This past week was heavy.
Not in a dramatic way, just the kind of weight that builds quietly.
Deadlines. Pressure. Responsibility. The mental load that doesn’t turn off when the day ends.
By the time the weekend came around, I knew something important:
If I didn’t make space to slow down, the weight would follow me straight into the next week unchanged.
So I made a conscious decision to set some things down.
Choosing Presence Over Pressure
When the weekend arrived, I did the best I could to push the stress aside, not because it disappeared, but because I needed to be present.
Present for the holiday.
Present with family.
Present on the mats training jiu-jitsu.
Present in the gym, moving weight instead of carrying it.
The problems didn’t vanish. The pressure didn’t magically resolve itself. But I gave myself permission to not center everything around it for a moment.
And that mattered more than I expected.
Life Doesn’t Stop Throwing Curveballs
There’s no perfect time to rest.
Life doesn’t pause because you’re overwhelmed. It doesn’t wait until things feel manageable. There are always curveballs, uphill battles, and unfinished work waiting in the background.
If you wait for everything to be resolved before relaxing, you’ll never rest.
That’s the trap.
Finding time to relax isn’t about escaping reality, it’s about resetting your relationship to it.
Relaxation is Recovery
I didn’t ignore the things putting pressure on me because they didn’t matter.
I stepped away because I mattered too.
Rest gave me:
- A clearer head
- A lighter nervous system
- A reminder of what actually brings me joy
- A sense of balance that had been slipping
In those moments, laughing, training, being present … I found a happiness I didn’t realize how much I needed.
That happiness wasn’t indulgent.
It was restorative.
Why This Time Was Necessary
There’s a misconception that if you’re not constantly addressing the problem, you’re falling behind.
But constant pressure without relief doesn’t produce clarity, it produces burnout.
Taking time to relax gave me something back:
- Perspective
- Energy
- Intention
It allowed me to return to the work with more focus instead of resentment. More direction instead of overwhelm.
That’s not avoidance.
That’s sustainability.
The Dark Summit Perspective
Life will always apply pressure.
There will always be responsibilities waiting for your attention. But if you never create space to recover, you lose pieces of yourself along the way.
Finding time to relax isn’t about checking out.
It’s about checking back in.
This weekend reminded me of something simple but important:
It’s okay to step away from the weight for a moment.
It’s okay to find joy where you can.
It’s okay to rest, especially when the week has been heavy.
Because when you do, you don’t come back weaker.
You come back steadier.
More focused.
More intentional.
And ready to do the work again .. without losing yourself in the process.
The Dark Summit Mindset 
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