4 Signs You Need to Slow Down
There’s always too much of a good thing.
I sat writing this post and kept trying to think of ways this statement isn’t true. Too many puppy hugs? Too much happiness? Then I realized it is true because I personally may not have a problem with too many puppy hugs, but I think my clients and employers might if I stopped showing up to work, which I may do if you give me unlimited time with puppies.
Same thing with happiness. It might just be me, but I feel like unbridled happiness that goes unchecked without a little bit of sad makes the world a little unrealistic and could lead to not being prepared to handle life as it arises (and it will).
So it’s all about balance.
I started this post as an exercise-specific one, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that overtraining in fitness is only one facet of knowing when to slow down. The following signs can easily be applied to whatever you have going on in your life that you may be doing to excess.
1. You’re always tired OR you can’t sleep
Since I did intend a fitness-specific post, I’m still going to use a few of those examples. Performing a disproportionate amount of exercise without the appropriate rest means that your body doesn’t have enough time to recover. You may feel persistently fatigued or experience disturbances in sleep caused by an imbalance in hormones.
Not focusing on exercise, if you’re spending all your time on one or more activities and not allowing your body time to rest and relax, you may start experiencing similar symptoms. It’s important to listen to your body. Take some time to check in and see how you’re feeling and if you need to take a day/night/week off.
2. You don’t find the same joy in what you’re doing
This happened to me with running. Last year I pushed myself to run three half marathons, two of which I did because I was either paid or I won a free entry and didn’t want it to go to waste. A sport I previously loved turned into something I dreaded doing and I had to force myself to try and get out and “train” for the last two races. Running used to be a form of meditation for me, but last year it turned into an annoyance.
If you’re doing something just to do it and you no longer enjoy what it’s bringing to your life, ask yourself if you still need to be doing it. If it’s something that you were once passionate about, try and take a step back and wait for the passion to return. Some days I want to write all day long and other days I just want to sit and read. Rather than force myself to push out a mediocre post, I take the day off and let my creativity recharge.
3. You’re sick, injured, etc.
This is especially relevant to fitness. Overtraining or working too long/hard doesn’t give your body the time it needs to recover and repair. Due to this, you’re more likely to develop injuries and illnesses since your immune system isn’t working to its full potential.
Stress is detrimental to our bodies. If you’re working too much or spreading yourself too thin, you may experience some of the same symptoms. Create boundaries with work and social life and make sure to schedule some down time for you to recharge.
4. Your self-esteem starts to suffer
It may seem counter intuitive that the more you do, the worse you may start to feel about yourself. BUT I’M DOING ALL THE THINGS! It’s a fine line between productive and obsessive, and when you start to cross that line, your worth can slowly become tied in with your results.
If we’re talking about exercising, “the more you accomplish, the better off you are” can be a common mindset. As you continue without letting your body rest appropriately, you may find yourself sidelined by injury or sickness and therefore not able to accomplish what you did before. This can be a blow to your confidence and your ability to find contentment in the everyday. Remember: you are not defined by how much you exercise.
If we’re talking about life, the same holds true. An unbalanced life means that your identity may start to get tied up in that unbalance. Spending all your time at work means that you have little time for much else, and any failure at work could be perceived as a personal one. Putting all your time into a specific hobby means that you aren’t able to round out your identity and if that hobby is taken away or you’re not able to complete it anymore, you could be left feeling lost and confused about what to do next.
I’m a big advocate for introspection. It’s so easy to barrel through each day without really taking the time to figure out how we FEEL. Make sure to take a little time each day to check in and see if you need to slow down.
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Questions:
- Have you every experienced any of these symptoms?
- How do you know when it’s time to slow down?
Definitely can’t have too many puppy hugs. Trust me 😀
I definitely barrel through each day. Hopefully, once school is done I won’t have to do that anymore. But I’ve tried getting better at pacing myself and setting realistic goals each day I know I can achieve.
Megan @ Skinny Fitalicious recently posted…Blueberry Protein Walnut Breakfast Bars {GF, Low Cal, Vegan}
That’s one of the most important things I think!
