Time to Slow Down, Rest, Take A Break

I need to be honest for a second: I’m really burned out.

Packing Light released in September and since then, I’ve been going full steam ahead. I’ve been traveling, speaking and writing full time. My husband and I moved from Minneapolis to Nashville during that time, and we’ve been settling in. It’s been quite an adventure and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.

Photo Credit: Oleh Slobodeniuk, Creative Commons

But lately—just in the past few weeks—I’ve been getting that feeling. I’m guessing you know the one.

It goes like this: If I don’t slow down, I’m not going to make it…

I want to write books forever. I really do. I couldn’t ask for a better job. A friend of mine once loved his job so much he would say, “I feel like I’m stealing money!” That’s exactly how I feel. But I also know myself well enough to know: when I get this tired, I run the risk of starting to hate something I’m supposed to love.

So, I’m taking a break.

I’m going to take the whole month of May off from writing.

I have a few projects I’m working on that I need to finish up, so I’ll be working on those. I won’t be totally disconnected from email or social media for the whole month. But I am going to take one week (May 2-9) to get away from the city—no media, no internet, no phone.

I have family coming to visit the following week and, for the rest of the month, I’m just going to be laying low.

I won’t be posting here, and I’ll probably be really slow at responding to email (although, that’s not too different from normal).

I just need to slow down, I need to rest. I need a break.

As the weather gets warmer, I hope you’ll take time to rest, too—whatever that looks like for you. I hope you’ll linger a little longer in your backyard with friends, staying up past your bedtime and sleeping in late. I hope you roast s’mores and eat hotdogs and play games.

I hope you’ll go camping or go for walks or go to ice cream.

I pray you’ll watch the sunset or go for a drive, just because. I pray you get to slow down, some rest, take a break.

I’ll see you back here June 1st.

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