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It took me more than twenty working years before I truly learned to listen to my body.

The art of stopping. I recommend it to everyone.

And for me too, it’s been trial and error. When I hear a little voice in my head saying, “I have to… now…,” I’ve taught myself to question that signal ⏰:

Does it really need to happen?

Now?

Yes, sometimes I ignore that signal ⏰…

Often, it’s the caveman in me who feels unsafe—for example, thinking that I’ll lose connection with others if I don’t keep going… So sometimes, I push through anyway.

Until my body starts protesting ⏰… That’s when I’ll finally start listening.

Since I tend to do things a bit differently than the usual, I consciously choose to do something other than what I “should” be doing at that moment, such as:

🌱 wandering around the city µ
🌱 reading a book instead of trying to write another piece for social media
🌱 lying down on the couch for a few minutes, closing my eyes (and sometimes falling asleep… a clear sign that my energy tank is running low)

I believe it pays off: it frees up time and space. After a while, inspiration often starts flowing again.

I actually use that alarm ⏰ in reverse. An alarm usually makes me take action rather than stopping. But I allow myself to take a break. Even if it’s a short moment.

When do you stop, by the way?