What am I if I am not productive
The pressure for being productive is super exhausting. All the time, we have been told that we have to be effective, and without doing something, we are wasting our lives and not living up to our true potential
While some of that is true, we need to rest and recoup our strength when approaching burnout. Somedays, you aren’t able to get out to bed for whatever reason; you feel like a failure that you haven’t achieved anything worthwhile today. This sends you into a spiral of guilt and shame, making the whole day even more stressful.
Being productive is deeply planted in our minds. It has started to be associated so closely with our self worth, especially when we aren’t able to perform or need rest. The little nagging voice in our heads tells us that we are worthless and don’t even deserve what we have.
This feeling of not amounting to anything eats us up slowly, isn’t always there in the background no matter how hard you try to distract yourself.
While it isn’t horrible, this drives us to be better, and from the perspective of self-preservation, it makes a lot of sense.
Being productive and creating stuff feels great. But when there’s a lot of resistance and other reasons limiting you from starting or mastering your skills, your pesky inner critic takes a jab at your mental health.
In this modern world of overstimulation, there is pressure to constantly do something. The quality of being without doing is being ignored, and there is a constant push towards being productive. There’s no time to be in solitude or to rest completely.
How often did you feel guilty about taking some time off? or how often do you think about work when you are on vacation?
Our mind tricks us into believing that relaxation, even when needed, is somehow the wrong thing to do. This leads to perpetual restlessness, and we get stuck in a cycle of worthlessness and guilt.
I want to convey that your productivity isn’t your self-worth, and you are not useless if you are having a hard time being productive.
Self-care and love are of utmost importance, and we need to normalize taking off time for ourselves when we need a break. Some days are just for surviving, and some are for working. Being a human is complicated, don’t make it even harder by expecting insane hours of productive time every day.
You are more than what you do or don’t do; you deserve to take time off and rest if needed. You don’t have to be productive or accomplish something to be happy, happy, and at peace irrespective of how many goals you have achieved or not.
