Just say NO.
No, not to drugs. Well, you should say no to drugs but that’s not what this post is about. Everywhere I look, I see busy people. People with full plates of work, family, relationships, multiple jobs, etc. Whether it is taking your kids to 18 different activities through out the day or saying yes to every task or project that your boss asks of you at work, life gets crazy. My question is Why? Why must we always say yes? Why do we have to fill every second of every day with SOMETHING? Doesn’t it seem like that is the norm now? Do you ever feel like you are literally running from one thing to the next and before you know it 10pm rolls around and you are wondering where your day went? Sometimes I even end my day realizing I have two different shoes on, talk about really not being “present”.
This weekend we had a fun Superbowl WOD at CFO and it was an extremely rare occasion where after the workout I actually did not have to rush off to go SOMEWHERE. I had nowhere to be. My cooking, cleaning and laundry could wait. So I was able to sit around afterwards and enjoy a few beers with people that I genuinely love to be around and just BE. These are the moments that life is about, when I am simply just enjoying life and people. Not running around like a mad woman.
Sometimes I literally feel like I have no time to breathe. So as you can see, I am guilty of saying YES way too much. I have always had a very hard time with this. It used to be that this was my coping mechanism to not deal with my real emotions, maybe it still is. But I care about my role as an admission counselor SO much, so I put in extra time because I want to make sure I do a good job. I care about my job as a personal trainer SO much, I want my clients to see results, to be able to get workouts in around THEIR busy schedule. I have the opportunity to get a masters degree for free while I am at AU, so why would I not take advantage of that? I have a huge family with lots of birthdays, graduations, etc going on all the time. I have an amazing group of friends that are always doing something fun on the weekends. There are so many amazing things to be a part of but I constantly have to remind my self that for my own sanity, I do not have to say yes to everything.
Do you ever have those moments when you actually allow yourself to decompress and allow your brain to stop for a quick minute, and then all of a sudden out of nowhere BAM all these emotions and thoughts catch up to you? It can be pretty overwhelming right? As a society, I think we need more lazy Sundays. We need more alone time. We need more “front porch sittin”. Because I will tell you this, those moments when you can fully appreciate your life and your surroundings or maybe even come up with brilliant ideas, are not going to happen when you are running yourself into a frenzy. Those moments happen when you are still. Maybe having a cup of coffee at the kitchen table or taking the dog for a walk. Any kind of moment where you can just BE and clear your mind and let your thoughts wander. Not on Facebook, not watching TV, not on your phone, just a date with your bad self.
So the challenge I constantly face is to incorporate more of this into my day, just say NO. Sure, it makes me seem so amazing that I can manage a million different responsibilities, but is it really that amazing? Maybe to everybody on the outside it is, but inside I am screaming for more down time. I don’t have to say yes to every outing, activity etc. and its okay if my only excuse is “I need alone time”. The people that truly care, will understand 🙂
Happy Monday!
