Time away is nothing you should feel any shame about. Sometimes you just need a moment to yourself, to collect your thoughts, or to rest and get better. Your creativity and mental well-being require time to recharge. And, when you come back, you will be all the better for it.
Like taking a moment in the day, time away can help us to reshape and to refocus ourselves and our writing muscles. Even if that time is to work on personal projects, or even to not work on writing at all, you have to have the confidence to trust yourself and your needs.
In the worst case, the time gets thrust on us as our health depreciates. Sick days can absolutely be a blessing in disguise as they force us to take a break. It really shouldn’t come to that, though, as we should become experts in our own professional functions.
I know when I am working well. When the words are flowing and I am working at my optimal. I know when things aren’t at their peak but I can still push through, in almost any conditions. The problem is you can get stuck in that mode and that becomes overall a detrimental pattern. Being stuck in the grind is creating without any joy. That can deplete you, physically and mentally, faster than any cold or flu.
We need to be able to self-regulate, to take moments in the day, and days in the month, to optimize every second of our creativity. Don’t be embarrassed about time away; be proud of doing something active to make your work better.
