Honestly, I did not know how to enjoy leisure, until I quit my day job. All these years I was busy playing multiple roles, sometimes of a mom-wife, sometimes of a property manager and that of a blogger in whatever time was left. Leisure always felt like an estranged friend. But, I am glad I quit my day job back in June. It sucked, actually I sucked at it cuz I wasn’t enjoying it anymore. It felt mundane- like a chore that I was no longer enjoying. My heart and my soul was here- with my BLOG, my third baby!
I wanted to blog full time, give more time to what I was passionate about and hence I decided to bite the big bullet. It hasn’t been the easiest journey so far- thanks to Instagram and it’s ever-changing algorithm that is now beyond my comprehension. Undeniably, it is stressful and time-consuming. It’s like getting sucked into this whirlpool that the world calls ‘Social Media’. Initially, it was exasperating and I was loosing my mind and patience over it, but sooner I realized that taking stress was not going to help- rather it was just going to impede my performance and the quality of my content.
Call it a desperate measure, I decided that once every few weeks I would do a social-media detox and reset all buttons. Truth be told, it works and I feel more in control of the situation versus the situations controlling me. A day or just a couple of hours to yourself can do wonders and I am sharing some of the things I like to do to destress and unwind.
1) Read a book
I was an avid reader as a teenager but fell off the track as life became busier. I hadn’t read a book all these years and it was a challenge to channel all my focus towards it. It still takes me a few minutes to redirect all my attention but once I am on it – I am there and it is so relaxing. Talking about what I am reading, I am just picking out books from hubs’ collection which are mostly autobiographies and documentaries.
2) Enjoy a daytime cocktail
For a person who doesn’t drink coffee and aerated beverages, a cocktail always serves the purpose. I’m not suggesting getting drunk but a light daytime cocktail is sure shot relaxing. I like to whip up a cocktail, grab a book and sip my way through a few chapters. Need an easy daytime mango cocktail recipe- check this one out.
3) Eat ice-cream straight out of the pint
Doing things the unconventional way sometimes is fun and gives you the much needed adrenaline rush. I am a control-o-holic mom, I like to stick to a routine, things done out of the ordinary disturb me. But I realized that letting loose and sometimes doing things out of the box gives you so much pleasure. I would never eat ice-cream straight out of the pint, but trust me- once you do it, you will love it. Surprisingly, the ice-cream tastes so much yummier when scooped and eaten straight out of the pint. So babes…..loosen up and try doing a thing unconventionally….. it is so fun.
4) Treat yourself to a mani touch up
I prefer to get my hands and toes painted professionally at a salon versus doing it at home myself. But an occasional touch up of nail paint makes you feel good. Sometimes a chipped nail or a polish can be annoying, but fixing them yourself can give you the much needed downtime and can be a total mood-booster. An impromptu nail-art or a technicolor look is so out of the ordinary and fun.
How do you like to unwind and destress?
Great tips! I am learning how to take time for these things as well since I quit my day job to write and blog full time. It is more stressful than I imagined but still way better than that damn day job! But I do have more time to read and take the time to destress. Thanks for sharing your tips!
Shelbee
http://www.shelbeeontheedge.com
I have always struggled with finding ways to destress and unwind so these tips are very helpful! Especially the first one – there's something so relaxing about reading a good book!
I started reading a good book on holiday recently and have been making ten minutes or so each day (usually at bedtime) to read a couple of chapters. Blogging can take over every waking thought when you have to keep on top of social media too, so having just a little time to realx is so important.
Emma xxx
http://www.style-splash.com