028. What do you need to permission to do today?
Every issue of Moment comes with a question designed to gently nudge you towards working well: making your mental health part of your self-employed business plan.
028. What do you need to permission to do today?
For some reason, and I’m sure there’s some sort of science behind it - it can often feel like we don’t have ‘permission’ to take care of ourselves. “It feels like a luxury”, “I need to focus on getting client work done”, “It’s selfish”, “I don’t matter”.
We so readily de-prioritise ourselves on our todo list, putting family, friends, work, clients, HMRC, grocery shopping, chasing invoices, the list is endless. But with endless todo lists, if we’re at the bottom of that list, we’ll never get to the point where we are checking-in with ourselves.
Sometimes, and whatever the psychological reason behind it, it can be easier if someone tells us to do something which is beneficial, than giving ourselves permission to do something. Take a break. Walk away from a project. Congratulate yourself. Feel proud of something you did. Eat a biscuit. Finish for the day.
Whilst I think there are benefits in doing work to find the inner strength, to not need the validation of others, to be your own best friend - that can be a life’s work, and not everyone is at that place. Small little psychological hacks can work too. And the permission slip is one of those things.
It happens quite often in the Leapers community, our members give each other permission slips to take care of themselves, to take an action which benefits them in the long run.
Today, use this Moment to reflect on the things which perhaps, for whatever reason, you need someone else to give you permission to do, and reflect upon why you can’t allow yourself control over the decision.
Or, if you need to, pop in to Leapers, share how you’re doing, and someone is likely to help out with a permission slip if you need one.
Leave a comment below to share your reflections,
or visit Leapers to discuss the question further.
Things we read this week:
The great resignation doesn’t have to be a bad thing - thinkplaymake
Too much free time linked to lower sense of wellbeing - Guardian
Parental burnout: how juggling kids in a pandemic brought us to the brink - Guardian
Tax hikes for the self-employed: dealing with change - Leapers
The Ethical Move marketing pledge - Ethical Move
Microcourses and Netflix - Australian Financial Review
Thinking Tools - untools
Understanding Burnout - Dr. Christina Maslach
Do we work too much? The New Yorker
What are you reading? Share in the comments.
Leapers has been supporting the mental health of the self-employed for almost four years, and we’ve done it without any funding, just kind support from our members - people like you. Help support our work by making a one-off or regular donation, every penny helps us help more people.