The Importance of Taking Time for Yourself

The world won't fall apart if you don't do ALL THE THINGS...

I spent four days last week in the Blue Ridge Mountains doing taking time for myself and my writing at the Wildacres Writing Workshop. Let me tell you, it was life-changing.

I felt a pang of guilt for taking nearly a week for myself to disconnect from the outside world and focus solely on writing. But that disconnection was exactly what I needed to focus and, honestly, to reset. When I say disconnect, I mean my phone was on satellite mode in case of an emergency, but otherwise I was surrounded by other wonderful writers and authors—immersing myself in craft discussions and swapping book recommendations. I absorbed the feedback from my critique group, listened to and participated in open-mic sessions, and tried to learn as much as I could from the amazing faculty leading the workshop. I listened (admittedly star-struck) to some of my favorite Southern authors talk about their novel-writing processes, all while making a million mental notes on how to improve my own novel.

But that’s not all! The Blue Ridge Mountains this time of year are stunning. Each day the leaves turned deeper shades of red, orange, and yellow. I brought my gravel bike and managed to tackle some of those hills (gasp!) and take in the scenery. My new friends and I explored the network of hiking trails behind the property, and I carved out quiet moments to practice yoga, meditate, and read. We shared family-style meals three times a day, and I got to know my roommate as we swapped stories about our lives.

If you’re a type-A personality like me, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking the world will fall apart if you don’t do ALL THE THINGS all the time. But I’m here to remind you to rest your little fluttering heart. The world will keep spinning just fine if you take a few days to disconnect and do what you love. This is especially true for women, who often shoulder the burden of keeping everything running smoothly.

Take a few days. In the grand scheme of things, that’s a small price to pay for something that could improve your life in a big way.