This past summer I pushed hard to learn how to build websites, start my blog, and polish up my horror story collection enough to sell. I ended up creating 5 different websites, wrapping up all of my short stories, and writing enough blog posts to have on hand for the next month.
I burned out big time.
It got to the point where I would feel drained, and when I would go walk in the neighborhood or on the treadmill, it just made me feel worse, even nauseous. I didn’t exercise as much as I normally do this summer.
I would feel a little better the next day and try to do some more intense work, and almost immediately my brain just lost all energy—any kind of thinking seemed to hurt. I could do nothing except sit outside on the back porch and slowly breath while enjoying the warm sun. I took a week off doing nothing to recover and slowed waaaay down.
But I did get everything I wanted done before my teaching jobs started back up, and now I just maintain everything and occasionally work on stuff.
Working all the time is not a good thing. Working full blast all the time is definitely not a good thing. Take time for yourself—work will still be there, and you’re all you’ve got. It’s not worth it to not be able to enjoy life.
Whatever you are doing right now, take a moment to relax and breathe. Because you are worth it.