Sometimes one of the best things we can do for ourselves is to slow it down. There is nothing wrong with giving yourself one specific task to complete in a day every now and then. Taking time to do absolutely nothing is not a crime. Our minds (and bodies) could use thr wind down.
I know my last post was about getting moving and this may sound like the official contradiction, but it is not - just hear me out.
Research shows when you feel overwhelmed or have tons on your mind you should "data dump"(David Allen's Get Things Done). Grab a sheet of paper and jot down everything on your mind - no particular order of category just write it as it comes to you. You are guaranteed to feel less anxious. What you do next with that list is categorize and prioritize.
I'm going to take it a step further and say in those seconds after you've finalized the list and tour heart rate has returned to normal, breathe easy and enjoy the moment. The silence. The calm. The stillness.
Do yourself a favor and take a break. Schedule a few hours of nothing. Meditate, think, read - do whatever relaxes you. You will find that making the time for yourself doesn't result in a food fest session as you might fear it does. On the contrary running yourself ragged has a better chance of resulting in missed meals compounding into a regretable binge.
I spent labor day relaxing and yes it did involve sour patch kids Nd popcorn but the serving was measured and account for. Further need to nosh was satisfied with baby carrots. At the end of the holiday I closed the evening with cardio and felt prepared to return to work.
These blocks of time may not for into your daily routine at the start, but like exercise once you begin to feel the benefits you will find ways to get "your feel good" on.
Happy relaxing!
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