The very lovely Jane Kent wrote a post just before Christmas about how small businesses have been finding the past year quite hard and I thought she summed it up nicely when she said she felt she had lost her sparkle. I could really relate to this.
Like most freelance creatives I really love my work but like most humans all things are great until there is a bit too much of it. And I think that’s what I have found these past couple of years. Particularly in the Lockdowns and not being able to go away like we usually would it made sense to just keep working and with sales taking a hit, if I wasn’t working I was constantly thinking that I should be! Tiring on the ol’ brain that!
Working from home has its perks but it also means that work is a corridor away making it hard sometimes, for me at least, to switch off completely. There is always something that could be done. I’ve been on a hamster wheel of work and worry and the best thing, which I have realised over Christmas, was to step off the wheel and take a break.
Over Christmas I sat and read (I lovvveeddd Magpie by Eliazbeth Day), watched boxsets and went for long walks without a purpose (although granted my purpose is usually to buy chocolate). I’ve really embraced the art of doing not a lot over the festive period, shutting down those guilty feelings, reminding myself that people do take Christmas off! It is allowed… who knew!? 🙂
This Monday I woke up feeling excited about work again. It feels like it’s been a while and that sparkle that was lost is starting to glimmer again. I’m sure the money panics and ‘not working’ guilt will still creep up again but it is my plan (as of 12.34am on Monday 10th January 2022 when I wrote this) to just… well… give myself a break, in order to keep that sparkle alive.
Wishing you a happy healthy 2022. Hope it’s lovely and sparkly!