I never stop moving. I'm usually juggling several things at once, moving back and forth between them. My to-do list is always a mile long. Even when I try to relax I'm thinking of the next story, the next idea, something else I should do. This is the life of a working artist/freelancer - always chasing the next thing, working tirelessly, never slowing down.
Yesterday, I'd had a long day. I left the house at 5:30 a.m. and drove in white-out conditions for nearly two hours to get to a Rotary meeting I was speaking at. After that, I drove another hour to get to the office and work all day. As my eyes started to get heavy I decided to leave a little early and get some work done at home. I was about to sit down at my computer and work on the two books I'm currently writing, queries, submissions, grant applications, and submissions for the journal I read for. But then I stopped myself, reasoned that I'd been working on these things after work every day this week, and for several weeks before that. That I haven't given myself time to just slow down and be, space to think. None of those things were due yesterday and, as my regular Friday morning meeting had been cancelled, I knew I'd have plenty of time to work on it all today. So I decided not to open the computer and to sit down and read for a while. Then I turned on the TV and zoned out for a bit while I binge watched High Maintenance. Nothing got done but it didn't really matter. There would be more time to work, I realized. I needed to take time to myself. It felt good.
So many of us are juggling so many things, it can be hard to make yourself stop and take a breather, but it's so important to your mental health and creativity to reboot every once in a while. Try to remember to slow down, to breathe, to just exist.