Unwinding for Success: The Power of Decompression for Peak Performance

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Introduction

Taking time to finish school, decompress, and start fresh can enhance overall well-being and productivity. This article explores

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Importance of Prioritizing Self-Care for Optimal Performance

This article will be different from others as it will be all personal. I want to be honest and transparent. I was in school for my doctorate and had numerous medical appointments that needed my attention. I began feeling overwhelmed, as if being pulled in many different directions. And the uncertainty of whether I would need surgery on my hand or not did not help matters either. My daughter and I had a sit-down talk about how we should pause recording new episodes for the podcast/YouTube until I finished school. Although all the hard stuff for school is done, we are still preparing to travel to Lynchburg, Virginia, so that I can cross the stage for the last time with my village in tow.  

In reading a book by Rachael O’Meara titled Pause: Harnessing the Life-Changing Power of Giving Yourself a Break, she defines pause and the purpose. She said, “Pausing isn’t tied to any amount of time. It’s about the quality of how that time is spent. I define a pause as any intentional shift in behavior that allows you space to experience a mental shift in attitude, thoughts, or emotions that otherwise wouldn’t have occurred.”[1]

In today's fast-paced world, the significance of self-care cannot be overstated.  For instance, dedicating time to decompress after completing a demanding academic journey can significantly impact an individual's ability to perform optimally in their next chapter. This period of transition allows for reflection, rejuvenation, and the cultivation of new perspectives, setting the stage for a fresh start filled with renewed energy and enthusiasm. Prioritizing self-care is akin to investing in one's well-being bank, where the dividends are improved focus, enhanced creativity, and a resilient mindset ready to tackle future challenges.

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Returning Refreshed and Focused

All the projects that I completed for school have helped me understand just how much talking about grief needs to be normalized. Too many people needlessly suffer in silence. Grief is sneaky, painful, and exhausting; however, it can be managed. If we know the symptoms to look for and that they are normal to experience, we can talk through the difficult times instead of suppressing those feelings by packing them down inside. So, when we return, we will pick up from where we left off in Grief’s Deception: Overcoming the Twelve Lies Whispered to a Broken Heart by Debbie Jordan.  The truth that she speaks in that book will be so helpful on our grief journey as we learn how to manage the waves of grief together.  If you can, get the book on Amazon so you can write notes about what you are thinking. You should see mine! I have notes all around the margins.

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Conclusion

We have to listen to our bodies when they tell us to pause. There is nothing like pausing by stepping back to regain focus and a new perspective on how to move forward. When I finished completing my oral defense, it was as if a heavy weight had been lifted from me. I sat there and cried for at least five minutes.  And it felt so good to finally release all the emotions that I had been carrying this semester. It was partly because of the excitement of successfully defending but also a sense of no more pressure on my mind and in my heart. It was a sense of freedom. You can have it, too, if you pause to take care of yourself. We will be back on June 1st, 2024. You can catch up on the Graciously Grieving: Living Through the Pain podcast on Spotify, Apple, and Google or at The Corner of Graciously Grieving channel on YouTube until we return. If you need to talk in the meantime, you can reach us by emailing; graciouslygrievinglttp@gmail.com or call/text 903-483-4994. Love you, my gracious gems. See you soon!!

The Corner of Graciously Grieving

Graciously Grieving: Living Through the Pain podcast

[1] Rachael O’Meara, Pause: Harnessing the Life-Changing Power of Giving Yourself a Break (New York, NY: Tarcher Perigee, 2017), xiv.