We need a fall break

Well, friends, you'll never guess what I did: I took a break. I took a vacation, in fact. And it was glorious.

You know from my last newsletter that I've been working lots of long days and nights and had really pushed myself up against a wall of overwhelm. But taking a vacation proved tricky at first: the nagging voice in my head to get more done didn't want me to stop working, and my mind kept wandering to the non-stop scroll of problems that needed solutions or yard work I wanted to finish before winter or DIY projects I'd been putting off at home.

Having been on this merry-go-round more than once, I told myself to just take it a day at a time. I knew I needed time to unclench my fist from gripping that to-do list. Sort of like lying in bed waiting to fall asleep: you know your brain and your body just need some time to unwind before you drift off.

So while I had a hard time letting go of work on day one, day two was easier. And by day three I was freewheeling down the road, the wind blowing through my hair and the music turned up loud! Just the way I like it. I finally had some time to unwind not just from work but from overwhelm in general.

When the vacation was over I needed a little reentry time too: gearing up for the shift from rest to work wasn't my favorite. But I came back so rested—and resolved to keep the chill going as long as possible—that the return wasn't too bad after all.

Can you do the same? Can you take a vacation, whether just an afternoon off or a few days or (gasp) a week? For the sake of our sanity, my dear overwhelmed overachievers, we need it.