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16
Feb

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Ep: 9 What Do You Do When You Take A Break?

Ep: 9 Transcript

Find more podcast episodes at sharynrose.com/medium-well-podcast

Intro

Jennifer Gunson 0:01
What do you do when you choose to take a temporary break? Or are forced to take a break? What do you do? What do you permit yourself to do? Do you slow down? Do you allow yourself to be happy? Well, in this next episode of Medium Well with Psychic Sharyn Rose, she is going to share some excellent ideas on how to fill your time when you choose to take a break.

Why Taking A Break Is Good For Your Brain?

Sharyn 0:22
Welcome back to this episode of Medium Well with Psychic Sharyn Rose. I’m Sharyn. And today, we’re going to be talking about what you do when you take a temporary break. Sometimes, and sometimes it’s forced, sometimes the break you take is forced. And other times it’s something that you’re doing by choice. But what do you do? Do you sleep? Some people sleep. Do you decide that you want to maybe take on a… engage in one of your hobbies? Maybe you want to take up something that you did when you were younger, that you really loved – maybe painting you really liked or you liked working with clay or you liked music, maybe you were taking guitar lessons, and you kind of dropped it on that because things got too busy. Because let’s face it, before COVID, our world was really in a hurry, everything was going so fast, that we were just having such a hard time keeping up. And that’s one of the gifts that we have been given from COVID is the ability to slow down, slow down and stop in some cases. But I’m talking about people that are taking a break – whether it’s forced or whether it’s something that they’ve chosen to do – and what is it that they’re doing with it? Now, sometimes we take a break, because we’re just struggling with burnout. And burnout can really show up in really bizarre ways. But you’ll find out that you really are burned out, when you find you only want to sleep, you’re kind of edgy, you’re not feeling really good about yourself, you’re not handling your relationships very well, you’re kind of snappish… and you want to sleep. And you really want to take care of yourself, you want to make sure you drink lots of water, you want to make sure you’re eating clean, as clean as you can. You really don’t want to stress your body any more than it’s being stressed. And I know about this, I just got back from a trip to the States. And I really wasn’t interested in going on this trip. But it was a family event that the rest of the family had chosen this time. And I was just kind of like, I was kind of maxed out stress wise, I was really tired. And I was I was burnt out. But I didn’t know it. Burnout is one of those things that you don’t recognize unless you actually get kind of forced to stop. And in this case, I was forced to stop. If I’d have had my way we wouldn’t have done this experience until after New Year’s, but I am so in appreciation that we did it now! You know why? Because we had booked this trip to do this memorial for my husband’s parents. And then he and I decided on our own to take an extra few couple of days in Vegas, just doing things that we really wanted to do. Go and have meals where we wanted to eat, go and play some games on machines, maybe go see a show, walk the Strip, just all those things. And when we got down there, I wasn’t even excited. I didn’t even get excited and I love to travel. But when we got down there, I wanted to sleep, I just wanted to sleep I wanted to be still. Then we went we had a meal with the family, we went and did the memorial service. We walked along the river in Laughlin, smelled the air, and I could feel myself starting to change and wind down. And then when we got into Las Vegas, I found myself – we always when we went before I haven’t been there for three years – but when we would go before we’d always walk the Strip and we’d walk and almost power walk it every day. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t power – with three years shouldn’t make that big a difference. But because I was forced to take this break, I really became aware of what kind of shape my body was in, and what kind of shape my emotions were in, and what kind of shape my mental state was in. The only thing I had really been taking care of is my spiritual self, which is kind of bizarre isn’t it? I guess not when you think of the work that I do!

What Are Ways To Avoid Burnout?

