Take the time for your mind

I’m still mending my relationship with exercise every day. 

Structure makes me feel safe and comfortable. Having planned, structured workouts on most days keeps me within my comfort zone, and relieves me of the stress of planning what I’m going to do next. 

But there is a point at which it gets too comfortable - where structure feels like rigidity, where I feel like a cog in a wheel. With regards to exercise, it means that I find myself feeling obliged to move in certain ways, even though my body is tired and my mind is reluctant. Movement is no longer intrinsically motivated. 

So I let it all go today.

Immersing myself in the bliss of grass and greenery

I took advantage of the post-hurricane sunshine and went outside for a long walk, listening to my “chill” playlist rather than information loaded podcasts, taking the time to focus on my footsteps rather than what I had on my to-do list for the rest of the day, letting my mind wander rather than chastising it for not doing something productive. Really just let it all go. 

Sure, it felt boring and pointless at first. But at the end of my walk, I found myself ready again. Ready to move purposefully and not obsessively, ready to use my engage my mind again after just letting it be.

We so often tell ourselves that we don’t have the time to relax or to give our minds some TLC, some much needed space. Then we pound ourselves with more tasks, burn out, and need even more time to recuperate. 

If you don’t have a “time-saver” mindset and already regularly practice self-care, kudos to you! It takes many of us too long to grasp this truth. And for those of us with that chronic, “beat yourself to pulp in order to improve” mindset, think of it this way:

You’re actually saving time by giving yourself regular brain breaks - taking the time to refresh and hit your restart button fuels you in the long run. 

Give yourself a break. And no, you don’t need to do anything to deserve it - mindful moments are a necessity, not a luxury.