Only humans can unplug to recharge

I’m having difficulty today taming the thoughts running around in my head – so much so that I have had a hard time figuring out what I’d really like to blog about today. 

Why the rampant brain waves? 

I have a few ideas –

The best bet is the fact that today is my oldest son’s birthday and for the first time in his life, we aren’t able to spend it with him because he moved to Hawaii a few months ago. When your kids move out, it is an unexplainable mixed-bag of feelings, but when they move so far away that it takes time and effort just to see them, the feelings are intensified even more.

That’s one reason I’m a little distracted.

Another reason, I think I’ve figured out, is that I feel completely overwhelmed by the intensity of the drama found on social media and in the news these days. While it’s always good to understand and be aware of what’s happening locally, nationally or internationally, the negativity of it all is just a bit much sometimes and, to be honest, it’s a lot to take in and I just don’t know if what I’m reading is truth or fiction. Regardless of which it may be, social media is now ripe with a constant barrage of so-called news added to a huge helping of opinions that usually end in discord when others dare to respond with their own beliefs. Some may just agree to disagree, but those are the few who can have a grown-up conversation. Sadly, there are many who cannot.

While I know it’s not a good idea to bury my head in the sand and try to ignore what’s going on in the world around me, there are just those days when it’s an absolute necessity. We have to find the time to unwind and recharge, and funny enough, I think to do that you need to unplug. 

Finding time to rest and recharge is one of the to-do’s on my list of mindful intentions for this New Year. What I’ve figured out over the first few weeks of this first month of the year is that it can sometimes be very difficult to actually find the time to do so.

But there is a saying, “It’s not about having time. It’s about making time.”

We all have the same amount of time every day. However, we may have no job, one job or possibly even two; we may live in a different season when it comes to our kids, we may be single or married, healthy or sick, have many responsibilities every day, or very few. Whatever course our daily lives take, it is oftentimes very easy to not only get caught up in our own busy lives, but also in what’s happening to others around us or around the world. That can be a lot to take on for any one person in any given day.

I’ve always been a “busy” person – even when I should relax, I tend to think about what else I “should” be doing. It’s a habit I’ve had all my life, and one that is admittedly hard to break. 

But I’m working on it and I’ve spent this month unwinding by writing, because that actually does relax me, as well getting out of town to visit with family, taking more photos whenever the mood strikes, getting in regular exercise, reading every day, and journaling. While blogging doesn’t define the concept of being unplugged, I am finding time today to unwind so that I can recharge for the upcoming week. For me, that involves writing – spending time with family – journaling – and then my favorite way to end the day, yoga.

However you plan to unwind before we hit the week running, I hope you find the time to enjoy it.

Have a great week!