I have an image that I keep posted on the wall at my desk (you can see it by clicking here) which reminds me that I have choices on the hamster wheel of life.
This past year I have been on a Research and Scholarly Leave, otherwise known as a Sabbatical, which is traditionally defined as a rest or break from work that facilitates personal and career growth. When I investigated the origins of the word, it is historically linked to the practice of agriculture where it was a requirement to take a break from working the fields every seven years to promote regeneration of the land. This makes an incredible amount of sense to me now that I am approaching the end of my year and can reflect on what this gift of time has meant for my personal and academic well-being and growth.
What I found most challenging in the beginning, was trying to complete certain tasks so that I would be unencumbered enough to embark on this journey of discovery. I needed to finish work that was weighing on me so that I could consider new possibilities like designing a new research project and writing a grant proposal.
If I have learned anything about myself and my work it is that writing, even when academic, is a creative process that requires time and space to allow ideas to generate and come together to form something transformative.
Part of having a field of study or research agenda involves having to keep up with all the knowledge generation that is going on that you are not a part of. This means reading the latest publications and keeping on top of recent literature so that you do not fall behind. It requires an incredible amount of time and energy. I was thrilled to be able to find the time to read articles and textbooks in my field, but I also had the chance to read books that taught me about how to manage stress and feeling overwhelmed.
Through my readings in this realm, I began to incorporate mindfulness activities in my daily life. One meditation I listen to regularly, reminds me that contrary to popular belief, meditation does not take time, it makes time. This sounds counterintuitive until you start to practice it, and then it really is a transformative experience. I now start and end each day with 5-15 minutes of meditation, sometimes adding 20 minutes of yoga practice to one of those and the effect on my clarity, sleep, and overall physical and mental health is notable. Research is clear about the benefits for mindfulness for our mental health, and for our kids. Check out this link.
More than 10 years ago I read a life-changing book called, ‘World Enough and Time’ and over the years I have often thought back on that book. It miraculously showed me how much more time we have available to us than we think – and that slowing down is the only way to get it. This flies in the face of how so many of us feel we need to speed ourselves up to accomplish more.
I also travelled a lot this past year – it helps to get out of the familiar and into the unfamiliar to jar your brain back into working its way around complexity. Navigating different environments, food and language is good for us, makes our brains work in new ways and that can have a powerful impact on our ability to think through complex problems.
Finally, just as I found myself ramping my way back into ‘busy’ again (reintroducing multiple meetings a week back into my schedule) I had a skiing accident and broke my collarbone. Faced with not being able to move, sleep or work for a few weeks, I found myself once again with the gift of time (don’t get me wrong, I do NOT recommend breaking one’s collarbone in order to get a few minutes to oneself) but it stopped me in my busy-making tracks.
I’m now thinking of scheduling restorative time – something I have read about somewhere before – not necessarily a vacation, just a break from the noise – a week without meetings for example to get caught up. For example, this post was written during a writing retreat, wherein I woke up early each morning, wrote continuously for 5 hours then went for a walk, had lunch and spent the rest of the day talking through ideas with colleagues or reading articles related to what I was writing. These were restorative moments, but completely related to working – we don’t always have to check out to be productive. But we do need to be mindful. And we do need to be forgiving. Another meditation I listened to recently reminded me that I was a human being, not a human doing. These seem pithy at times, but they are no less true or effective in helping me step back and remind myself to put things into perspective.
And yes, the things that we are most afraid of (or at least what I was most afraid of) happened. When I broke my collarbone and could no longer work, I found myself not wanting to work (pain is incredibly persuasive in that regard) and I found myself frightened that I would not come out of that space of nothingness. What if I don’t ever feel like working again? What if my creativity doesn’t come back? What if my brain won’t start thinking again? As evidenced by this blog, it all came back. But these fears can sometimes keep us from slowing down. When we are healing from an injury, we must make space for that. I had to do my exercises 4-5 times a day so my arm and shoulder would eventually work again. Now I am thinking about yoga and mindfulness as exercises for my brain, things that slow me down enough so that I don’t just go wildly down the track sending my train off the rails. And these metaphors are important because they reflect the creativity in that moment.
So, what kind of break do you need? And what is realistic in this moment (I am now 6 more years away from another leave) and we can’t all step away from our busy lives for a week or two every time we need to. But I’m finding ways of building breaks into my day. Setting a timer while I’m engrossed in a task so that I don’t forget to get up, walk around, drink some water, remember to breathe. I’m using a mindfulness app for when I’m feeling overwhelmed in the moment and use their 2-3 minute ‘resets’ to get myself back on track. Here is a free one available on YouTube.
When we think about mental health, emotion regulation is the No. 1 coping strategy out there. Take a minute, take a breath, refocus, recharge, RESET and start again. We are all guilty of this, but I’m here to remind you: Don’t wait too long to get off that wheel.
Three simple tips for making more space in your life:
1. Schedule time to prioritize your well-being – it doesn’t have to be a lot – 10 minutes of stretching or yoga – 5 minutes of mindfulness or gratitude practice can go a long way to keeping things in perspective.
2. Build in those breaks! The morning coffee break is a beautiful thing – get up from your desk and walk around – reheat the coffee you let go cold already – or make yourself a fresh one. I’ve started scheduling them into my calendar so that a) I’m reminded to take them and b) I don’t make the mistake of booking myself back-to-back all the time. I’ve even started scheduling lunch!
3. Give yourself one day off each week – I mean the weekends are supposed to be regenerative, but we often pack them full of errands and activities that aren’t always restorative. How many times have you found yourself on a Monday morning feeling more tired than the week before? Don’t overschedule (and this goes for our kids too –click here for a great article about overscheduling our kids. Congratulations on taking the time to read this post, now maybe take 2 minutes more for that reset. Your body and mind will thank you for it!
