Stop Glamorizing Overexertion!
Today, I saw a picture of a young woman. She was cute with her hair neatly pulled up in a tight bun; red pointed heels graced her feet, and her best friend, “coffee”, was strapped to her right hand with the caption,
“#Exhausted beyond reason...went to a meeting with Mr. CEO, closed a big client deal, finished my business plan and now I am off to my company dinner. #networking #hustler #stayready #stillcute”
At 3 AM, I took a long, hard look at my surroundings and I saw empty Starbucks cups on the floor; a tattered six page to-do list on my desk; books and clothes scattered everywhere; forty unread text messages on my phone; and a computer with 50 million tabs open (this, of course, was my failed attempt to “multi-task”).
On top of that, I was noticeably exhausted from all the meetings and networking events. As I looked around, all I could do was cry. There are over 160 hours in a week and I could not think of one moment when I did something for myself.
I live in a city that is always booming. A place where connections are key and if you you aren’t hustling 24/7 then you might as well consider yourself a nobody. You can’t be tired, because the second you sleep opportunity passes you by.
So as you can imagine it's easy to feel exhausted fast, but for some reason that is considered "cool". Here is a reality check....overexertion isn’t the cute woman in red heels, hailing a cab with her trusty Starbucks cup in her hand.
YOU WANT TO KNOW THE REAL DEFINITION OF OVEREXERTION?
It is when you are trying to save the world; do the best for your kids; make it to the top of the corporate ladder; or “hustle” until you make it. You run so much that at some point you forget that you are human. You find yourself up until 3 AM every morning to finish your to-do list just to wake up to 10 emails asking you to do something else. Your passion becomes your problem. One day, you just can’t take it anymore and fall into a downward spiral.
We shouldn’t be admiring sleepless nights and coffee filled diets. We should be celebrating self-care and the people who have the will to put their mental health first.
SO, HERE ARE 3 THINGS I WANT YOU TO DO THIS WEEK:
Wake up and just lay there: Yes, I mean it. Before you start your day, let your mind run free.
Disconnect from the social world: Crazy? I know, but you would be surprised what an hour without Insta, Facebook, and email can do for your mental well being.
Take the night off and be carefree: When was the last time you did something you loved? When was the last time you went somewhere on a random whim? Don’t think about it. Just do it.
Overexertion is no longer cute...
I constantly preach to my friends that you have to take care of yourself. Your impact on the world will be defined by how well you take care of yourself. You will never be able to give your best, if you are not at your best.
REMEMBER STAY HAPPY, HEALTHY, AND HOPEFUL!
Tiffany Shivers, Founder at Soulaana Yoga + Wellness
