Alright folks, it’s back to work! I don’t know how this two week holiday turned into a two month vacation but getting back to work mentally has been the hardest thing I’ve had to do all year. I’m sure many of you are experiencing the same thing. My question is why? They say once you do something consistently for 90 days… it becomes a habit. But I’ve been showing up consistently for way longer and yet after 2 weeks, the rhythm I’d kept for an entire year quietly slipped out of my hands.
It just feels heavy. Like I am trying to restart from scratch instead of simply picking up where I left off.
But here are some things that I’m learning.
The truth is, habits are more fragile than we admit
We like to think habits are about discipline. About wanting something badly enough. But habits don’t actually live in willpower—they live in context.
Same time.
Same environment.
Same mental cues.
The holidays disrupted all of that. My schedule changed. My energy changed. My focus shifted. And when those cues disappeared, the habit didn’t die—it just became unanchored.
So when I tried to “go back to work,” it suddenly required effort. And effort invites resistance.
I was waiting to feel ready again
Without realizing it, I told myself I’d restart properly.
Properly meant:
- being fully settled
- having a clear schedule
- feeling inspired
- making up for lost time
But “properly” became this invisible standard I couldn’t quite reach. Instead of easing back in, I paused. Then delayed. Then avoided.
Not because I didn’t care—but because I cared too much.
The identity shift no one talks about
For a year, I was “someone who blogs regularly.”
Over the holidays, I became “someone resting, living, absorbing.”
Coming back required more than opening my laptop—it required an identity switch.
And identity shifts always feel awkward at first. You don’t slide back into them smoothly. You hesitate. You overthink. You wonder if you still belong there.
I was trying to restart at 100 instead of 10
My mind kept going back to my most productive version. The version with systems, consistency, and flow.
But habits don’t restart at their peak. They restart at the floor.
Right now, the idea of a “regular schedule” felt heavy because I skipped the re-entry phase. I was trying to leap instead of step.
Here’s the Takeaway
I don’t need a grand comeback.
I need a soft return.
One post.
No series.
No pressure.
No promise beyond today.
Momentum doesn’t come before action—it comes after it.
And consistency doesn’t always look loud or impressive. Sometimes it looks like quietly showing up again without announcing it.
I didn’t lose the habit.
I just needed permission to re-enter gently.
Your turn
If you’ve fallen off a habit you once held with ease—writing, creating, showing up—this is your reminder: you don’t need to start over. You just need to start smaller.
Leave a comment, share this post, or journal on this question today:
What’s the softest way I can show up again—without pressure?
And if you’re rebuilding rhythm in this season too, you’re not behind.
You’re just returning 💛
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