What’s your opinion on relaxing?
Did you come from a home where productivity was the thing? Were your parents always working? Did they always have a chore list for your “spare time”?
I definitely did, so I have to fight my DNA and my upbringing.
We lived on a lake, so I got to spend a lot of time in the lake, but even when I headed down to swim, I was expected to pick some rock while I was there or pull weeds on the shoreline.
When my mom passed away, we were at dinner with the kids reminiscing and our daughter said she would always picture Grandma cooking or cleaning. That was a sad thought for me, yet it was one that resonated. She had no memories of Grandma just playing with her.
When our kids were small, I remember them asking me if we could sit down and watch a movie together – not fold clothes or clean or bake or work on some craft during the movie – JUST WATCH! That was so hard for me. I was my Mom!
I had a family relative, who shall remain nameless, accuse me of being hyperactive because I couldn’t just sit at the table after dinner and talk.
We would go on vacation to “relax” and take a break from work. Then I struggled laying by the pool, or reading a book on the patio because I didn’t feel like I was doing anything worthwhile.
I know we need to take break, but there are always so many things I want to do that I don’t get around to, and I think I have let that create a sense of guilt. Why can’t I just relax?
Hmmm… define relaxing!
I think I’ve figured it out, at least for me!
Relaxing means different things to different people and for me it still has an element of productivity.
So, what do I do to relax?
I put together Lego sets
I bake cookies
I quilt
I put together jigsaw puzzles
I read books and highlight phrases I like 😊
I make cards and send them to people
All of those things have one thing in common – they produce something tangible – there are clear results. Making things makes me happy and that is what I need relaxation to produce – happiness!
I also figured out that I don’t need to wait until I have no “work” to do in order to take a break and “relax”. Life is so much better when I have a separation of work time and relaxation time. I look forward to it, and I’m fresher when I’m doing the work that really counts. I don’t know that I will ever be someone who can binge a TV show or just lay by a pool, but I do know that I have realized relaxing is not a waste of time.
Quite the opposite - relaxation IS a BIG DEAL!!!
What do you do to relax?
