Oh, So You Can’t Keep Up?

When does everything slow down? Or am I supposed to speed up? At the beginning of this mess, we all slowed down because of the uncertainty, the unknown. Once we all somehow got a grip on how things were going to proceed, just about everything sped up to an uncomfortable pace. Well uncomfortable for me at least. There were no days off, no time to rest, no time to breathe. Whoever was making the rules decided since we were all working from home for the most part, then there was no break needed because we were working from our “comfy” place already. We were already on a break because we didn’t have to leave home. But with that logic doesn’t that make our homes …dare I say it… our workplace. And if we’re at our work place all day, even sleeping there, doesn’t that mean we need a break from our homes?

The option to have our cameras off and our mics muted during Zoom sessions was a blessing and a curse. A blessing because I didn’t have to show myself braiding my hair and not paying attention. A curse because I felt an immense amount of guilt for missing class because I didn’t have to do anything but click a couple of links to join the Zoom. Guilt even when I was sick with the rona and couldn’t fathom how I got it when my workplace and resting place were the same. How could I possibly be missing class when my class was right on the same computer I was binge watching Half & Half on (sometimes during class, I know, I know, I am a bad student. *sigh*) Taking those unplanned “I need a break” breaks didn’t *feel* like an option because everything was remote.

“Break” feels like a foreign word to say now. There are virtually (no pun intended) no breaks anymore. Meetings are scheduled 5 minutes apart because there’s no walking or driving needed to get to the next one. How did we become more demanding than we already were? What are we supposed to expect once everything goes back to normal? Is there even a “normal” to go back to? Well, I wrote this post to say this: TAKE THAT BREAK. And don’t let the guilt of taking a break eat you up because trust me, things will still get done if you take time for yourself. You will be doing yourself and everyone else a favor because you’ll be present and not just “there.” I learned all that the hard way because this Fall 2020 semester was no joke. Well, it made a joke out of me. Don’t let the speed of the world burn you out, go at your own pace, you'll still get there.

Be blessed,

Alyssa