Relaxation Is Important Too

by Marie Vonow (follow)

Balance (59)      Relaxation (51)      Modern Life (4)     

These days we are bombarded with information about all the things we should be fitting into our lives. Sixty years plus back it was considered enough to have a job or care for your family. Sometimes women did both but it wasn't an expectation. A person just wasn't expected to always be doing something, to be setting goals, to be striving. There wasn't the pressure to be working one's way through a bucket list.

Housework and caring for the family took up most of a woman's time. Spare time was probably spent gardening, knitting/crochetting, sewing or doing some form of needlework.

I remember going to Grandma's for Sunday lunch quite frequently. Sometimes my cousins were also visiting. What fun. This was our usual entertainment, adults talking together, kids playing.

Occasionally we went to see a pantomime or other live performance. A movie was a real treat.

I went on my first family holiday when I was 10. We went to Kangaroo Island for 5 days. Other than staying with various relatives I had never been on a holiday before, not even for a weekend. Now there is so much pressure to go on holidays, to see different places, to travel.

We have many opportunities to do so much these days but it comes at a cost. Sometimes when people are supposedly relaxing, they are still putting themselves under pressure. It may be to get whatever they are doing done so they can move on to the next activity. If they are on holiday it could be to finish seeing the sights in one place so they can get to the next place on the list.

All this rushing and trying to cram things in because, 'You only live once' means many find it hard to relax. They may feel guilty if they are just sitting and looking at the garden. Lying in a hammock enjoying the fresh air and sunshine can seem like a waste of time. There can be this feeling that one should be doing something.

It is important to plan time to really relax. Some time 'doing nothing' is a good thing. Of course if you spend most of your time aimlessly lying around that isn't good for you either. One needs a balance of activity, relaxation and sleep. It is good to have some goals, but not too many and they need to be achievable.

From time to time one needs to look at one's life and see if there is a balance and if not, do something about the situation. Check out Do Less, Enjoy More


# Balance
# Relaxation
# Modern Life

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