There were a few weeks leading up to my break from the blog that I was really struggling to find the side of blogging that I used to enjoy. I was balancing too much, struggling with my health and became overwhelmed. I knew I needed to cut back on something (or a few things) and focus on myself for a bit. But I was convinced that by taking a break I would be admitting defeat or failure. I finally hit a breaking point and realized that a break was absolutely necessary.

During my 7 weeks off from blogging I tried to use that time to focus on my health, re-evaluate my priorities, and get everything organized and in order. To be completely honest though it was more like 5 weeks of still feeling completely lost and overwhelmed and the last 2 weeks of making a little progress. But now I am finally starting to feel refreshed and getting back on track.

While part of the break was still a struggle I definitely learned from it. Today I am sharing the 3 main lessons I learned after taking a break.

1. Taking a Break Doesn’t Mean You Failed: It took me a long time to realize this. I kept thinking that because I couldn’t balance it all that it meant I failed. I was determined to just keep going because I didn’t want to feel defeated. But if anything, taking a break is the opposite of failing. I didn’t quit or give up. I just needed time to re-evaluate and strategize how I could better handle it all.

2. Don’t Slack on Self-Care: As soon as I started to feel overwhelmed and stressed its usually the important things that start to fall through the cracks like eating right, exercising, getting enough sleep, etc. Had I spent more time on taking care of myself I don’t think I would have been struggling as much. This is still a lesson that I am trying to remind myself of everyday. I am now prioritizing exercise, eating better, and having a nightly routine.

3. Its OK to Need Help: I really struggle with this. As the oldest child I was always the “helper”. I hate being the one that needs help. A few weeks before taking a break I tried doing everything for the blog by myself instead of having my husband help every other weekend like he had been. I became overwhelmed and burnt out fast. Now getting back into the blog I know that not only is it OK to ask for help, but sometimes its necessary.

Like I said before, I didn’t spend this entire break truly focusing on my health and getting everything in order. I definitely should have prioritized it a bit more but progress is a process. I am feeling so much better after taking some time off. I am going to try to remind myself of these 3 lessons often so that I don’t get burnt out again.