Many people feel trapped in a constant cycle of hectic action.
Between working, studying, and immersing ourselves in extracurricular activities, hobbies, and chores, we constantly jump from one moment to the next. Still, though, we feel like we’re not doing enough with our lives when we choose self-care instead.
You might feel guilty when you put your feet up because you think that you should do something more productive instead. You might feel anxious when you stay in bed for a little bit longer than usual and practice self-care because you’re afraid that you’re not living up to society’s expectations of you.
This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t focus on your career or your personal growth, though. Everyone can learn to balance work and relaxation. However, choosing to stay busy for the sake of staying busy is counterproductive. You might feel a temporary sense of achievement for constantly doing your work, but are you truly happy if you only take action out of guilt?
The truth is that you don’t need to stay busy all the time in order to lead a productive, happy life. Sometimes you need to put yourself first, and that’s OK. After all, it’s important to look after your own physical and mental health. In fact, I would argue that practicing self-care is time well-spent, because you are doing something important: taking care of yourself.
We need to devalue keeping ourselves busy all the time and value self-care instead.
It’s OK to be content in your not-so-busy life, even if society tells you otherwise. You don’t have to achieve great things in life to be happy. That’s not to dismiss your achievements of course, but you don’t need to hold yourself to such high standards of productivity.
Of course, you should take time to recognise your hard work and achievements, but you are not worthless when you don’t achieve what you want to. Don’t let your job, your grades, or your daily productivity determine your self-worth.
You don’t need to conform to society’s expectations in order to believe in yourself and your abilities.
It’s OK to try to achieve your life goals, as long as you don’t sacrifice your own happiness along the way. If you tend to let others determine your goals, then you should dig deeper and figure out what you truly want to achieve.
Remember that the only person you need to please is yourself.
As long as you’re proud of yourself, that’s all that matters. If you’re happy with the way that your life is now, you don’t need to change a thing. Being happy is productive, too, and no one needs to earn their happiness.
So go ahead and put your feet up. Relax – you don’t need to earn it.
Featured Photo by Daoudi Alissa on Unsplash.
