The past five weeks went by so fast, it almost feels like they didn’t even happen! But as I sit here reflecting on how I’ve spent this time off for healing, I can’t help but feel a bit anxious about returning to work.
The difference between this time and all the other times I’ve taken a break is that I’ve been intentional from the very beginning. I didn’t want to waste this opportunity or fall back into old patterns.
This time, I chose to work on the foundation of how I want my life to look in the years ahead. I had to audit my life and be completely honest about what I wanted to focus on during this period of time off for healing.
The main reason I asked my doctor to take me out of work was because my body was screaming for rest. As I mentioned in a previous post (click here) with all the health issues I’ve been dealing with, my body needed me to slow down, and this time, I actually listened without feeling any guilt.
Resting Without Guilt
The first few days of my FMLA were all about rest and allowing my body to tell me what it needed. I didn’t want to fall into the trap of waking up late, binge-watching Netflix, and being a total couch potato (like I’ve done plenty of times before).
Still, I let myself have the first two or three days to just relax and not think about being “productive.” That was my way of getting it out of my system. I think we all need those days where we just don’t want to think or do anything at all. What matters is not staying in that stage or feeling guilt or shame for it.
This short period of time off from work gave me a new appreciation for slowing down. Rest is not laziness; it’s medicine.
Building Habits and Routines
After those lazy-mode days were out of my system, I decided it was time to get to work on the habits I wanted to build.
That meant:
- Meditating daily, first thing in the morning.
- Journaling my thoughts and feelings to stay aware and grounded.
- Moving my body and becoming physically active again.
- And most importantly, working on my blog — the passion project that means so much to me.
Each morning, I woke up early as if I were still going to work, wrote down everything I needed to do, and went from there. Some days were great; others, not so much. But this time, I didn’t let myself spiral or feel guilty for the “bad” days. I simply tried again the next day, and again after that.
This time off for healing has taught me that small, consistent actions matter more than perfection.
Creating Systems and Following Through
This experience also showed me how much I need structure, real plans and systems that I can follow through on.
I’ve spent most of my life wishing and waiting for things to fall into place, without realizing that I’m the one who needs to do the work. No one’s coming to save me or make it happen.
Now, each day I show up with a positive mindset, ready to keep building healthy habits and laying the foundation for how I want my life to look in the next 5–10 years. Taking this time off for healing reminded me that discipline and self-compassion can coexist, and that’s where real balance lives.
Everything Happens for a Reason
I truly believe everything happens for a reason. And I think the universe had to send me this “lesson” in the form of my medical challenges so I could finally advocate for myself and take time off for healing intentionally.
Looking back, I can see how much I’ve changed in just five weeks. I feel more at peace, more grounded, and more like myself than I have in a long time.
The real challenge will be next week when I return to work. But this time, I’m going back with clarity, intention, and a new mindset.
And that, more than anything — makes me believe that I’ve got this and I can tackle anything that life throws at me!