But, so I wanted to talk about it today because I know I’m not alone. And I really want you to sort of do a self check. Find out when you’ve taken a break. Are you struggling with burnout? Or what are some of the other things that you can do that you can do when you want to take a break? Well you can unplug. If you want to take a one day holiday – what I call a bedroom holiday – I love a bedroom holiday, and I’ve had bedroom holidays where I actually never got out of my pajamas. It was the best! I remember one that I had not all that long ago actually. I guess maybe six months or so. Where I actually had my pajamas on I had my house coat on. I drank things like chai tea and hot teas, and I watched cartoons and animated movies. And then I eat lots of fruit. And I seem to crave fruits and salads and stuff like that when I take a break like that. It was the best day. And I even went and had a nap in the afternoon. And I hadn’t done anything in the morning. I hadn’t done anything at all! I was up probably at 8 o’clock. But I had done absolutely nothing. I didn’t cook a meal. I didn’t answer a phone call, I didn’t answer an email, I did absolutely nothing. It was awesome. I really, really liked it.

Photo for a woman about to relax in a bathtub at a spa.

How Can I Relax In 5 Minutes?

So basically, that’s unplugging, except that I did watch movies, but they were animated movies. So I didn’t think that was too bad of a big of a problem. When you take a break. One of the things that I was taught when I was studying with the Buddhist is that monkey mind is a very real thing. And that you can actually get really, your mind can just start going 100 miles an hour. You’ll want to take a break and you’re just, your mind just won’t shut up. Quieting the monkey mind. And that comes from basically doing too many things at once. That just takes your energy and creates a state of monkey mind – your monkey mind won’t stop going from one place to another. So, if you take a quiet moment, maybe sit by your favorite tree or go for a walk somewhere really quiet. And focus with full concentration on just being still. At least for a few minutes. And then you can go from restless to relaxed. And that can help, that can help you when you take a break. Tapping into some hobbies that you had as a child, some of the things you loved to do. Like I mentioned before, maybe you take a guitar lesson or maybe take up painting again, that you did that when you were a kid, or working with clay, there’s so many crafty things. And inspiration comes when you work in a creative field. People that are creators and creative are inspired artists of any kind. And that comes to listen to music, etc. Something else that you can do. And again, these are ideas, I’m just giving you some ideas, because I think it’s really important that we have some tools in our toolbox. Like when you reach burnout, or you do have some temporary break that you want to take, take a mini vacation distressed by doing something you really enjoy that relaxes you and mini vacation can be a painting a picture. It can help you restore, and it can help you reassess what’s going on. Learning something new – I had a client in today she was talking about her husband and his anxiety level’s quite high. And what he does is he takes new classes. And what he has done is he has taken a knife making course – learning how to make knives. Well, that’s really cool because he’s with people who like doing the same things he likes to do. But it’s giving him a place to focus where he’s not going to be so stressed and anxious and it helps him relax.

What Are The Positive Effects Of Laughter?

Something to laugh about now, okay, I don’t care what anybody says there’s nothing more fun than a good sense of humor. I watch a lot of stand-up comics. So when you find something to laugh about, when you take a mini break, or a temporary break, it can really help you come back the next day or the after the weekend or however long your break is. It really helps you come back and just really be able to feel good and feel refreshed and feel renewed. Taking a cooking class – I do a lot of cooking. And that’s something that I did when I was really stressed last year. And really having a difficult year – is I found myself in the kitchen. And working in the kitchen and doing the things that my father loved to do and doing the things that I love to do in the kitchen. Learning new things too. So you don’t have to go to a cooking class. I mean, you can Lord Almighty, pull up a video online, cooking just about anything, just follow along as your cooking class. Again, back to the creative – build something, paint, draw, maybe you like to tie flies. Maybe, whatever that might be, get up close and personal and really look at something that you usually take for granted. The way to do that, really the way to do that is to step into a state of appreciation. So that can be something as simple as just sitting down and saying, I love my life. I appreciate my home. I appreciate my food, that I have the opportunity. I appreciate that I have hot running water and cold running water. I appreciate that I’m safe and warm when I sleep at night. I really appreciate my pillow. And I love the blankets and I really adore my bed. Those are things you can do that will help when you take a break. It helps you reset. And it helps you reset because you realize just how fortunate you are. And let’s face it most of our problems here in North America, particularly with my lifestyle, and the average citizens lifestyle, is first world problems. It’s not, they’re not life or death issues. They’re just burnout issues, stress issues, anxiety issues. Take time to play. If you have people around you that like to do things like play cards or play board games or, or playful adult play. Adult play is really fun! Get re-energized whether it’s a solitary hike, or it’s dinner and a movie with friends. Have fun and enjoy yourself. Take time to play. Take a break from the news! Can I say it enough? I don’t know if I’ve said it enough. Take a break from the news! The news is so full of all kinds of depressing information. Do something fun, just don’t listen to it. Let me tell you what! I know by experience that if I don’t pay attention to the news, whatever’s going on out there, if it’s important enough, somebody is going to tell me anyways. I’m going to hear about it anyways.

