Relaxing {for Dummies}: The Art & Science of Finding Your Chill

Relaxing isn’t easy. You say you’re going to take this Saturday to do nothing. You’ve been looking forward to it all week. But what do you do? You decide it’s time to return that cable box that’s been sitting in your guest room for 5 years, then a quick trip to Costco on a Saturday afternoon to get those snacks you really like that you can pretty much get anywhere else, but you’ll save $5 if you get them in bulk, so why not, right? Then while you’re out, you might as well stop for a car wash. And oh, is that a new plant store in the neighborhood? You have to go check that out!

So, now it’s almost dinner time and you haven’t even thought about what you’re going to eat tonight, and your fridge has absolutely nothing useful in it. You’re starting to get a bit frustrated, and those hunger pains are making you a little irritable. If you are with someone else at this time, you may stab them. You acknowledge that you can’t really make a complex decision about food right now, so you make a quick stop and pick up pizza from your usual place. Boring, but at least you’ll be fed.

Finally, it’s 8 P.M. and you’re back home after being out since early this morning. How did this happen, you ask? You have to learn to relax.

Here are some tips:

1. Stop it with the To Do lists.

Put away your calendar app or Keep list or whatever you are using to remind yourself of the hundreds of things you have to do. Just don’t do it. Don’t jot down that you have to go get new towels at Target. You don’t need anything at Target that can’t wait a few more weeks.

2. Find yourself a hobby you can do from home.

Honestly, you’ll find that time passes much more easily at home if you have something to do. Sure, everyone loves a good Netflix binge, but that’s only going to hold you over so long before you feel like you have to leave the house and do something. I repeat, find a hobby. Be it playing a musical instrument, playing a new video game, or even sewing. Whatever it is, make sure you can spend several hours doing it without having to leave the house. And sure, if Netflix really does it for you, then go for it, let it play out 10 episodes of that show you’ve been meaning to watch.

3. Nap shamelessly.

Don’t be ashamed to take a nap two hours after waking up. Or heck, even one hour after waking up. It’s Saturday, its okay to do nothing. Just get out of bed, eat a bowl of cereal, and go back to bed. No one expects anything from you today.

4. Encourage others to relax.

Oh, someone is expecting something from you today? You have kids or a spouse? Have them read this too, and tell them to relax.

This isn’t by all means an exhaustive list, but I hope you find it useful. And most importantly, don’t let anyone make you feel bad about doing nothing!