People are always telling me I should relax more. When they do, I assume they’re referring to the traditional things we associate with relaxation: sitting, possibly with feet up; reading or watching TV; eating or drinking something sugary and/or alcoholic.
Well, I did all of those things today and I’m completely exhausted.
The point of relaxation is to rest and recharge oneself for the next round of life. But there’s nothing in the traditional mindset of relaxation that recharges me.
Sit down? I’m not a fan. I prefer to walk, stand, stretch. I like to have a sense of my body at all times, which isn’t something one gets when sinking into a couch.
Read? Well, I do love to do that. But reading for long periods of time, particularly fiction, has the same effect on me as watching TV or movies. I get sucked into someone else’s story and start experiencing their emotional journey. Frankly, my story and my emotional balancing act are complicated enough. Experiencing someone else’s can be overstimulating.
Drink/eat? I’m adversely affected by sugar. I can feel its effects almost immediately.
In order to truly recharge, I need different things. I need sleep, exercise, meditation, and writing. In my perfect world, I’d wake up well-rested and have time for the other three things before breakfast. That would help me to feel truly energized and ready for life!
But today, I did none of those things. My family members were all occupied out of the house, and I had planned to take a drive to a favorite town out-of-state, but it was raining, so instead I stayed home all day. I ate a big breakfast, sat on the couch and watched an episode of This Is Us, then turned off the TV to finish a really good book. That took about an hour. By then, I was already emotionally drained and physically exhausted from overeating. I’d had vague plans to go shopping. Instead, I stayed right where I was and watched all the remaining episodes of This Is Us.
I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy my day– I did. I loved both the TV show and the book, and I enjoyed all my sugary treats. But I definitely don’t feel “relaxed.” Instead, I feel physically and emotionally tired, unmotivated, and stressed from spending an unproductive day.
So if you’re one of the people who tell me to relax, do me a favor and tell me I should be recharging. That’s what I really need!
I know the feeling! I spent the day doing nothing. I feel a little bit more tired than I did at the beginning of the day
It’s something we all need to do sometimes, so I’m trying not to be too hard on myself. Hopefully I’ll be able to snap back into routine tomorrow.
That explains why I can be just as tired by a day of “relaxing” as a day of working! Recharging is a more nuanced word. Every month I try to take a day “off”–little to no regular work, and spending the day doing just what I feel like doing. Sometimes I want to rest or vegetate in front of the TV, but sometimes I spend the day puttering about doing a lot of little things I’ve wanted to accomplish. Thanks for giving me something to think about when planning future recharging days!