Doing Nothing

When I was growing up, I was taught that Sunday was a day of rest.  That makes sense to me after working 5 days a week at an outside job and spending Saturdays getting all of the things done around the house and running errands and handling all of the personal things that need to be done.  However, somewhere along the way, the idea of rest and relaxation has gone by the wayside.  Most people seem to think that if you are not “doing” something all the time, it is because you are lazy or not motivated or that you don’t have any goals.

I suppose that the reality of the situation is defined by why a person is motivated to work all of the time.  For some, it is the drive to makes lots of money in order to have lots of stuff.  They need to have the best of the best of everything and in order to keep up that way of life may mean giving up having a personal life.  For some, they are working at a job that they do not want to do for the rest of their lives so that any time away from the regular job is spent pursuing another career.  For others, their current work may not provide enough money for even the basics in life so they have to work a second or perhaps even a third job.  And for others, they have been taught that unless you are working or doing something all of the time, you are lazy and just wasting your life away.

Regardless of a person’s motivation or need to work or do something all of the time, there is nothing more important than the “do nothing” time you create for yourself.  It doesn’t matter if you take a couple of breaks during the day and allow for some wind down time before you go to bed or whether you set aside some time for yoga or meditation.  It doesn’t matter if you go for a stroll or sit back and put your feet up with a nice glass of wine.  Everyone needs some relaxation time to relieve stress and calm the mind and body.  And if in that time, you can also add a few laughs, sing a few songs or dance a few steps, so much the better.

The most important thing that anyone can do for themselves is to reduce stress and get enough sleep.  Not only do you feel better but you also look better.  There is not a thing in the world that is as better for you than the time you give to yourself and to those who are important to you.  Maybe you don’t feel that you can set time aside everyday for some relaxation but give it a try.  Once you do it and see how beneficial it is to you, you just might be surprised at how you can adjust other parts of your life to make that relaxation time happen.  Its benefits are so visible to you that you won’t be able to figure out how you ever got along without having given yourself some free time in the past.

As for me, since it is Sunday, it is my day of rest.  I am going to enjoy the sunny day that has been given to me.  If I need to take a nap in a little while, I will do just that.  If I want to listen to some of my favorite music and dance around a bit, so be it.  If I want to catch up on all of the TV shows that I have recorded, this would be a perfect time.  The choices are endless but the one thing that I do know is that at the end of the day, I will feel rested and relaxed and ready to take on a new work week with a clear head and tons of energy.  What a great feeling!

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