Freelancing to Freedom

Well, I was going to write about goals this week, and while this is a favourite topic of mine, there’s something more pertinent that happened last week that I need to write about instead: illness.

Yup, not a very fun topic, but an important one nonetheless. I haven’t been sick in years. In fact, I haven’t been sick since I started freelancing. And I believe the main reason I never got sick was because I kept stress in check through yoga, meditation, and lots of down time. Slowly but surely, however, over the past few weeks, I’ve let stress creep into my life. And boy, did it get me.

On Thursday last week, I started to feel a bit off, but I pushed through with my routine because I had an extra amount of work on my plate. In fact, I was overwhelmed. Then bam, just like that, I’m out of commission for three whole days with the worst flu I’ve had since I was a kid. I could barely drink water let alone look at my computer. Even now, I’m writing this while lying on the couch trying to recover my strength.

I definitely started stressing out about work: “Oh crap, I’m going to miss deadlines. How will I explain this to my clients?” But I had to silence the voice in order to sleep and heal. And now, on the mend, I’m realizing that while work and deadlines are top priorities, health is number one. Regardless of how much work you have on your plate, you need to take care of yourself by eating well, sleeping enough, and getting exercise – no excuses! Stop the stress! You are no use to anyone when you’re sick.

And don’t beat yourself up, like I did. People get sick. That being said, it’s a good idea to give yourself a deadline for a project a few days before the client’s deadline, just as insurance against the unexpected, like illness.

Bottom line: take care of yourself and everyone will thank you.

Namaste 

Rachel

This week’s goal: Approach goals mindfully – let’s try this again.

Song of the week: On a happy note, I got a chance to see Coldplay live this week before I got sick!! Best show ever. So this week, here’s one of my favourite Coldplay songs: “Fix You.”