dON'T BE TOO HARD ON YOURSELF IF YOU NEED SOME DOWNTIME

I'm a big believer in placing little artifacts in my creative and work spaces to help me remember what I need to cultivate each day, which includes courage, self-compassion, and self-love. As a sensitive introvert, sometimes I need to let my feelings and emotions up and out. If I try to repress them and plow through my work, I'm not effective and it usually leads to a longer period of down time. But when I pay attention to what's going on within, and allow my heart the time it needs to fully process whatever is going on, then I find I can get back to productivity sooner and be more effective when I do. Sometimes this means I need to take an unplanned pause in my work for an hour or a day, depending on what's going on. And I used to be really hard on myself about that, feeling guilty for not being productive. But now I know this is just how I am wired and I need to allow and honor the process instead of trying to fight it. It's not *always* feasible to take a full unplanned day off work, of course. So when I can't, I find other ways to honor myself and the emotions that are longing to be acknowledged. I'll take a break as quickly as I can and go for a walk, sit among the plants in my indoor garden, write in my journal, or do a quick little piece of sketching or other creative expression..... anything that helps me see and understand what's going on within, what triggered the feelings, and what I can do to best nurture my heart in that moment.