Last Sunday I had kind of an a-ha moment.
I am not taking any time to decompress. I have no down time during my waking hours.
Somehow I have convinced myself this is healthy.
But I would never allow my kids to operate this way.
I would force them to slow down. To rest.
And so that is what I’m doing to myself.
I know I need to start off slow. I can’t just slam on the brakes.
So last week I started with just giving myself an hour of doing nothing.
Ultimately my goal is for my Sundays to be unstructured and unscheduled and relaxed and laid back.
But I’m not there yet.
So here is what is on the list to do (or not do) today.
1. One hour of down time during nap time.
Last Thursday my parents took the little guys during the day so I could get some work done. I had big plans for the day. I was going to check like a hundred things off my to-do list.
But first I was going to just lie down on the couch for a couple minutes to let my mind settle.
Three and a half hours later, I woke up.
There went my to-do list.
But clearly my body was sending me a message.
So during that hour of downtime, I will allow myself to take a nap if my body tells me I need it.
2. No technology during the hour of down time.
This is a challenge as I rely on my phone for several things. The blog. My e-courses.
But I use that as an excuse to just be checking it way more than I need to.
People do not need to contact me 24/7.
And I don’t need to contact them 24/7 either.
The phone has become a huge distraction.
So that hour of down time will be a technology-free hour.
I know this may seem easy. But for me, whether I look at it or not, I am starting to feel lost if I don’t have my phone within 6 inches of me at all times.
Yesterday showed me that I am not completely present during my children’s lives, and I don’t like that.
So I am going to wean myself off of the complete and total phone dependence, starting one hour at a time.
And that’s all for this week’s slow down.
Baby slow down steps that are gradual, manageable, and sustainable.
Why don’t you take them with me?
SMART!!
put it in your trunk of your car…..that way it will take some work to actual go and get.
I had an hour to myself the other day and it was great. I had a nice relaxing bath while reading a magazine. Then, I read a little of a book on how to learn how to use my DSLR. I can’t wait for the next time I get some alone time.
I will join you in this! I need to do it as I am the same way with my phone and if my phone is down then I am on my iPad! I can start by doing it for one hour a day and work up to more time gradually.