The average American encounters over 100,000 words, images and bits of information per day. From sunrise to sunset, your mind is running on overdrive. Your family needs care and attention while responsibilities at your job mount. Most days, you are last on your agenda.
You don’t need another study to tell you what your body already knows: the stress is getting to you. Yet, you think that it won’t work--that taking just one day off can’t change anything.
But your brain needs the downtime; your soul needs room to breathe. Not only is it OK to give yourself a day off, it is vital to your continued growth.
Here are three reasons why the next twenty-four hours should be all yours:
1. You are weary
Over a million people in the U.S. suffer from chronic fatigue. We work, work and then work some more. While pushing ourselves to meet deadlines and our personal and professional responsibilities, we sacrifice ourselves. Don’t run from the exhaustion any longer; call your office and use the day doing something just for you.
2. Tomorrow is not promised
We hear it over and over, live each day as if it were our last. But if that day came sooner than expected, would we be filled with regret? We hear that we must seize the day, but we’re pushed forward to work in lockstep. Yet, regret and disappointment follow. Studies on how regret affects us demonstrate that regions of our brain are flooded with intense feelings of loss. So, you may not be able to take that tropical vacation you’ve always dreamed of, but you can take this day off and catch that sunset with a rested mind. You won’t regret it!
3. You will come back a better YOU
A recent study found that given more days off during the week, people work more efficiently while on the job. There is no way around it, days off help with increased life satisfaction and provide time to cultivate personal interests and connections. Plan your day off around what you love--have lunch with friends or even just stay home and catch up on lost sleep.
Nourishing your mind and spirit by disconnecting from the stress for a day will give you perspective on your challenges. The to-do list didn’t disappear, but you will tackle it as a happier, calmer version of you!
T.D. Jakes is a charismatic leader, visionary, provocative thinking, entrepreneur and compassion humanitarian with a voice that has reverberated from the world's most prominent stages. His look at life comes from the perspective of a father, a student, a pastor and a friend. His daytime talk show will be premiering this fall across the nation. Follow @tdjakesshow on Twitter!
