How to Take a Break from Work—Guilt-Free!

Entrepreneurs are a funny lot.

Many of us say we’re overworked and need time to rest and recharge. But when we do get downtime, we’re too guilt-ridden to make the most of it.

Can you relate?

Do you feel massive guilt when you’re not working all the time?

If you answered yes, then you know what it’s like for a lot of business owners.

You’re exhausted. You’re totally burned out. You want to honor your body’s need to rest.

But when you stop to put your feet up, a voice in your head goes, “You should be working. You don’t have time for this. Don’t be a slacker.”

You feel pulled in two opposite directions.

On one hand, you know your mind and body need rest to perform at their best.

But on the other hand, you also know you still have a ton of stuff to do because your business isn’t where you want it to be yet.

And because you ARE a hard worker, you don’t give up. You keep trying to figure it out.

Maybe you download another relaxation app. Maybe you learn a new meditation technique.

Or maybe—bless your heart—you clear your calendar to give yourself even more time off. (Because maybe you need more time to warm up and get into true relaxation mode.)

But without addressing the underlying problem, none of these things will get you out of this conundrum.

So what will?

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Let’s Get to the Heart of Why You’re Not Allowing Yourself to Rest

What’s the solution?

How do you get your mind to cooperate so you can take a well-deserved break?

Try this….

First, ask yourself one deep, introspective question—and promise to get honest with yourself!

This can shift the whole pattern so that you can work when you’re working and rest when you’re resting.

The question you want to ask yourself is:

What is the payoff I’m getting for continuing to think that I should always be working?

Another way to put this question is:

What am I wanting this thought to do for me?

In other words, what benefits are you getting from continuing to think this thought?

When you uncover the underlying payoff or reward you’re getting from the thought (that you should always be working), ask yourself if you need to keep believing that thought:

Do I need this thought to help me achieve my goals?
Does this make sense? Is it accurate? Is it true?

Usually, when you uncover what you’re wanting the thought to do, you realize instantly that it’s untrue. It doesn’t make sense. It could even be utterly ridiculous.

It’s definitely not serving you and therefore, you can let go of it.

Click to TweetCan’t relax even when you’re exhausted and burned out? Try this simple solution.

Here’s How It Works

Let’s take the case of Jane.

Jane is resting because she’s tired. But she’s thinking, “I should be working instead of sitting around doing nothing.”

And so, Jane asks herself, “What is the payoff for believing this thought? What am I wanting this thought to do for me?”

Here’s her answer:

“I keep thinking that I should be working because I need to continuously apply pressure to myself. Because I’m afraid that if I don’t continuously apply pressure to myself then I will let up and slack off. And then my business will fail.”

Now that these beliefs are out in the open, Jane comes to recognize that she doesn’t need to keep thinking them to get her to keep doing the work.

“Even without putting this pressure on myself, I’m going to do the work anyway because I’m a self-motivated, hard-working person,” Jane realizes.

And now let’s take a look at Anna….

Anna’s brain is tired, so she takes a break by firing up Netflix. But as soon as she does that, she feels a lot of guilt and ends up not enjoying the movie.

She’s thinking, “I’m trying to build a business and here I am bumming around! I should switch off the TV and get back to work!”

When Anna asks herself, “What is this thought doing for me?” she comes up with this answer:

“The thought of me working all the time reassures me that I’m not lazy. Lazy people don’t get anywhere and they don’t deserve to succeed. If I work all the time, then I know I’m hard-working. That means I deserve to succeed.”

When Anna examines these underlying thoughts, she realizes that they’re plain silly.

You see, Anna has a full-time job and she’s been working on her business on the side. She’s been spending 10 hours a week to build up her biz. She often wakes up an hour early in the morning and sacrifices her weekends to get everything done.

She’s far from lazy!

Anna sees that she doesn’t need to continuously apply pressure on herself in order to get work done. She’s a diligent, smart, hardworking, conscientious, driven, and motivated woman.

Now, Anna can give herself permission to drop the thoughts that do nothing but place mental pressure on herself.

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Your Turn to Give Yourself Permission to Rest—For Real!

Now you know how to uncover and drop the underlying thoughts that give you mental pressure.

Now you see that these thoughts aren’t true or accurate. Thinking those thoughts has just become an old habit. You hold on to them so you can feel that you’re doing everything you can to succeed.

The problem is, if you keep thinking these thoughts, you’d just be wasting half of your brainpower—and time—playing them over and over in your mind.

What if, instead of squandering your brainpower thinking those thoughts, you actually used it to get work done?

How much more work would you get done then?

Click to TweetIs guilt keeping you from taking a break? Ask yourself what payoff you’re getting from thinking you have to always be working. Be honest!

But because you keep thinking things like “I don’t have time for this,” or “I shouldn’t loaf around,” or “I should be working more,” you create a self-fulfilling prophetic loop that’s keeping you stuck in your scenario.

So, the next time you’re laying on your couch for a break and your brain keeps spinning and ruminating, stop and ask yourself these questions.

What payoff am I getting for continuing to think that I have to always be working?
Do I still need this thought to have that benefit?

Expose the underlying thoughts that are going through your mind and are holding you back in your business. Challenge them. Question them.

And then give yourself permission to give them up.

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