Taking Breaks

So with Christmas around the corner it’s highly likely that a break, however little, is around the corner too. Breaks for the mind and body are great for us but for some of us they can be difficult. 

In the past I had so much fear of breaks and the changes that came with them. Losing muscle, gaining weight, eating unhealthily, losing strength, losing stamina, losing motivation, losing routine, losing opportunities, ect. I found it so difficult to get any benefits from them because all of this was whirling around my head. I would often even try and fit in a workout on Christmas morning and I couldn’t really be present as I found the change so stressful.

The main reason I think I was feeling this was that I had completely attached my identity and career to my body and its physical abilities. And so every day/hour of rest was taking me a step closer to ‘failure’.

Now I have spent time rebuilding my identity without my body as the focal point I am able to gain more benefits from breaks and make them a lot more stress-free.

Social media can also have a similar effect if you are 5 Christmas movies deep and see everyone hardcore training when you scroll. Even though we know Instagram is a lie we still somehow torture ourselves with this.

Remember it’s ok to have rests. We are no less of person/ aerialist/ artist for doing so. Time away helps us come back with a fresh body and fresh ideas.

If this is something you struggle with, you are definitely not alone!