I took a break and nothing happened

Last week, I did something that felt a little bit unusual for me: I took a break.

At first, it was intentional — a few days away with my other half, in London. But when we came back I realised just how tired I really was. So I took a few more days. Not because I planned to, but because I needed to. Believe me I did try to work, but my head was not cooperating.

And honestly? I was uneasy about it. I usually find it hard to switch off and here I was not able to switch on again!

When you're a one woman show, there's nobody to take over so the urge is always to keep going. Surely everything would come crashing down otherwise? I'm always afraid that my momentum would stop, that I'd fall behind, that taking a pause would somehow undo all the work I’ve put in.

But here’s the truth — and it surprised me:
Nothing happened. Nothing!

Nothing dramatic. Nothing fell apart. The world kept turning, and my business kept quietly ticking along in the background. My customers didn’t disappear, in fact they ordered anyway. My community didn’t forget me, in fact, it grew while I was away. My creative work didn’t evaporate, because that's ridiculous!

It was a gentle, important reminder: if we build something it right, it can stand on its own if we let go for a while. We don’t have to carry it every single second. We don’t have to be "on" all the time for it to be real and steady and strong.

Sometimes taking the break is not quenching the fire, it's fueling it.

So here’s my note to self (and maybe to you, too):
Take the break.
Rest when you need it.
Let go of the fear that everything depends on you always showing up.
Fellow creatives, entrepreneurs, Mums and whoever else needs to hear this - you’ve built something solid — and it can hold for a while while you refill your cup.

Chill. You’ve earned it.