This week I’m on vacation. I take off the week leading up to Labor Day every year, and we get out of the city and spend time out at the beach. Usually I feel like I’m in desperate need of a break, but for some reason this year leading up to it I had lots of thoughts like What am I gonna do all week?
Never have I thought of myself as someone who couldn’t relax, and not surprisingly, it took me less than a day to get into “vacation mode.” It got me thinking though about being “busy,” and how accustomed so many of us have become with jam-packing our days with “stuff” to do.
Whether you’re a person with a super-important, high stress job, a stay-at-home mom managing kids and a household, a student, or just someone who is trying to figure their life out, having a lot on our plates has become the norm for most—so much so, that a lot of us don’t even question it.
The fast-paced world we live in has lead people to believe if we don’t constantly have something to do, we should find something because otherwise we’re not doing enough. People often get caught in this vicious cycle of either being stressed because they have so much to do, and also not feeling great about themselves because they “aren’t doing enough.” This leads many to never being satisfied and incapable of relaxing.
Do you ever feel like you “should” be doing more? And do you ever wish you had less on your plate? This is what I mean. How about just finding contentment with exactly where you’re at in this moment—relaxing with your current reality.
Can it be stressful having a never-ending to do list? Absolutely—but you can also be grateful for all that you have going on in your life. Can having nothing to do lead to boredom? Absolutely—but you can be grateful for having a little downtime or do one of those things you “never have time for.”
When I caught myself feeling anxious about what I would do all week, I realized it was that pesky human tendency to create problems where none exist. It was an opportunity to change my thinking and focus on how nice it would be to have ten days of not having that “go-go-go” feeling. And let me tell you, there was absolutely no reason for me to have any negative feelings about what I have been filling my days with—sleep, pool time, beach time, yoga, time with family, jogs, bike rides, time with friends, spin class, live music at a vineyard at sunset, parties, writing, reading, listening to the rain from my screened in porch, movies, binge-watching tv, leisurely walking around town, a massage and more.
Next week when it’s “back to reality,” and my days become refilled with work, back-to-school stuff, and my more typical everyday to-do’s, I will strive to embrace that too. It can be easy to slip right back into to feeling the stress of “busy,” but it’s up to me not to do so. Believe it or not, even when we are busy, we do have the ability to relax through it all by observing and managing our thoughts.
This is the life I created, so I might as well enjoy the hell out of it, right?! Each moment is a gift, and it’s up to us to see the beauty in it all and do our best to enjoy it.
That’s it—that’s all I got for ya!
Happy day!
