A friend and colleague had organized an
outdoor cinema session for Wednesday night – although it was lovely to eat a
picnic tea with friends before the movie, it added another late night to my
week. And to top it all off I had
trouble sleeping …. Waking up at about 1am each night and then not able to get
back to sleep until 4am or some nights not at all.
By Friday I was exhausted ….. I limped my
way through the day. Getting by on
trying to stay in the present, trying to capture some quiet moments and to
still my mind which seemed to be racing the whole week, both day and
night. I think that what frustrated me
most was that I found it too easy to give in to thinking – after everything
I’ve learnt in the last 12 months it seemed that I was helpless to the thoughts
and emotions.
In the weekend I sought refuge. Time to sleep in and catch up on my sleep
debt. Time to spend with the family, to
water the garden, to catch up with the washing, to thoroughly clean the kitchen
putting away the accumulation of stuff dumped on the dining table over the last
fortnight. Time to catch up with some
friends for dinner Saturday night, time to make a lazy cooked breakfast, time
to talk with Nan and Grandad on Skype, time to go for a cross country jog with
my daughter. Time to go for a family
bike ride, to take in the local community fair.
Even time to relax in a warm bath complete with salts.
At the end of this terrific weekend I feel like
totally different person. I feel I’ve
refreshed my mind with peaceful moments of true presence/mindfulness. I feel rejuvenated with plenty of sleep and
without having to rush to a schedule the whole weekend. My body feels strong and renewed with the
physical activity we did – walks to the beach, bike rides through the
neighborhood and even a short run with my daughter.
Here’s to a great week ahead!
How do you relax
after a long and stressful week? I’d
love you to share your thoughts, so send me a post or comment or you can email
me at livewelllivesmart@gmail.com .
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