“We will be more successful in all our endeavours if we can let go of the habit of running all the time, and take little pauses to relax and re-centre ourselves. And, we will also have a lot more joy in living!”

–Thich Nhat Hanh

 

So, how often do you take a break? Or, are you a workaholic, who thinks sleep is a waste of time and relaxing, laziness?

It’s necessary that we take a break once a week. Well, God, too, took rest on the seventh day, didn’t He?

However much enthusiasm we might hold within ourselves, it’s a fact that our body is not a machine that can work, ceaselessly. A machine, too, breaks down if overworked, and so could our body. And, our  mind, too!

Remember what we learned in school?

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”

It also makes Jill a dull girl! Jill, as in, YOU, my dear reader!

It’s OKAY to relax once a week; laze around doing nothing, or doing something you don’t do during the week days. That doesn’t mean you spend the day doing laundry, or cleaning up the entire house!

Just sit, breathe easy, sip your tea/coffee nice and slow and bask in the moment.

TIPS TO RELAX AND REJUVENATE YOUR BODY:

1. Sleep until late on a Sunday. Your body isn’t accustomed to it, I know, so sleep till as long as you feel like, so that you wake up fresh.
2. Stretch your body and exercise a little. I have noticed that if I miss my Yoga even for a day, my body feels ‘rusty’!
3. Opt for something different for breakfast and try to involve the kids in making it.
4. Put your phones away and spend time with your kids or friends and family.
5. Unplug. The world won’t change much in a day if you don’t check what’s going on out there.
6. Pamper yourself–either at home, or at the salon–and feel rejuvenated!

 

TIPS TO RELAX YOUR MIND:

1. Play some music and sing along.
2. De-clutter just one area of one room on a Sunday, and make plans to tackle another area the next Sunday. In short, just clean-up one spot instead of scrubbing the entire house; you will be bone-tired by the end of the day.
3. De-clutter your mental rooms, too. Talk things out with your close ones if something’s been bothering you during the week and try to sort it out, or dump it in the trash can if it’s irreparable. Just let things be!
4. Catch up on a movie or two at home with the entire family. For hubby and me, Sundays are ‘Movie days’, when we surf through Netflix and watch a couple of films.
5. Prepare a to-do list for the next week/plan your meals/sort your work clothes. Be ready for the week ahead.

 

This is usually what I do on a Sunday, and believe me, it feels fantastic! Make changes as per your lifestyle, but do take that break.

YOU need it, my dear!

 

Love,

SHILPA…

 

I am participating in the April A to Z Blogging Challenge and my theme is, ‘SELF-CARE’. You will find all the A to Z posts here.

 

 

Women are multi-taskers who juggle a hundred things as deftly as a juggler!

How proud I felt reading this statement! I would pat my back for accomplishing 5 tasks simultaneously. But, not once did I think about the frustration and irritation that would overcome me as I managed those 5 tasks. What an idiot I was!

I am sure all of us are guilty of multi-tasking, and feeling good about it, too. Rarely do we ponder how we harass our brain as we try to do so.

Have you observed how exasperated you are when there are 10 things demanding your attention and when you try to give all those 10 things your time?

Imagine yourself in the kitchen/work table, working on something, when your kid or someone asks for some help. Wanting to fulfil your their wish and completing the job at hand, you do both these things, simultaneously. And, just then, something else comes up.

Even as you try to do these three things together, your breathing becomes shallow, your heart-rate increases, you lose your attention and you feel your frustration rising by the minute. So, at the end of it all, what have you achieved that’s worth patting your back?

You managed to complete your work, fulfil people’s wish and some more work, but ended up tiring yourself–body and mind. Especially, mind.

According to research…

1. Our brain works efficiently while doing one task at a time.

2. We are most productive as we focus only on that one task.

3. We complete the task quicker and to our satisfaction.

4. And, doing that one task takes far less time than doing ten things to save time.

 

 

 

Multi-tasking not only affects your productivity and efficiency, it also affects your mood. How crabby we are when we juggle multiple tasks at a time!

So, irritation, frustration, inefficiency, lack of productivity, lousy moods, and exhaustion–this is what you get when you multi-task.

Why would you want to suffer from all of these, anyway? You won’t be receiving any medals for being so “competent”, will you?

 

Instead,

Be mindful of what you do when you do it.

Focus on the task at hand and immerse yourself completely in it.

This way, you will not only give it your 100%, but enjoy it, too.

Mindfulness improves your concentration, productivity and efficiency and reduces mental and physical fatigue.

 

Self-care means taking care of yourself and your mental and physical well-being, and when you multi-task, you are doing the exact opposite.

Do as much as you can, without burdening your brain or body.

Accomplish one task at a time. The world will not come to an end if you don’t complete all the tasks on your to-do list.

Begin with the important task. Then, move to the less important ones. And, if something gets left out, do not blame yourself for being slothful or incompetent. Just do it at the end, or the next day.

Be mindful of what you do and enjoy your work. This way, you will be satisfied with your efficiency and happy with yourself.

 

Love,

SHILPA…

 

 

I am participating in the April A to Z Blogging Challenge and my theme this year is ‘SELF-CARE’.

You will find my posts here.