Taking Time for Me

A lot of you here are in school, probable college, and you have a lot of work coming up (you can actually see it on the syllabus). And maybe you're not in school, but you still have a busy life full of stress I'm sure. Honestly, trying to navigate your way through a grocery store can be extremely stressful. There is always something to be cleaned, something to be prepped, a paper to be written, poems to be read--that sentence alone was stressful (because it's true). When there is always something to do, it's hard to allow myself to do nothing. Well, I'm here to tell you, or rather myself, that you can and should do nothing.

OK, stop what you're doing. Sit, curl up under a blanket, diffuse some oils, and breath. Now get back to reading this blog post. I'm not going to tell you to stop worrying because I know that that isn't going to change how you feel. But remember, whatever you're stressing about is only one moment, so take a few moments for you. You deserve it.

When there is always something I can be working on, I often feel guilty when I take breaks. But I shouldn't feel this way because you actually work better if you take time away from stress. Life should be happy. So here is my advice to you, and myself: take an entire hour each day to yourself. For me, I take time in the evening to watch something that I want, brew a cup of tea, dim the lights, and put on a face mask. In the grand scheme of things, will an hour really be the difference between success and failure? Probably not, and we really shouldn't be thinking of life as an equation, as some sort of opportunity cost where we equate relaxation with laziness and time wasting. Because you are not wasting time. You, yes you, need to be happy. You need to recharge after working on that study guide. After cleaning that kitchen. After writing those emails.

Recharge. You wouldn't expect a car to keep running without fuel, would you? After that hour, a full hour, you will be refreshed and ready to begin again. You'll work even better than if you hadn't taken a break at all. Be mindful of yourself. There are always things to do and people to see that have us rushing about--recognize the importance of aloneness.

So, yes, watching TV is beneficial. Or listening to music. Or rubbing mud on your face. Remember to be happy, always. Because happiness will always be worth more than a percentage point, a few dirty socks laying about, or a couple unread emails.


You're worth it,
Christina

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