Lately, I have been bombarded with the pressure to be as productive as possible and to work hard because it will pay off.
If you are anything like me, you rely on being productive and feel useless if you do not meet your expectations.
You want to work every day and do as many tasks as possible.
While I personally do not think there is anything wrong with wanting to do that, it is necessary to take a day off from work occasionally.
If you do not allow your brain to relax and decompress, you will experience burnout. Then, you will not produce your best work or be as productive as you would like to be, which in turn will upset you because you are messing up your own routine.
Days prior to taking the day off, I was feeling the exact same way. I was upset because I was not producing my best work, but I was also aware that it was because I was not allowing myself to relax for a bit.
After willing myself to do nothing but the things I like, I felt much better than before and noticed I was producing better results at work.
All this time I was trying to fight my burnout with more work, but what I really needed was to not work.
I urge anyone who reads this to take a day off from work once in a while. This is beneficial as it can reduce stress and anxiety. It can give mental clarity, a healthy balance between work and home life as well as improved focus. If you do not believe me, feel free to try it for yourself.
You cannot have peak performance without rest and relaxation. Take a day off, your mental health will thank you.