What Is The Main Benefit Of Yoga?

Yoga is a great way to take a break if you like to do something that’s tranquil. Meditation is another part of that, but it’ll give your spirit a boost, and give you some good core exercise as well, a nice workout. When you eat – and one of the things about a busy lifestyle is we tend to eat on the run, and we tend to eat fast. Eat a meal without rushing through it. Just really savour every bite and make sure you’re eating at your dinner table without your computer on or your TV on. Eat mindfully, gratefully. And just savour every bite. Okay? Go to a museum, if there’s one around you that you can go to that is open. I know it’s been a lot of things that have been shut down to me, I haven’t been able to go for meals and, and whatnot with our friends, because there hasn’t been that opportunity. But in your bubble, you could actually prepare a meal that maybe you just didn’t like to cook too much before or you didn’t find you had the time to cook before. Take that little mini-break and cook some, cook a really good meal for you and your partner or you and a friend.

How Do You Start A Vision Board?

Another thing that you can do when you take a break, and to help you take a break to de-stress is a daydream. Now, when I teach vision boards, about building a vision board – a vision board is a representative of what it is you want to achieve in your life over the next several years. So you could have on there the home of your dreams, maybe the car you wish to purchase, the income you’d like to make, the health you’d like to achieve, the way you want your hair to look, the way you want your body to look. Maybe you’re on a weight loss or a weight, gaining mission, whatever that might be. But take the time to dream. That Daydream dream, let your mind wander, allow yourself to dream about anything. And you can actively create a vision board if you’re really feeling creative. And like you really want to do something that’s away from totally away from the work that you normally do. Of course, this leads us into meditation. Meditation is so misunderstood in North America. And that’s simply because we haven’t had a meditative practice that’s been taught to us from time we were small. So we’re adults with busy minds trying to take meditation on, and I got to tell you, don’t try to meditate when your mind is going absolutely crazy. I know that you think that’s when you’re supposed to meditate. But meditation is a tool to give you a mental and emotional break. And even 10 minutes can make a huge difference by clearing your mind relaxing and rejuvenating your body, mind and soul. So meditation is huge. But don’t try to do 60 minutes of meditation and empty the brain, etc. etc. Lots of thoughts flow in, just acknowledge them and let them flow on through. And if you practice meditation, you’ll get really good at it and you’ll find it will be one of those things that you absolutely are going to love to help you get through while you’re taking a break.

How Does Music Help Mental Health

Listen to music! Music can really lift your mood, regulate your energy and take you back in time. It can make you feel so good! And again, if you took guitar lessons when you were younger, pick up that guitar again, if you still have it, and strum along. Take the time to strum along with maybe a video or something if you can remember enough, and get yourself back into having fun. The key to taking a break is to get away from all the things you normally do. So another thing you can do if you’re not a “garage sale” or you live in a fairly large city, you can get in your car and take an adventure to a part of the city that you never go to. And if it happens to be a garage sale day, stop in to see garage sales that you never ever take a look at. You can also do something else which is really really fun. Go to a car dealership, especially if you are in the market for a new car, and take some cars out for a test drive. That’s really fun! And it gets your mind off in a different place – you will relax, it makes you feel good. It just makes you happy. Make the choice to be happy. Choose to be joyful. Don’t choose to be a victim. So don’t waste your time and energy making yourself feel like a victim because you are forced to take a break or because you’re on a break and you really feel like you should be doing this without the other. You’ll… if you be, if you think you’re a victim, you’re going to become a victim. So need to let go of anger. Let others, let them just let go of wanting people to feel sorry for you. And choose joy! Choose happy, and be happy. Another thing that can really change things up for you when you’re taking a break, and it’s go through your closets. Just for fun. Get
yourself a green garbage bag, put it in your closet space, and go through your closets. If you haven’t worn it in the last 6 months, if you haven’t enjoyed it in the last 6 months, if you know, if you’re not using it, you don’t love it, put it in the green garbage bag! And then don’t go through that green garbage bag again. Once it’s full, take it off to the local charity of your choice so that they can take advantage of these beautiful clothes that you’re donating. That feels good because what you’re doing is, you’re also serving your community.

