I was recently working on an article on the benefits of taking vacations, and I read an interesting statistic. “40% of women feel guilty when they take time off.”

This really intrigued me, because I experience guilt myself when I take time off or if I feel like I am not working hard enough. Many of my girlfriends feel the same way. They feel like if they take a day off from work they feel guilty, and end up checking voicemail, e-mails and doing a little bit of work anyway.

I know intellectually that for the most part I work very efficiently and when I am in my work “mode” or “zone” I am highly productive. I also know that I do not run at that pace 24/7 probably not even close to 5 days a week. I know that my body has “off” days where I am not as productive and just need to give myself a break. Many times instead of taking the break, I hear this voice in my head that tells me I need to push through it. Then I end up pushing through it, but at the expense of generally making poor decisions that end up becoming costly.

Why we feel this way? Is it our culture, genetic make up, socialization? How do we get rid of the guilt and start valuing the idea that if we take care of ourselves, we have more energy and joy for all those around us that depend on us.

I think a big part of it is cultural. Which means that we don’t need to buy into mainstream cultural constructs for our life and that we can choose how we want to live. The challenging part, is breaking out of the mainstream belief systems and generally living more of a renegade, non-traditional lifestyle.

Changing a cultural belief or ingrained conscious or sub-conscious thought process is something that requires everyday awareness and introspection. The first part to eradicating guilt, is to notice every time you feel guilty. Ask yourself what is triggering the guilt. This one step will help bring more awareness into the decisions you are making. Then you can have fun with it. For example, today I was not really in the mood to work, but I went into the office and got some things done. When I got home in the early afternoon, my first inclination was to start thinking about work again. Instead I caught myself, and decided instead that I should go for a walk, then when I got home, once again I was thinking I “should” work (as an entrepreneur your work is never done), but I just put that guilty thought to the side and connected to what I was really desiring to do in that moment. Then it hit me, “I want to take a bath!” I spent the evening in the bath with a good book.

Let me just warn you that connecting to your desires and pushing guilt off to the side, is not something that will happen overnight. The first time you actually put yourself first and say “no” to something, it will be a daunting process. But I guarantee you, like with any change whether it is eating healthier, exercising, saving money, it is all about creating a new patterns. Letting go of guilt is deeply rooted in your being, so it is going to be tough in the beginning especially if it requires that you say “no” to someone or something.

I always have to remind myself that tomorrow is a new day, and that life is a journey not a “to do” list.

Take some time off, guilt free, I give you permission.

To your health,

Sharon