Recently, I “came out” so to speak on Jade Craven’s blog about someone who deals with anxiety. For me, it’s a mild case, one that I’ve learned to manage without the use of medications. Not that drugs are bad, under the supervision of a doctor. For me, they have some weird side effects. I was talking about this with my roommate just last night. While medication may help me “even out” so to speak, it takes away something that is an inherent part of me - my crazy, sometimes obsessive drive to reach my goals.

That brings me to an important point, though. It’s okay, for your own physical and mental health, to take a deep breath sometimes.

I’ve found that when I’m trying to achieve a career goal, I work and work and work, fueling my motivation with coffee and my personal needs to succeed. That kind of lifestyle can lead to frustration and burnout if you aren’t getting anywhere, though - or at least, if you aren’t getting where you want to be fast enough for your liking. Medication may not be the answer for me, but the lesson here is that it is ok to sometimes chill out.

There’s a difference between chilling out and becoming complacent. Let’s say you’re trying to find a job in your desired industry. You spend every day pounding the pavement, either in real life or virtually. You’ve reworked your resume dozens of times and tailored over 100 cover letters to send out to various companies. You’ve done phone interviews, You’ve created profiles on job search sites. And so on and so on and so on…

Yet still no job.

Taking a day off to go to the park, hang out with a friend, or enjoy a hobby is a good thing. Giving up and sitting in front of the TV every day is not. By taking a deep breath now and again, you can calm your stress levels and attack the task at hand with a renewed vigor the next day. It’s definitely something I need to remind myself to do more often.

Today, I want to encourage you to take a little break, even if it is just for an hour or two. Your career goals will still be there when you get back - and sometimes a break is exactly what you need to get closer to them.