Take a Break!

Changing your whole life can be quite stressful. Many times I wonder how all of the life changes impact me. If you’ve taken an introductory psychology class, you might’ve heard of the Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory. Essentially, each major life event is assigned a point value, the more stressful the event, the higher the point value. The higher your score, the more likely you are to experience an illness in the future. 

Every time I encounter a life change, I think about this and encourage myself to be kind to myself. As I take inventory over everything I’ve experienced in the last 3 months, I remember that I have:
– Quit a job 
– Moved from Illinois to New York with 3 bags 
– Started a new job 
– Lived for a month in a shared living building 
– Signed a lease 
– Moved into a new apartment 
– Navigated new relationships
– Ended some old relationships 
– Cried a lot 
– Laughed a lot 
– Grew a lot 

And I still haven’t made it to 4 months yet. I am pretty excited about all I have accomplished, but I want to remind us that every day won’t be sunshine and cupcakes, and even the good things can be stressful. Take care of yourself and mind your mental health. When you need to take a break, do it. Breaks are vital for optimal performance.