To be completely honest, everything has been a lot lately. It seems as if it’s all coming at once. I’ve talked about spoons and burnout and just how everything happens at once. But the other day? I woke up, got a couple things done, realized I had depleted most of my spoons and laid back in bed.

I spent the whole day doing nothing of actual importance. And you know what? It was wonderful! And I don’t mean that sarcastically. With as much as I have had going on lately, it was so nice to have a day where I didn’t have any responsibilities or obligations to fulfill. I could lie in bed, watch TV, take naps, order food, and not have to be productive.

I recognize that I have privilege in this area. I don’t have kids or weekend commitments (sometimes). Usually the only person I have to take care of is me, unless I’m making dinner for my house. Not everyone can be in my position and that’s okay.

The way I see things, your energy and commitment is like a rubber band. If you stretch it and stretch it and keep using it continuously, it’s going to break. But if you give it time to rest, it’ll last longer. If you keep pushing yourself to the limit and doing all that you can, you’re going to wear yourself out or worse.

One person can only take so much. You can’t handle it all on your own. Even though I used the analogy of a rubber band, rubber bands are replaceable. You’re not. If you stretch yourself to the point of exhaustion, it’s very difficult to come back from that.

Now, I know I said in the beginning that I come from a place of privilege with saying things like that. And I know not everyone leads the life that I do. You might have kids or work weekends or sports/activities commitments or whatever it may be. But please understand how important it is to find some time to do nothing.

Society has conditioned us to work and go as hard as possible for all time. Hustle culture is very real and very dangerous. I took pretty much 18 credits every semester of college while working two part-time jobs. I know about hustling, working until you break, and sleeping when you’re dead. But this year, I’m trying to take it easier on myself. As much as I love my job, work isn’t everything. You’re not lazy if you take a day for yourself. You’re not inadequate or less than or anything else people will try to tell you.

I can’t tell you how refreshed I felt after taking a day to do nothing. I actually had energy again for work, and was more capable to function at my job. Why? All because I allowed myself to rest and return to my “original shape”. Stretching myself thin was causing damage and friction that would’ve led me to break if I wasn’t careful.

So again, I don’t know what you’re life looks like. But if you can, try to find some time to do nothing and be okay about it. You might appreciate it more than you realize.