Breathe
By Sara Reynoso
Have you ever felt guilty about stopping and resting? This is for you.
We come from an era in which the one who worked the hardest was the best, resting was frowned upon and if you left the office on time, you were a looser, the "productive" ones stayed for late meetings and if you wanted to succeed, you had to work hours and hours without a break.
Although today a new era is dawning in which time is more appreciated and valued, those of us who belonged to the time when mom scolded you if she saw you doing nothing, still feel a little guilty about enjoying the dolce far niente, the sweet pleasure of doing nothing.
Just as the earth has cycles, human beings also have them and there are times when we look like bullets and have unlimited energy, it is as if God knows when we need to give everything to move forward a project, a family or a situation, and other times when like a bear we need to hibernate and literally feel no energy at all.
The body is wise and we should be able to put our needs before our duties. Despite all the functions that a woman has to fulfill today, it would be great to be able to decide without guilt to take time to read, to enjoy a sunset or to have a cup of tea soft and unhurried.
We need to eradicate a lot of beliefs that led us to become superwomen, to go from being just moms or wives, to be entrepreneurs, to look spectacular, to exercise, to have a group of solid friends, to be successful, to not neglect the family, your appearance, or your children and in the process of being superwomen present in everything, we forget to be present for ourselves. And yes, we can succeed and balance life, it's just a matter of working with guilt and regularizing taking time for ourselves.
Those of us who have children must teach them that the joy of life comes from balance, that just as flying and running is important, so is stopping to enjoy the moments of everyday life.
How many times do you come back from vacation more tired? It's because when we take a vacation we are already in burn out mode. One of the best gifts we can give ourselves is to allow ourselves to recharge our batteries every day before continuing to accomplish everything and everyone.
Notice what makes you happy, what nourishes you, what expands you and schedule a daily space for yourself to do it. Read your favorite book, take a special class, watch an episode of your series or just do nothing and watch life go by.
