Relax
It's not as easy as it seems...
I have a confession to make: I am TERRIBLE at relaxing. As much as I love lounging around and doing nothing all day, I also love having lots of projects and creative endeavors to work on while lounging. So this often means that when I give my brain the break it needs… I just sit there thinking about all of the fun, creative things I could be doing. And then there’s the never-ending “to do” list of things I should actually be doing.
Case in point: On Saturday afternoon, I’d crossed off everything on my “must do” list and decided to spend the afternoon relaxing. Well, according to my fitness tracker, as my “relaxation time” continued on, I became more and more stressed. I even reached the highest stress levels possible.
It’s important to keep in mind that there will always be something to do; something that must be done; something you want to do. But doing isn’t always the best course of action. In fact, there are documented benefits between boredom and self-control, enhanced creativity, and other things. So if you’re like me and find relaxation to be somewhat boring and therefore a bit stressful, just remember that in taking the time to chill out, you’re helping your brain in many different measurable ways.
My 1% challenge for myself this week is to schedule in some time to experiment with different ways to relax and see if I can embrace the moments of “boredom” when there’s something else I “should” be doing.
