They say that the weather is something everyone talks about, yet nobody does anything about it. If you ask me, relaxation is right up there with the weather. Seems like everyone wants to relax more but few…very few actually.. take steps to make it happen.
I’m as guilty as anyone! In fact, my own frustrating behavior is the inspiration for this post. Earlier, I felt a little stressed out and a lot tired. I work from home which means a couple of things..
- I still know what stress is. Just because you work from the happy confines of your own home doesn’t mean you and stress are strangers. Somehow, when you work from home, people think you are immune to stress and can relax anytime you want. Those who aren’t employed are considered to be as stress-free as a house cat! When I was raising my three daughters and teaching them in our home school, I got the impression that everyone thought I had the life of a pampered cat – lying around all day, only moving when absolutely necessary. Ha!
- I do have the luxury of pacing myself. This one is a huge luxury for those of us who spend our days at home. If we need to simply sit and read a book for 30 minutes, we almost always can do so.
Earlier, because of a few things online that were fighting me with all they had and because of having to take more allergy medicine than usual lately, I felt like I was about to come unwound. So I grabbed an Agatha Christie book and, wisely, decided to sit in my favorite chair and read a few chapters.
I wasn’t even through one before my restlessness got the better of me and I was back at the computer fighting everything that had it in for me today. This did not make me valiant. This did not make me a warrior princess. This did not make me a fighter.
It made me ridiculous.
A real fighter or warrior would have done exactly what they needed to do to refuel – in order to come back stronger and better than ever. They would have taken the time to restore their mind, body, and soul.When it comes to getting in my own way, I’m so good at it I could go pro. Maybe you can relate.
The thing that got me UP from the chair and squarely IN my own way was one single thought, “I have so many things to do!”
We are becoming more and more programmed to believe that we have to be productive every waking hour. This mindset isn’t doing our minds or bodies one ounce of good – in fact, the mindset is responsible for so many ills, I honestly couldn’t even begin to name them all.
Sometimes, the smartest thing to DO is to DO nothing. As Mark Black says, “Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is relax.”
The next time you feel stressed, anxious, wired, or just plain gassed, find a comfortable chair and just RELAX. Put down your phone and put your thoughts at arm’s length. Give yourself at least 20 minutes to simply sit and relax. Read a great book, pet your cat, drink some tea… or, as I’m 5 minutes away from… do all three!
~ Joi (“Joy”)
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