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Writer's pictureGitit Kaufman

Take a break this Labor Day

Updated: Sep 2, 2022

On September 5th, 1882, people protested in the streets of New York in a parade to gain

a recognition and called for changes in working conditions to employees. This was the first-time

Labor Day was celebrated. In 1887 Colorado was among the first states to pass a law that

recognize Labor Day as a holiday. We celebrate Labor Day to recognize the contributions of

those early American workers, their hard work, and their achievements in improving working

conditions for all of us. On Labor Day, we should recognize and learn to appreciate their efforts.

Thanks to them, we can be treated with a dignity, respect, and have a safe work environment.

The majority of us benefit from this aspect of history (except for a long weekend to

enjoy and rest). The changes made as a result of their efforts in how workers are treated is a

remarkable example of how hard work, persistence, courage and caring can make a difference.

I encourage you to shift this perspective to a personal level, where you as individual have the

ability to choose to celebrate. You have worked hard, and you deserve to be praised for your

efforts. Allow yourself to take a break from time to time, to acknowledge and appreciate your

progress as well as your achievements, as an employee as well as an individual. Our brain needs

rewards to identify that we are on the right path, which will motivate us to continue in the

direction we hope for. Help your brain to succeed by setting clear boundaries between home

and work while practicing being present in the moment. Also, not all of us may like to

go to work every day, but routine provides us comfort. It can help us feel stable and under

control. Finding a healthy balance with our paid work and the other parts of who we are can

help us feel more accomplished and satisfied.

This annual holiday can be as a reminder for us, that things can be hard, yet with

intention, dedication, commitment, and practice we can change things that do not serve us

well. It is within us to change what we believe does not work for us anymore, what has become

toxic to us. We can use this time as a for self-reflection where we can check with ourselves if

our old habits have become our obstacles, and how we can learn to let go of them by adapting

healthy ones instead.

We tend to stay with what is familiar even though it may be unhealthy for us. We, as

any other object in our universe, tend to continue doing what we are used to since it is familiar,

therefore it feels safe. Yet, just as we needed this movement to create a change in our society,

we also may need to create a movement within ourselves to have a better and more fulfilling

lives. Our prosperity and well-being depend on us and our actions, on our thinking process, and

on our physical well-being. It is within us to create a positive shift in our own actions and

thoughts. We are not just employees, we need to learn to find the healthy balance between our

paid job to our other roles in life, such as being a parent, a partner, a daughter, or a son. These

roles are not paid in monetary compensation, yet they are the most meaningful and rewarding

aspects of our lives and therefore our hardest work. Your work is to learn to balance all of these

roles together while taking care of yourself.

You can start small, focus on being aware of how you breath. Our breathe reflects on

how our body is doing, how we are dealing with the situation we are in. By focusing on our

breathe, we can learn what we need, right in the moment, to better deal with our situations,

especially stressful ones. It will help us to take a moment before we act to gain a healthier and

wider perspective of what is going on around us. We will be able to reevaluate and treat ourselves and others fairly and with respect. This Labor Day can be a time where we can work on creating a better environment for ourselves and our families.

I would like to leave you with some questions that might help you to work on improving

yourself this Labor Day:


- What steps can you take to feel more accomplished in and outside of work?

- How can you celebrate your successes?

- How can you start honoring your work and the different roles in your life?

- How can you treat yourself kindly and respectfully?

- What actions do you need to take to be in a better place, financially, emotionally, mentally and/or

physically?




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