Remembering the Art of Relaxation

I used to be an expert napper. I had this ability to snooze for 2 to 3 hours on any given Sunday afternoon. On warm, summer, weekday afternoons, I was known for lounging in the backyard with a book, while catching some Z’s before heading back to work. It was a beautiful thing.  

At that stage in my life, I knew how to kick back, breathe deeply and chill out. Now, I have found that multi-tasking is consuming me. Some of this multi-tasking is out of necessity. For instance, there are moments when I must pause from making lunch to get Kenna into the bathroom, while also removing some child’s toy from our new puppy’s mouth and catching the phone before it goes to voicemail. But there are other moments when it is less necessary and yet I find myself caught in its snare. Case in point, I have become a bit obsessed with Words with Friends. It’s a fun game I can play with friends even when we’re not together, and it helps me feel like I’m using my brain. But, I often find myself distracted during an evening movie with my husband as I try to figure out how to unload that pesky “X” before the game ends.

I am often lost during moments of “downtime,” feeling as though I should be doing something, even if that downtime is a few minutes of waiting for the pup to relieve herself outside. So, I grab my iPod, fire up Facebook, Pinterest or the like, and scroll away. It’s gotten to be such a habit that when waiting to pick Jonas up from school, I get frustrated that there’s no Wi-Fi to entertain me. So, I turn to NPR and Diane Rehm to hold my interest and keep my mind occupied because how could I possibly allow myself to simply sit back and daydream for a few minutes? Time is precious and I must maximize what little I have available to me.

This past weekend, I took an afternoon to chill out. I chose a movie, grabbed a warm blanket and camped out on the couch. I admit that it was tempting to open up the laptop and surf the net, but I resisted. Instead, I enjoyed the flick, or what I saw of it. I am proud to say that I did find a bit of my old, relaxing self, the bit who knew how to enjoy a Sunday afternoon nap. It wasn’t a long one. But it was sufficient, necessary and a step towards remembering how to put down the electronics and chill out for a bit.