Written by: Jane Tarrant, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
A couple of months ago, I noticed that although I was coping well with quite a lot, I was recognizing the first signs of overwhelm.
At 32, I have a 2-year-old (with a husband on shift work), and at the time of this overwhelm a 97-year-old Grandparent who was sadly declining rapidly towards the end of life care.
From all sides, I had responsibilities requiring a lot of time, effort and emotional energy. I was dealing with this alongside a 3 day a week job and my own business, LiNK BREATHING, which had to slow its growth to accommodate additional family responsibilities.
I really needed to find some creativity in my own business to make more incremental progress but knew I was expecting too much of myself with so much pulling on my energy. I was keen to write a book but just couldn't get in the zone.
So I went for a walk with a friend and talked through these feelings. I realized that being premenstrual, which is a time I like to escape from my family for a few hours, that I needed to give myself the permission to step back completely from responsibility. It so happened that my husband had a day off.
I booked myself 24 hours away the very next day, staying in an Airbnb. It cost me £75 for a room in a beautiful home, and it was 30 minutes from my home.
When I got there, I was able to enjoy a chat, a cuppa and some lunch without time pressure or a toddler all over me. I was able to roll out my yoga mat twice! I was able to walk without the need to check my messages, plug into a podcast or expect myself back at any time. I was able to draw for the sake of drawing, not just to entertain my daughter.
I put no pressure on myself to achieve anything. The very fact that I had stepped away from all responsibility for 24 hours allowed me to fill my energy levels back up and unlock my creative blocks.
By allowing myself this space to be fully plugged in to my needs and without any worries for anyone or anything else, I found my greatest creativity. I left there having put down on paper the first draft of a children's book around the topic of my business. It came to me when I was least expecting it. I even redesigned a room at home in my head.
I managed to take time for myself without feeling remotely guilty. I had absorbed the energy and creative visuals of what was around me.
By doing less, I achieved more and did it in a way that filled me up.
I came back as a better business owner, mother, wife, granddaughter, employee, etc.
What did I miss out on? I missed one email from a journalist from the Guardian looking to ask me some questions on breathing with a same-day deadline.
How did I feel about this? For a second, I was gutted, as this would have been good for my business, but in no way do I regret my priorities:
My health is my number one priority, even if I miss out on opportunities occasionally. If you are looking for an excuse to give yourself permission. Take it from me. I was totally happy with just some time off and nothing to come of it. The fact I gained more during the actual time off was a bonus. I have gained so much more since I've been back at home.
I hope this inspires you to step completely away for a day. I’d love to hear from you if you do.
P.S. I give myself regular hours off throughout the week. It is not about the need to rest or find an ounce of time for myself. This is a necessity for anyone. It is about being able to step away from the huge amount of pressure we put on ourselves and put ourselves first utterly and completely. One day away felt like the benefit of an entire week's vacation. Because let's face it, we are all trying to find a way to be efficient, and I just saved myself 6 days and the financial cost of that.
P.P.S. The reason I had managed to cope so well for so long is due to the level of self-awareness I have. I regularly track my body and mood to ensure habit changes where necessary, just as I teach my breathing and awareness coaching clients through LiNK BREATHING. It is important to recognize, however, that no one is immune to overwhelm of raising its head. The trick is to recognize it and shift direction fast enough that overwhelm does not become the norm.
Jane Tarrant, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Jane Tarrant is a UK-based Breathing and Awareness Coach specializing in one-to-one and corporate breathing coaching. She is passionate about supporting others to feel empowered to improve their own health in a way that is incremental, accessible, habit-driven, and based on awareness. Jane supports her clients to address dysfunctional breathing and breathing pattern disorders (aka unhealthy breathing) as well as improve general body awareness.
Jane loves to raise awareness of issues that stop us from living more of a life. She hosts the LIVING MORE OF A LIFE podcast, creating a space to discuss important and taboo topics as well as provide a space to share free education on breathing and body awareness. Ultimately, she wants to improve the education we provide to our kids when it comes to taking control of our health and the importance of doing so.
