In life, you need not only times to work hard, but also times to rest

Lately, I have been spending my days a bit busily.

My mornings start with a jog, and on days when my wife is away for a night shift, I handle everything from preparing breakfast to getting myself ready.

After that, I take my second and third sons to nursery school, and upon returning home, I take out the trash, set the dishwasher, and put away the laundry I washed the day before.

Once that is done, I oversee the studies I assign to my eldest son, or we go out to the park as a family.

Sometimes we go to festivals, play in a pool in the yard, or have a BBQ.

Before I know it, a week has passed in the blink of an eye.

My note posts, which I used to write at a pace of about once every one or two days, have also started to have longer intervals before I realized it💦

But lately, I think that is fine.

Even though I say I am "busy," I am by no means pushing myself too hard.

Rather, I am enjoying every day as I spend it.

I am now enjoying things with my family that I could rarely do when I was working.

It feels like I am enjoying a long vacation.

And recently, I have started to think about something.

Life is short, so the one who enjoys it wins.

The fact that I have come to think this way might be a major change for me.

"Resting" does not mean doing nothing.

When you are taking a break from work,

you might think, "Am I okay doing nothing?"

or "I need to get back to work soon."

I think it is natural to feel such impatience.

I myself used to be like that too.

But now, my way of thinking has changed a little.

Resting does not mean doing nothing.

It is also a time to care for the self that has worked so hard until now, and to prepare yourself so that you can work hard again in the future.

I have come to be able to think that way.

Nowadays, I spend time with my family, play with my children, exercise, and study.

I am reasonably busy every day.

But that busyness is different from before.

It is not a busyness driven by a sense of obligation that I 'must' do things,

but a busyness born from the feeling of 'wanting to try' or 'wanting to enjoy' things.is what it is.

So, I am honestly enjoying this time now.

It is precisely because I have recovered this far

Of course, I have not completely recovered.

I am still visiting a psychosomatic clinic and am at the stage of monitoring my progress while taking medication.

Even so, compared to before, my mental and physical condition has improved significantly.

Continuing morning jogging, getting enough sleep, and bathing in sunlight.

By gradually adjusting these lifestyle habits, I have started to feel that I can stabilize my mind and body through my own efforts.

To borrow the words of Dr. Shion Kabasawa, whom I respect,

it is called "serotonin-based happiness".

It is a calm sense of happiness that can be felt by organizing one's daily life, such as through exercise, sleep, and morning sunbathing.

And from the time I spend with my family and children,

I feel "oxytocin-based happiness".

Playing with my children, laughing together, and going out as a family.

Those casual moments have become a great source of support for me right now.

And, someday, "dopamine-based happiness" too

I hope that as my mental and physical condition stabilizes further, I can gradually work toward reducing my medication.

Of course, I will do this without rushing and while consulting with my doctor.

And once I am able to maintain a stable state on my own, I want to return to work.

Being useful to someone through work, taking on new challenges, and achieving goals.

I hope that from those things, I will be able to feel "
dopamine-based happiness" as well.

Gentle happiness is also important.

Happiness with family is also important.

And the happiness gained from work and challenges is also important.

I want to live a life where I can feel these in a balanced way, rather than just one of them.

Right now, it is a break period in my life

It has been three and a half months since I took a break from work.

If it were the old me, I might have thought, "I haven't worked for three and a half months."

But now, I think, "
I have been given a three-and-a-half-month break from life."

I am giving myself, who has worked hard for so long, a slightly longer holiday. That is the feeling I have.

Spending time with family.

Watching my children grow up close by.

Running in the morning.

Sleeping well.

Studying.

Doing what I love.

And above all, enjoying every day.

Right now, I am cherishing that kind of time.

Of course, I don't think I should just rest forever.

When I am ready to work hard again, I want to return to my job.

For that reason, I want to take my time and get my mind and body in order.

In life, there is also a need for a time to rest.

Up until now, I have...

Valued 'working hard'

'making an effort'

and 'enduring'

above all else.

That is by no means a bad thing.

In fact, there are many things I have been able to accomplish precisely because I was able to work hard.

But, having stopped for a moment this time, I realized one thing.

In life, it is just as important to have a time to rest as it is to have a time to work hard.

You cannot keep running forever.

Sometimes you need to stop, take a deep breath, and look at the scenery around you.

And when you feel like running again, you can just start running.

That is how I feel right now.

It is okay to stop for a little while in life.

In fact, there are some views you can only see because you stopped.

It has been three and a half months since I took a break from work.

Right now, I truly believe that.

Times to work hard are important.
But times to rest are just as important.

This is my break period in life.

I want to fully enjoy this time I have been given with my family.

And when the day comes that I naturally feel like I want to work hard again, I hope I can start running slowly once more.