One of the things that I am working on before I hit 30 is to allow myself to be lazy and do nothing.
When I was younger, my mom was the type of person who was always on the go. Weekends were reserved for yard work, chores, and cooking for the next week. And then when I was in college, lazy days were a tricky option as I was balancing classes and a few jobs.
As an adult with only one job, I have been struggling with the concept of slowing down, especially on the weekends. I have the habit of being a yes woman, and scheduling so many different social and family engagements during those coveted 48 hours, in addition to just trying to do all of the things you struggle to make time for during the week.
Whenever I do have a lazy day for myself, I feel so guilty. I feel as though I should be doing something — seeing a friend, working on organizing something, or just going. Sleeping late often comes with the side of guilt, to the point where my husband has to tell me that it’s okay to rest. Even on our honeymoon.
As a millennial, I grew up with so much propaganda of romanticizing being busy. Girl bosses reminding us to wash our face, and the blogger culture in general during the 2010s is just one example of this. Furthermore, as Americans, we really romanticize being busy in general.
According to an article on the Huffington Post entitled Love A Lazy Day? You Should Be Having Them More Often Than You Think, the act of having one of these lazy days is in fact “productive and important to wellbeing” mentally and physically. Furthermore, the article says that these benefits are “because research shows that relaxation keeps your heart healthier, reduces stress, reduces muscle tension and can help you to avoid depression, anxiety, and obesity.”
For me, those statistics are enough to get me to slow down. That, and the fact that my Garmin keeps track of my body battery.
Relaxation means something different for each and every one of us. It’s self care, and making that time to just unwind. I had a lazy day this past Sunday, and let me tell you, it was so much needed. I had Emily Henry’s Funny Story in hand, and just hung out in bed for the entire morning. Yesterday, I arrived to work with a little more alertness and feeling so refreshed.
As I enter my 30s, that is something that I want to work on. I am so tired of wearing my overwhelm as if it’s some sort of badge of honor. Furthermore, I think I deserve to allow myself to not be run down to the ground. I think that’s something that everyone deserves to do for themselves.
The moral of the story? Let’s not romanticize the fact being busy anymore, okay?
thenutmegmillennial.com 