Giving Yourself A Timeout

In today's society, we take mental health as serious as we take physical health. This is one thing I think society has right! Of course we might should not take it as far as some do but being mindful of your overall health is important. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 says, “May the God of peace himself make you perfectly holy and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” God wants to protect our spirit, soul and body and so should we.

Sometimes it is necessary to give yourself a timeout to do so. This can look very different depending on the person and the situation. Sometimes a timeout will be from an individual, an activity, or even a place. When one of these things becomes toxic to your growth with the Lord it is the right thing to take a timeout. It is important to remember that it is just a temporary timeout in order to clarify if that is the real issue or if there is some else that needs to be addressed.

What does a timeout look like? In a friendship, it looks like stepping away from the drama they are being into your life or limiting communication with them until you find clarity. In a romantic relationship it looks like having the hard but honest discussions about what you need in the relationship. Timeouts when other people are involved can be the most difficult but you are involving other's emotions as well. A timeout from a certain activity or place can be much easier to navigate because it can be as simple as avoiding it for the time being and then revisiting if it is not causing issues.

In my case a timeout looks like cutting back on activities and areas where I am spending to much energy. Over the past few weeks, it has become harder and harder for me to do specific tasks that have always come easy to me. This is mostly because my body is going through major changes and using most of my energy to make a baby. For the wellness of my baby and myself, I have to be mindful of where I am using my energy.