How Is Watching Movies Good For You?

Really, watching again, movies – I can’t tell you enough how I – animation. I absolutely love animation – but sappy movies are good, too. You know, like chick flicks, I think they call them – dramas that are all romantic. My very favorite time of year – oh, I love Christmas so much – but I get so into the holiday movies! I love them! They’re so fun! And they literally pick up my world, they make me feel really good. Another thing that you can do with music is dance. Just dance! And you can actually take again, online you can turn on… there’s all kinds of different organizations that are offering dancer-size type exercise. Go ahead and turn one on and watch a video, and dance to it! Or even if you just want to turn on some music, you really, really like, dance to that music and just have fun with that. Smile, let yourself be smiling all the time smiling. Don’t think that just because there’s nobody in the room that you should just run around with a frown on your face. You don’t have to do that. And if there is people in the room, and they are a little bit negative, smile! You’ll get those negative people you know, they’ll either run away from you because they don’t want to have anything to do with you, because they’re having a bad day and they don’t want to your good day to invade their bad day. (Know people like that?? Yes, yes, yes! Haha – we all know people like that.) Don’t be full of grudges. Don’t feel like you have to hold a grudge against anybody. What’s done is done. Over, finished, carry on, move on. Don’t be afraid when you’re taking a break from your normal life. Don’t be afraid to run around to everybody that you love and tell them. Tell them I love you! Just tell them. They’ll love that. When’s the last time you told those people out there that you really love them? Do something really kind. Engaging in an act of kindness can be absolutely amazing. And again, doing the charity like giving away the clothes, if you want to go take a break, you want to go and cook in a soup kitchen do that. You know some people when they take a break from their workday, they want to do something else that keeps them busy, because that’s the kind of personality that they have. Other people want to just R&R. They want to rest and relax – they don’t want to do anything else. But sometimes a change is as good a break as you’re going to ever want to take on.

Why It Is Important To Take A Break?

So what do you do when you give yourself a chance to take a break? What do you do? All those are good ideas and you can you can take some of them on and and you know, one of the exercises I give a lot of my clients – sit down with a piece of paper, put your name at the top of that piece of paper and write down 50 Things – five, zero – 50 things you love about yourself. Do that exercise, I think you’ll have fun. And I think you’ll find yourself feeling really good. And when you take a break you’re going to give yourself a chance to recognize, am I in burnout or not? And what are some of the things that I can do? So until next time, when you take a break or better yet, take a break! Don’t be feeling like you have to stay on that treadmill. Take a break and enjoy your life! And I’ll catch up with you again on the next Medium Well with Psychic Sharyn Rose.

Outro

Jennifer Gunson 18:11
Thank you for listening to another episode of Medium Well with Psychic Sharyn Rose. And if you love hearing about her student’s stories and experiences in Kitchen Witchen, all you have to do is register for the new session! Registration opens November 1st, and then you can start the new year fresh because January 3rd 2022 is when the next course of Kitchen Witchen starts! For more details you can go to KitchenWitchen.ca. And if you loved this podcast please review us on Spotify, Apple and of course Stitcher. We would love to hear from you. Talk to you soon!

Transcribed by https://otter.ai