It's OK to Step Away

Stepping away from the things that we're passionate about, for brief periods of time, is inevitable. It can be a deliberate, self-made decision, or it can be something that happens as a result of a change in our environment. I want to focus on the latter scenario and use an example that everyone should be familiar with: the pandemic.

The pandemic caused most of our environments to change. Offices and schools closed, social distancing went into effect, and it grew difficult to continue some of our passions or hobbies at a consistent rate of intensity.

Most of my reading was done at a library. All of my workouts were done at a gym. These are two activities that I've always enjoyed, but when libraries and gyms closed, I struggled to continue with them. I took a brief (seven months) hiatus from both and soon began feeling increasingly guilty. Could I even still call myself a reader or a fitness enthusiast if I hadn't kept up with them in so long?

Also, during that same time, I began reflecting and asked myself different questions about each of these activities.

Reading questions:

• Did I like what I had been reading?
• Why was I reading as often as I was?
• Was I implementing what I learned?
• What part of reading do I currently miss?

Workout questions:

• Did I like my routine?
• What was I trying to achieve?
• Was I happy with the results of my routine?

Answering these helped me dig into where my head was then and where it is now. It also helped me realize that stepping away from my hobbies didn't indicate that I loved them any less, or that I couldn't identify with them. But it did serve as a "reset" or "pause" button of sorts to help me take a look around, figure out how I was feeling, and pivot.

I'm now in the middle of my first book in seven months (Bob Iger's autobiography on my iPad). And on the workout side, I switched gears from barbell and dumbbell weightlifting in a gym to kettlebells at home.

If you're in the middle of a period where you've stepped away from a hobby, passion, or activity that you love, and you're feeling guilty about it — try to go easy on yourself and ask some clarifying questions. Some time away might be what you need to jump back in at a later date with even more fire than before.