Celebrities and rehab facilities go together like peanut butter and jelly, white and rice, Justin Timberlake and me (supposing the opportunity presented itself), and chips and salsa.  For whatever reason, the famous ones just can’t seem to keep themselves out of treatment facilities.  Whether they’re in there by court order (ahem, Miss Lohan) or because they just sucker punched someone (hello, Demi!), they’re checking in faster than… well, Lindsey checks in and out of them.  And even though extreme circumstances might have led celebs to seek treatment, I for one am glad that they (or whoever put them in there) saw the value in taking a timeout.

Positive and negative things can be easily distracting and clog up our lives and ways of thinking.  Crazy schedules, obsessing over the future, crying over the past and present – these can all get in the way of moving forward.  While it’s okay and absolutely necessary to take care of our present needs while planning for the future, it shouldn’t consume us to the point of shutting down and losing hope.  This is what happened to me (but we’ll get to that later).

No matter where you’re at in your life, we all need a timeout.  Even God took a break after creating the earth and He’s God!

Taking a break doesn’t always literally mean going on a vacation.  Some people have that luxury while most only have a moment to stop, close their eyes, and imagine themselves somewhere far beyond their worries (I’m part of the latter group).  Either way, vacating life for even a moment can be just what the doctor ordered.

Case in point, I had to give myself an indefinite break from this blog (I’m back now, by the way).  My creativity was suffering major blockage because my head and heart just wasn’t in the right place.  It’s pretty hard to create and communicate when you’re living in a heavy fog.

I quickly found that allowing myself a timeout helped me to regroup and fanned my desire to write again.  Prior to my hiatus, I pretty much loathed writing and questioned if I even had the goods much less the desire to be a journalist.  Thank God I had enough sense to just stop, take time to breathe, and turn that mountain back into a molehill.

Unfortunately, this good sense didn’t follow me into every area of my life.  I spent so much time worrying about my future and longing for the past that I nearly missed out on the best parts of the present.

So one day after having a mini breakdown when my mom asked, “How are you?” she advised me to put myself in timeout… and I did… and it worked.

I’m not entirely sure why, but I needed to hear someone give me permission to let go of everything that was bringing me down.  The words “It’s okay to stop for awhile” was the heavy rain I needed to end this season of drought in my life.  That brief yet meaningful conversation turned my world right side up again.

So now I’m going to pay it forward.  If you need a timeout, take one.  Give yourself a break from the things that are robbing you of your time, your sleep, your patience, or your hope.  It’s not your job to be God – it’s His – so step aside and let the Creator recreate you.  He wrote your owner’s manual so let Him take care of troubleshooting you.

Also, enjoy the break. Use your time to refocus, de-clutter your life, and clean out whatever is blocking you from moving forward.  And if all that sounds like too much for you, then just enjoy the rest.  Taking time to stop and breathe can do wonders for your life and your complexion.  Why do you think day spas are so popular? 🙂

As for myself, I’m mixing a little business with pleasure.  In the middle of my rest I’m working on cleaning out all anything that would try to distract me, drag me down or fill me with self-doubt.  It’s important for me to do this because when I’m ready to break out of rehab, I’m breaking out clean.

Now kick back, relax, and enjoy rest from the hassles of life.  And, unlike Amy Winehouse’s little diddy, when they try to make you go to rehab you just go, go, go! A timeout can only serve you well.  It did for me :).