I'm busy (duh!) I work long days, I have three kids, and I'm partly caring for my mother right now. I don't think anyone will argue that it makes for a hectic life (except my mother who seems to think I at her beck and call). But I do think I need to make it a priority to carve out more purposeful down time. I tend to default to watching tv or surfing the internet when I do have unscheduled time (mostly the internet, I really don't watch much tv). I guess it's easier to just plop down on the sofa with my computer than to figure out something else to do, but I feel like I'm spending way too many hours each day in front of a screen (and my eyes usually punish me for it).
I like creating things, and I have a room with a big workspace. Back when I was a SAHM I was always working on some kind of crafty project, but now they are few and far between. I'm thinking about signing up for a block-of-the-month. I haven't quilted in a long time, and trying to take on an entire project sounds overwhelming--something I'm likely to buy all the materials for and then give up on. But I think a BOM might be just right. Just a small project each month and then I get another block the next month to remind me to keep going. The only problem is that I haven't found a BOM that I really love. So I may just end up buying a pattern and materials.
I also think I should start playing music again. I occasionally drag out my flute when I am helping out the twins as they practice their violin and viola. I'm surprised that I can still play at all, but it's actually not that bad. (I've lost my very high and very low ranges and I definitely can't play complex pieces at the speed I once could.) But music is a great stress reliever. I practiced a lot back when I played. Hours every day. I was complaining to my grandmother about my twins not practicing and she said, "well, the reason you practiced so much is because that was your escape from everything that was going on at home." I was a little surprised that my grandmother was this perceptive, but she was dead on. Playing music was my escape--a way to vent my anger and frustration over things that, as a kid, I had no control. I don't have the angst that I did back then, but I think it would still be a good stress reliever.
Third is exercise. My default excuse is that I don't have time. That's only partly true. If I try hard enough, I can find time. And even when it's cold and dark outside (which is usually the case before and after work) I've found playing Just Dance on the wii with the kids is a great workout.
No comments:
Post a Comment