Ever feel like you are one dirty sock on the floor away from running around the house screaming like a chicken with its head cut off? Moments. We all have them. We all need to take a few to recharge once in a while. Here are some things I do to relax and get myself together.
1. Go for a walk (sans children). My neighbor and I walk once a week when it works out. This helps reduce stress through exercise and it is also an outlet as we spend the whole time talking.
2. Get a pedicure. This is the modern woman’s guide to sanity as far as I am concerned. For $20 I can have an hour to myself, pampering, time to catch up on my celebrity gossip, or time to just sit there in a massage chair and almost fall asleep. I like to go with a friend, but I like to go alone just as much.
3. Take a bath. (Don’t forget to lock the door). Read or just veg out.
4. Sundays are for TJ Maxx. On the weekends when my kids are napping I leave the kids with my husband and go to TJ Maxx. It really never is the same place twice. Love to cruise around and look at clothes and shoes and housewares. And if I find soemthing, it usually doesn’t cost much. AND they have cheap toys and kids clothes, so if I need a birthday gift or clothes for either of my kids I can get that one all in one place on the cheap.
5. Popcorn, wine and a great movie. Once the kids have gone to bed, I find losing myself in a romantic comedy or a Jane Austin movie to be a FABULOUS escape from my life. One fo the hardest things for me is to turn off my mind and actually focus on the brief time I have to myself. If I am embarking on some quiet activity my mind tends to wander back to whatever it is I need to do next which is NOT the point and totally encroaches on my moment for sanity. Losing yourself in a movie is a nice way to avoid that if you find you are in that kind of state.
6. Stay off the phone. Sometimes when I have time to myself, I feel compelled to call people I haven’t spoke to in a while. But when it is 9:00 and I have been on turbo since 6 am, talking to someone else is the LAST thing I want to do. This is even LESS appealing if the person you havent’ spoken to in a while is someone totally focused on themself. Ugh, so I have just decided, if the person just wants to drain my energy I have to go to self preservation mode and not pick up the phone.
These are the main ones for me. Would love to know what others do.
I prefer Goldfish with my Cabernet