Birdie Song's Newsletter: What does 'a break' mean to you?

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August 2023

Let's talk self-care.

Lately, I've been deliberate about taking breaks. It's not easy when one has workaholic tendencies. In the moment, it can feel wrong — even deadly to your goals — to do anything but keep your head down and keep working. This feeling used to guide my decisions about how to run my day. It wasn't long before burnout would strike, and I promised myself I'd do better once I recovered.

But did I do better? You bet I did... NOT!

Yeah, that's how strong the inertia can be to keep on working.

Even when I attempted to schedule more breaks into my day, a little voice inside me would always ask, "Are you sure you're not just being lazy?" It was an inner battle I'd fight all the time. It sucked out any enjoyment I could get from my hobbies and hanging out with friends and family.

Life's a bit different these days. For one, I've stopped trying to "manage my time" in order to get work done. Rather than looking at how much I need to do, then running around like a headless chook trying to get it done, I place more trust in my instincts. If you're doing something above an intermediate skill level, this is something you probably have the experience to do.

So instead of managing time, I manage my energy. I check in with myself. When did I last eat? Am I getting tired? How well am I staying focused? Is there anything else weighing on my mind?

Notice none of these questions are around whether I can press on with the work. That's because once I've done something restorative, I can return to it a little bit fresher. What restorative things, you ask? Here are a few of my favourites:

  1. Eat or drink something (brain needs glucose!)
  2. Go for a walk
  3. Spend some time in nature
  4. Listen to a podcast
  5. Fold my laundry (sorry it's so boring!)
  6. Take a shower
  7. Read a chapter of a good book
  8. Look up something interesting
  9. Chat with a loved one
  10. Cuddle my animal family

What restorative things do you do in your breaks?

From friends and around the way

The Sycamore Standoff by Stacey Weeks: Landscape Architect Meg Gilmore cherishes the tranquility until an unwelcome figure from her past emerges. A formidable adversary endangers a majestic 250-year-old tree, and an influential friend stands by her opponent. Will this ill-fated couple untangle the vines of doubt and let love bloom? Get this book

A Boy Named Jackson by J. Leigh James: Self-appointed, high school matchmaker Marissa notices the sparks between her friends and decides it's time to intervene. Will her interference help Jackson and Laurel find true love or will it ruin any chance of their happiness together? Get this book

Contemporary Giveaway: YA and Adult books. Check out this giveaway

Sweet Romance Giveaway - August: Aug 1st thru 31st. Check out this giveaway

Escapist Summer Reads Giveaway: An all-genre giveaway of great reads! Check out this giveaway

You might enjoy this too:

Dispense with the dream of using your “free time” to work towards your goal. Your day is already saturated. After all, when was the last time you did absolutely nothing (literally nothing – just sat and stared into space)? If you can’t remember that happening, then where exactly is all this “free time?”

To fit something new into your day, you need to dislodge something already taking up space in it.

A little modern wisdom: No, you won't make time. Because you can't.

By the way, reviews are a huge help to small-time indie authors. Both good reviews and bad ones help readers hone in on the books and authors they resonate with. If you’ve enjoyed one of my books, I’d love it if you would leave me a review or star rating on BookBub, StoryGraph or Goodreads.

The Guy from the Wedding – BookBub – StoryGraph – Goodreads

The Guy from the Internet – BookBub – StoryGraph – Goodreads

The Guy from the Library – BookBub – StoryGraph – Goodreads

The Guy from the Park – BookBub – StoryGraph – Goodreads

The Guy from the Flower Shop – BookBub – StoryGraph – Goodreads

Well, that’s it for now! Subscribe to my newsletter if you’d rather get these updates with pictures, sent to your email inbox. You’ll also get a little thank you gift for signing up.