Overheating the Engine

I’ve spoken to a few people in the last few weeks that have reminded me a lot of myself - the unhealthy part of myself. They were guilty of “burning the candle at both ends.” Regardless of the warnings from family and friends and the constant psychological nagging of our own brains, we keep on attempting to cram every single thing we can into the 24 hour day...every day.

Sometimes analogies just pop into my head. I’ve probably heard them before but it’s been so long — and so many candles burned in between — that I couldn’t relay the source if I wanted to. The idea came to mind of a car. Most cars can’t sustain running 24-7. They will run out of gas and overheat. In a similar point, they need maintenance and that’s hard to do when it’s under operation. Breaks are necessary.

And so it is with us. I still like the slogan “we will sleep when we are dead” but I’m slowly recognizing that the death sleep might find it’s way to me sooner if I don’t pump the breaks and pull into the rest stop on occasion. Take the time to go for a walk. Run a bath and soak. Go get coffee alone or get ice cream with a friend and just let yourself enjoy the treat and the good company. Take yourself to a movie or out to eat and treat yourself.

You pour plenty of you into the rest of the world. If you don’t refill yourself you may find that you have little left to give. The car will run better and smoother when it’s given a little rest and routine maintenance. Your brain is the same way. So take 15 minutes today and give it to you.

Ben Hayes