I’m really bad at relaxing. A bit of a weird statement perhaps because, surely how hard
can it be? Well hear me out.
The premise of it I totally get, but the struggle for me
comes with actually putting it into practice.
I have an overactive brain which seems to thrive when
there’s about 150 things whirring around it at once. If I’m not physically
doing (or more accurately, running around like a headless chicken) I’m
pondering what I’m going to do next. It can get a little exhausting to say the
least.
Until very recently, I thought it was quite normal. I
thought I was quite normal. Today’s society moves a hundred miles a minute and
everything is constant. We are constantly active, constantly busy and, thanks
in a large part to modern technology constantly available and online, making it
difficult to switch off completely.
It was only when a handful of people closest to me sat me
down on separate occasions recently and told me to slow down, take a break and
chill because I’d been wearing myself far too thin, that I realised that maybe
I was doing this ‘busy’ thing wrong.
My mental health was suffering and with that, those closest
to me were suffering too. So caught up was I in my crazy unattainable schedule
that my usual zest for life dissipated and I just felt down. I also got sick,
which only served to make me feel worse.
Christmas came at the perfect time for me and was the
biggest blessing. I got some amazing presents but the best of all was a break
with my loved ones. Towards the end of the festivities, I felt refreshed and
rejuvenated and that is a feeling I want to cling onto in 2018.
To do so, I’m vowing to make some changes. This year, unlike
many others that have gone before it, I am not going to start by punishing
myself by pointing out all my physical shortcomings and jotting down an
altogether unachievable daily gym regimen that I don’t have the time to stick
to.
Yes, I’d like to lose a couple of pounds and yes, I’d like
to be healthier, but mostly, I want to be kinder... to myself!
A couple of nights ago, I had the house to myself. I drank
wine and having never watched it before, I started Gossip Girl from the
beginning - and it was amazing. Such a simple evening, but just what I needed
after an 170 mike drive.
In 2018, I want to learn to switch off from the world for my own sanity and not feel guilty about it.
I want to read more...
I love books and last year I also rediscovered my love of
poetry. I want to immerse myself in a book more and finally get through the
massive list of titles that have stacked up this year for me to read.
I want to get outside more...
I want to get out and explore the place I live, rather than
catching glimpses of the cool places around me through my car window when I’m
dashing somewhere else.
I want to practice my photography more...
I’m still an amateur but every new thing I’ve learnt since
buying my camera has given me such a sense of achievement, that I want to
experience that even more going forward.
I want to take more time to spend with the ones I love...
As much as I want to expand my blog over the next year and
be more consistent with it, I also want to be more organised with it. I am a
perfectionist my nature so can take ages to get things done and my weekends are
quickly absorbed with blog work. I want to be more organised with my time and I
want to not feel guilty for taking a break from whatever I’m doing to allow me
to spend more time with my loved ones because, honestly, that is the most
important thing.
If 2017 taught me anything it's that l
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