Feeling like you 'don't want to go' after a long weekend isn't laziness. A gentle restart guide to listening to your inner voice 🌿

On the night of the last day of a long weekend, or the morning after a break.
Have you ever suddenly felt a tightness in your chest, thinking,
'Oh, is daily life starting again?'

Without even having time to soak in the lingering joy of the time you spent,
reality and tasks come rushing in.
The more you think, 'I have to do my best,'
the heavier your body and mind feel, like lead...

If you are feeling this way right now,
please do not blame yourself.
It is by no means 'being soft' or 'laziness,'
but proof that your 'inner voice' is functioning normally.

Today, I will talk about how to prepare your mind and body to lighten that heavy feeling after a long weekend.

🕊️ That feeling of 'not wanting to go' is a sign that your heart is seeking rest

Feeling reluctant before returning to work or school after a while is a very natural reaction of the brain's mechanism.
Our brains have a nature of perceiving 'change' as stress.
Even if it is just switching from holiday mode to work mode,
it is a 'change' that requires a lot of energy for the brain.

What is important here is not to deny the emotions (inner voice) that have welled up, such as
'I don't want to go' or 'It's tough.'

'Everyone else is working hard,'
'I shouldn't complain about something like this.'

If you put a lid on your inner voice like that, your heart will lose its place to go and become even more stubborn.
First, let's acknowledge it, as if talking to yourself in the mirror:

'I see, you don't want to go.'
'It's after a break, so it's natural to feel tough.'

Just by accepting your emotions as they are, you should be able to feel the tense strings of your nerves loosen a little.

🩺 Ignoring your 'inner voice' is the gateway to damaging your health

There is a saying that 'illness comes from the mind,' and the state of your mind and the health of your body are more closely connected than we think.

If you ignore your inner voice and try to force your engine to full throttle,
the balance of your autonomic nervous system is likely to be disrupted.
During the long weekend, your relaxation mode (parasympathetic nervous system) was dominant,
but by trying to suddenly switch to combat mode (sympathetic nervous system),
friction occurs within the body.

When this friction becomes significant, the following types of malaise may appear.

• Decline in sleep quality (difficulty falling asleep, waking up in the middle of the night)

• Unexplained fatigue (fatigue that doesn't go away even after sleeping)

• Worsening of headaches or stiff shoulders

• Disruption of appetite

Leaving 'feeling somewhat unwell' alone and continuing to run is like driving on a highway in a car with a gas leak.
Especially after a long weekend, giving yourself permission to 'slow down' consciously leads to maintaining your health and, by extension, your performance in the long run.

🐢 Give yourself a gold star for a '60% effort' for the first three days

So, how exactly can you ease your mind and body back into your daily routine? What I recommend is deciding that
it's okay to idle for the first three days.

You don't need to try to
run at the same top speed
as you did before the long weekend starting from the very first day back. Even a rocket uses the most energy the moment it lifts off from the launchpad. Don't try to go full throttle from the start; instead, make your goal
just being there
and
getting back into your rhythm.

• It's okay if you just check your emails

• It's okay if you just manage to sit at your desk

• It's a perfect score if you manage to leave on time

Lower the bar for yourself as much as possible and focus on what you 'did' manage to do.
While giving yourself a gold star and saying 'this is enough for today,'
you can gradually, very gradually,
let your body get used to your daily pace.

🌙 Give your brain a rest tonight with a 'digital detox'

There is an action you can take right now to heal the fatigue of returning from a long weekend.
That is to reduce your smartphone time just a little before bed.

If you open social media, you might be bombarded with someone else's glamorous holiday
or perhaps negative news. In this modern age of information overload,
your brain is in a constant state of excitement while you are looking at your phone.

Why not put your phone a little further away tonight
and spend your time doing something like this instead?

• Take a long, slow soak in a lukewarm bath around 38–40 degrees Celsius

• Inhale the scent of your favorite aroma

• Change into comfortable pajamas

• Dim the lights and listen to quiet music

By providing pleasant stimulation to your five senses (sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste),
your heightened sympathetic nervous system will calm down, and you will naturally be able to breathe deeply.
Quality sleep is the best medicine of all.

For the sake of your tomorrow, let's give your brain a good rest tonight.

🌈 Finally: It's okay to go at your own pace.

Returning from a long weekend, you might feel anxious
seeing everyone else seemingly returning to their daily routines so smoothly.
But everyone's inner rhythm is different.

The fact that it takes you time to get going
is proof that you were able to truly relax and
get proper rest during your time off.
That is a wonderful thing.

Don't rush, don't hurry, just listen to the voice of your heart and body.
It will be okay to start walking again, slowly.

May today be a calm and gentle day for you, even if just a little.

Voice of Heart _ RYO