolwork, homework and social life. It is difficult because we often forget that we need to take time off for our bodies to recover and feel healthy and relaxed. It is important to take a day off or rest for an entire weekend. I recently had bronchitis which lasted for over a month and a half. I didn’t schedule an appointment for the doctor because I was so busy but I kept on with my normal busy schedule oftentimes even forgetting to eat throughout the day. The cough just continued to get worse and worse. I didn’t give myself time to rest and I really wasn’t paying attention to the signs that my body wasn’t really healthy. I began to feel worse as the days went by instead of better so one weekend I decided to sacrifice a social life and decided to stay home and rest all weekend. I thought by Sunday of that weekend that I would feel a lot better but I didn’t. On Sunday I felt feverish and had body aches. I decided that the cough and congestion was probably something worse than just a cold. I finally made a doctors appointment where they prescribed me antibiotics for the bronchitis and other medicine to help soothe my congestion. I continued throughout the rest of the week still feeling weak and tired but having to keep on throughout my normal school/work schedule. Now this week I am feeling MUCH better after finishing my antibiotics but I still need to rest and take it easy and really pay attention to my body and health in order to feel fully better. This week I decided to sleep in, relax, prepare meals, take my vitamins and stop stressing. I am constantly stressed about my week and the unknowns that come with having such a busy schedule but I can’t do that. Every week I need to focus on myself, focus on getting better and focus on healing my body so I don’t over-work myself. It is OK to take days off. It is OK to stay home and rest instead of staying up late studying at the library or going out with your friends. It is OK to be lazy once in awhile. Bring yourself back by focusing on you and don’t feel bad if you have to disregard other people’s needs once in awhile. You have to be healthy and happy in order to fully serve someone else with love and kindness. So focus on you!

Here’s an article about: When to take a break from work