Why Taking Breaks Is Important in Private Practice | Ep 103

Fearless Practice

Do you often let fear stop you from taking a break and resting when you know you need it? Are you often pushing yourself beyond your limits but haven’t stopped to wonder why? Have you been feeling resentful towards work that you used to enjoy in the past?

Taking the time to properly rest is something that can help you to feel more present with your clients during sessions, and to enjoy what you do. Resting allows you to tap into your creative energy and appreciate your daily tasks, as well as your needs, instead of only chasing deadlines.

In this podcast episode, I share my history with overcoming the fear when I know I need to settle down for some time.

In this Episode:

• Why I started private practice

• Signs I need a break

• Being Fearless

• Going forward

Why I started private practice

One of the reasons why I started my own Canadian private practice was because I was getting burned out and I knew that for me to be successful I would need to have more breaks.

However, even when I got to that place, I found myself struggling to give myself the chance to rest and take breaks because I felt I:

• Needed to push myself. I didn’t feel like I could ever fully “earn” my rest because in our modern capitalist society, we’re taught that time means money, so resting could feel like losing money

• Had to continuously earn an income because, another symptom of a largely capitalist society, hustle culture is so ingrained in our world that not actively doing something insinuates that you are not driven

• Could lose out on working with new clients if I wasn’t always available because I decided to take a break

So, during this first year of trying to take more breaks, I had to focus on listening to myself and what my body and mind were telling me when I knew that I needed to take breaks, even if I had fear.

Signs I need a break

I’ve come to notice personal signs of when I need to have a break, because I don’t want to wake up dreading work. I enjoy what I do, but if I don’t give myself time to rest, then that joy could turn into resentment or frustration, and I don’t want it to.

I know that I need to step back when I:

• Heave a big sigh of having to do any admin, marketing, or tasks for my practice

• Feel more anxious or panicky

• Become overwhelmed or easily stressed out by emails and additional requests

This approach to my work has drastically helped me to reduce that “ugh” feeling toward my work, and keep the burnout at bay. If you are interested in trying out a 50/ 50 workweek split, you can listen to my podcast episode about it here.

Being Fearless

After seven years of private practice and getting to know myself in this setting, I can no longer imagine working like how I used to!

Now, I have a deeper understanding of what it means to be a “fearless” practitioner! It can mean saying “yes” to things that can feel scary and knowing when to push yourself, but at the same time also knowing when to say “no” and focus on self-care.

Going forward

In saying this, I’m going on a two-week hiatus for December! I’m going to unwind, enjoy the holiday season, and I’ll return back in January for another awesome year of the Fearless Practice Podcast!

Connect with me:

Instagram

Website

Resources Mentioned and Useful Links:

Ep 102: Nicole Lobo: Turning Lemons into Lemonade in Private Practice | EP 102

Learn more about the tools and deals that I love and use for my Canadian private practice

Article: How to Set Up a Canadian Private Practice Website

Sign up for my free e-course on How to Start an Online Canadian Private Practice

Jane App (use code FEARLESS for one month free)

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