How does one relax?
I have such a hard time sometimes. My coffee is hot, my toast is buttered and jammed and I collapse into a recliner. It’s one of those rare times where my son is otherwise engaged and I have some alone time. So what do I do?
I take a deep breath. Try to clear my mind. Relax my shoulders. Unclench my jaw. And think….”I wonder if anyone’s texting me?”
WELL THAT DIDN’T TAKE LONG! Trying to turn my brain off never works.
In a distant time I think I was able to relax or relaxing came easy because I wasn’t stressed. On a Sunday in high school, I can picture my mom doing yard work and my dad hard at work at the kitchen table behind a computer, chewing on a number two pencil. “You guys! It’s Sunday! A day of rest!” I didn’t understand it then, I do now.
There ain’t no rest for the adults. There is only heavily scheduled and coordinated debriefing Or stolen alone time: The deep breath you take after the kids are in bed, the yoga class planned weeks ahead of time, the stops for coffee before your root canal, the midnight trips to the grocery store because you’re “Out of toilet paper”.
Let’s not wait until retirement to start enjoying ourselves. Let’s make an entire life out of relaxing. Whatever that means. When I figure out how to do this I’ll let you know.
By the way, I am happy to report that my parents are now relaxing and retired.
Mountain Mindset Counseling 