The time to relax is when you don’t have the time for it. – Sidney Harris

We all know the feeling. That time when the weight of the world seems to be on our shoulders. When you’ve been there before, you know the warning signs. Those signs that you are just about to your breaking point.

For me, I feel it most when there isn’t time in my day, or in my week, to breath. When things begin to stack up, one thing on top of the next. When one phone call, text, email, or meeting has the potential to be that personal tipping point – that one more thing that pushes me too far.

It is in these moments, when I know that one more thing is going to be too much, that it is most important to find time to relax. It could be not attending a school event – knowing that my attendance isn’t essential. It could be asking colleagues to cover a meeting or take my calls for an hour. It could be building time into my schedule for dinner with my family.

Taking care of yourself, realizing that no single person is expected to carry the weight of the organization, is essential. In order to be at your best, you need to take care of you. You aren’t expected to be at every event, to fix every problem, or work 24 hours a day. Emails can wait, parent complaints can wait until Monday and don’t need weekend replies, and evenings can be protected for family. Sure, our work is more than 40 hours a week, but you must find time to relax.