How are you, my friend? This question and the popular song by Johnny Drille is what comes to mind as I write to you today.
As the year comes to a close, there is a lot of pressure, internal and external, so many job lay-offs, especially in the tech space. Also, in Nigeria, the Naira keeps falling and the price of things keep increasing exponentially.
In this season, it is easy to get overwhelmed, frustrated, exhausted and burned out; with many goals still to be met, pressure from work, society and family, and everything in a rush, you may not be able to pause to catch a breath.
With all these come the telltale signs of stress, ill health, weight gain, lack of motivation, and a breakdown (just waiting to happen).
My advice for you today will be to pause, take a step back and just breathe.
Many times, when your head is bent and fully immersed in the news and day-to-day operations, you may lose sight of the bigger picture.
It’s better and advisable to take a step back, review what you are looking to achieve, and see if there’s a need to re-strategize.
To step back may mean taking a break, giving yourself grace, or scheduling some time away (could be a weekend).
As we navigate our becoming journey, it is important that we give the same grace we extend to others to ourselves.
These are ways through you which you can extend grace to yourself in this season:
- Speak more kindly to yourself: it can also mean to practice positive affirmations, or to silence the negative voice in your head and around you.
- Find time to rest: ‘body no be firewood’ as we typically say in Pidgin English. You need to inculcate rest as a part of your regular lifestyle.
- Be with people you love and who love you.
- Look for opportunities to serve, help someone or give back: there’s a feeling of satisfaction that serving others or giving back brings. You should try this.
- Book a personal retreat time: instead of saving up for a Detty December, why fit you try saving up for a relaxing time at a nice hotel to relax and rejuvenate? Try this and come back with your thank you later?
- Journal, Journal, Journal: there is a peace and soothing feeling that journaling brings, I highly recommend. You can order a copy of my book, Love Letters to Abba, to learn more about journaling and how it can help you.
Rest may look different in different seasons of your life, but you still need to find out what it would mean per season and embrace it.
I’ll suggest a personal retreat time, maybe a weekend away, to review the year, rest, realign your thoughts and priorities, and prepare for what’s next.
As you go about your deliverables, remember to give yourself grace, cut yourself some slack, and refresh to re-fire.
Love and Light Always,
Esthitude ✨
