Adult Time Out

Do I need a break?

Am I burnt out?

If you even hesitate to answer anything but yes on the questions above, you definitely do. Adult Time Out is one of my favorite forms of self-care. Most of us are familiar with the concept of a time out. It could be familiar because you have kids or just remember having them as a kid. A time out is used frequently to break the inertia of a situation and gives us a chance to reflect before we rejoin that situation. It is used in sports as well, for a chance to regroup with your team to better move forward.

Burnout is a real thing. It is a mental health term typically used in the context of one’s workplace relationship. You may feel burnt out if you are:

• feeling depleted and/or exhausted

• having difficulty concentrating and executing

• distancing yourself from situations that you know will make you feel better because it just seems too much

Without a chance to regularly practice self-care, it is much too easy to feel fried, tired, and cranky. My best friend once said to me, “I am so not fun right now that I don’t want to hang out with myself, let alone subject anyone else to me.” It was so comical in the moment, after a long week at work. It is something that I regularly think back to in order to check in with myself and see what I may need. Having Adult Time Out regularly helps me to keep my batteries charged and allows me to stay patient as an impatient person.

Take a sabbatical, a hiatus, an Adult Time Out. Heck, put yourself in time out. Call it whatever you want to call it, as long as you give yourself a break and get away from the daily norm you have going on. What you do during that time out is up to you.