THIS IS FOR THE ONES WHO ARE BURNT OUT AND TIRED

I don’t know what you’ve been going through. It’s probably been hectic and your days have been going on and on. But I have a solution. Turn it off.

There may not be a lot of people telling you that. Society tells you to go go go. I may be telling you the exact opposite of what your boss wants to hear, or even your mom wants to hear. But come on; what’s more stress going to do for you?

I have been tired since the eight grade (yes, a whopping eight years ago)- trying to find rest in a world full of stress. It’s been one chaotic moment after another. And recently, with a new full time job, I’ve found myself being more active, on the go, and downright neurotic. And it’s not always just stress; it’s a feeling of pressure from the outside world telling you that you can have nothing but a 9–to-5 job. That there really is no fulfilling your potential. That you’ve just got too much on your plate.

Your bills worry you, you got too many college loans, and now you can’t even talk about it with your friends because they’ve all got jobs, their own love lives, and their own loans to worry about. Who is there to talk to about this with? It seems like everyone knows what it’s like to feel like this- heavy.

I wasn’t always a worrywart. As a kid I used to get lost in my imagination, ask lots of questions, eat too much food and be merry, and most of all I used to dream with purpose in mind. I bet you some of you have just held your breath because you know sometimes it’s easier to be realistic than to dream epically like your mind used to allow you to when you were a kid. In case of emergency, here are some real step-by-step instructions you need to revive and reboot when all you feel like doing is giving up!

Step one: get some real air into your system- like the fresh cut grass, warm sunny day and wind in your hair kind of air. And no, leave your cellphone at home (this is no time for an Instagram post).

Two: Get yourself some graham crackers and chocolate or whatever foods you used to love and just be yourself without an alarm or a to do list you need to get done. That means no cleaning. Make a warm cup of tea and watch a movie or do something mindless. Your mind needs some rest and your body needs a vacation.

Three: Go ahead and lie down. Feel your heartbeat. It’s still beating. Take a second and just appreciate that you’re still alive and doing okay. I know this isn’t all that’s meant for you. You’ve got purpose attached to you.

Four: Get a pen and paper and just write. Write all the visions you have for your future and everything your heart cries out for. Be honest with the paper but be patient with yourself. Relax. It will all work itself out.

Five: This last one I can’t do for you, only you can do for you. Find one thing today that will propel you into greatness in the future. Dream. You’ve written it on paper, and now it’s time for you to really live it.

You can really do it.