Definitely can relate to not finding the joy. I find that when I get overloaded with blogging. Sometimes the love of it is completely gone. That’s when I take a step back and ask myself what I’m doing. It’s supposed to be a hobby that I love. It’s not something I have to do or make myself worry about.
Jen @ Pretty Little Grub recently posted…Four Tips That Will Change How You Grocery Shop
Absolutely! If blogging ever gets like that I take a step back bc it’s not something I ever want to hate. Then I start craving it again!
yes this really speaks to me. i have defnitely over trained before and ended up being injured. i took a long and much needed break and basically didn’t do anything till i actually wanted to.
these days i do stuff because i love it. i don’t see any reason to do anything unless it’s fun any more. i’m not training for anything in particular and that feels great. if i feel tired i will rest. well as much as i can with a baby 😉
i love the idea of rest. i would like to intentionally take a year or two and do as little as possible. i can’t reallydo that right now because i’m chasing around a baby, but when she gets older it sounds amazing to actually say, I’m taking off a year to rest. why? just because why not? our culture is always all about doing stuff. it would be so cool to just say, nope i can’t do that because i am resting. YES!!!
Danielle G. Smith recently posted…WIR sleep less play more
I totally agree. Why do it if it’s not fun? There’s no time for that. OMG a rest year would be amazing haha
Yes! This is very true–I’m reaping the effects of not listening to my body with exercising and now have neck and back pain! I also think this can happen with bloggers. Too much obsessing over numbers or growth can lead to burn out and then the realization that you dont enjoy it anymore!
Heather @ Polyglot Jot recently posted…WIAW at the beach!
Get some rest girl! Yeah, whenever I feel close to burnout I make sure to take a couple steps back 🙂
I feel like when my self-esteem starts to suffer, I really need to take a step back from things. Prioritizing sleep is something I need to work on as well.. but it is so hard when life gets so hectic! Thanks for these reminders erin!
Alyssa recently posted…Take Care of your Temple Tuesday #6
OMG I love sleep. That’s prob the first thing I prioritize bc I can’t function without it!
I know these signs all too well; I’m a Type-A overworking perfectionist. No biggie. But I’ve definitely gotten better at doing something closer to the right amount lately and now I help other people do the same. That’s always a good feeling 🙂
Ellen @ My Uncommon Everyday recently posted…End of Summer Signals
Absolutely. I’m glad that now I can feel when I start getting off balance and know I need to slow it down a bit.
I so agree with these; I really struggle with number 1 and 2. I drive and drive and drive myself till I find myself getting into bed, tired, but my mind is racing a million miles a minute. I’m so thankful that this year has been a year of learning to take one step at a time and say ‘No’ more and ‘Yes’ to the right things, but I’m still learning. Oh, and doing it because I love it; I burned myself out on running long for a while, so I’ve just been running short for a long time.
I love how you think these things out Erin, because they really spark thought in my brain too. 🙂
Emily recently posted…Why Drinking Diet Coke Can Be Healthy
So good to hear! Man, by the end of the day I’m so tired I pass out in like 5 min haha
So true! I have a super busy September/October for work (and life) and it impacts how I feel about myself. I feel burnt out on everything I normally love- travel, blog, running. I’m trying to relax and do less with no apologies. We’ll see how it goes!
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Good luck! Let me know if you need a relaxing partner haha
Great tips, I know I NEED to slow down a little right now. I’ve been on the constant tired / can’t sleep train and I want off. I’m working on some boundary setting for myself because it seems summer was the time when I took on all the projects, all the visitors, all the adventures, and all the work. So much work. Now time for so much more sleep. And ice cream. 🙂
I know girl — you’ve been all over the place this summer! Watching you makes me tired haha
Such great points! I find myself tired all the time whenever I’ve “overworked” myself. Taking time off is very needed for our best health.
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Absolutely!
Yes! I think sometimes we are so busy we don’t even see these four reasons in our life! Great post, and great reminders.
Kathy recently posted…Things I’ve Learned During Ultra Training
Thanks Kathy!!