When is it enough?

This has been a long week, and it’s not even Friday yet. Monday and Tuesday, I worked 10 hours days at my day job. Wednesday, I had to be up at 4:30 am but couldn’t sleep, so I was up at 2:30 am after going to sleep at about 10pm the night before and waking up every 2 hours. I worked until after 6pm. I don’t remember the exact time because my brain was fried. I also wrote 2 scenes, jot ideas for a couple more and managed to make sure people at home were fed and taken care of.

This isn’t to say, “Look at me. Aren’t I wonderful for all the stuff I accomplished?” No, I say this because even though I’ve been working harder than usual to work, at home, and on my story, the little voice in my head keeps whispering “All you do is drive all day. You shouldn’t be this tired. You should work more on your book. You should do more for your family. There is more you can get done.”

But my question is, when is it enough? There will always be things that need done. It’s a fact of life. There are only so many days in the week. Only so many hours in a day. When have I done enough?

When is it time to take a break from the things you need to do and the things you think you need to get done? How do you decide? Do you wait until your body gives you no choice? Do you wait until you are so tired and grouchy your family wonders what monster put on your face and replaced you? Or have you learned the signals your body gives you to let you know you are reaching your breaking point? Have you learned to open up to those around you and ask for help? Do you know what you can delegate to others and what you can put off till another day? Can you even tell the difference anymore?

I still struggle with this. My body is currently trying to tell me I’m reaching my breaking point. When I came home from work last night, my insides were… have you ever touched the wire on an electric fence with the electricity on? Yeah. That’s how my body felt. If my wonderful husband hadn’t had dinner on the table 30 minutes after I got home, I probably would have gone to bed without eating. Even after getting 10 hours of sleep, my body still feels like a plucked guitar string. The question is, am I going to listen to it? Have I done enough?

My answer is yes. For today, I have done enough. Tomorrow might be different, I’m scheduled for a 12 hour day at work, but I’m taking this question one day at a time. One hour at a time. One minute at a time. For now, it’s enough.

Do you know when you’ve done enough?

In Sarah Werner’s Write Now Podcast, Episode 38 “Give yourself Some Grace.” https://www.sarahwerner.com/give-grace-wn-038/, she gives a wonderful talk about being enough. If you are struggling with pushing yourself too hard, committing to too much and expecting too much from yourself, give this a listen. Hopefully, you will come away inspired, as I did, to make yourself a priority. You are worth taking care of and being kind too. You are enough.