I heard a quote recently (pretty sure it was on Criminal Minds) that went something like this: “Fear is the evil that stems from the unknown.” I’m probably not even close to what they really said, but how true is that? It has happened to me multiple times in my life where the waiting to find out the conclusion is worse that the conclusion itself (even if it wasn’t what I wanted it to be). There is something about the unknown and waiting around to figure it out that is just exhausting and terrifying.
I bet that the majority of people in the world are just waiting and praying for their work days to be over as quickly as possible. And honestly, how sad is that? I would be lying if I said I usually wasn’t one of those people. Sunday nights bring dread and depression about the upcoming work week and set me up for failure come Monday morning. It really, really hurts my heart that so many people are just biding time away Monday-Thursday, get some ounce of excitement on Thursday night, are happy on Friday (though waiting for 5pm to roll around), ecstatic on Saturday, coming down a bit on Sunday, and full-on lethargic by Sunday evening. I am really sick of living my life for the weekend and wasting away my weeks. I want to appreciate every moment and live happily through the seemingly mundane days and always look for the light in them.
So I am nowhere near perfect and definitely not qualified to dole out advice, but here are some of the things that have helped me lately to not just “get through” my days, but find more joy, happiness, peace, and calamity during them:
Waking up earlier than I need to. It really sucks for like, one minute, but once I realize that I have some time in the morning to read my book, put some things away, make something for breakfast, and get myself looking somewhat presentable, I immediately set the tone to be calmer and more reluctant to get in my car and go to work and have a good attitude about it.
Working out. Again, not so good on the drive to the gym, but really good on the drive home. It really just makes you feel better about yourself.
Putting the phone away. When I quit scrolling through Instagram, I am able to cross items off my to-do list that were giving me more stress than I realized, reach out to a friend to say hi, actually speak to the people around me, think for myself and not by what other people are posting, and detach from comparison games for a little while.
Not over-committing. I used to be the queen of saying yes to everything and everybody. Nowadays I literally only commit to the things I actually want to do. I’m even over making excuses for myself. If someone asks me to do something I don’t want to, I will just say, “Thanks for the offer, but I can’t.” I used to say, “Omg I am SO sorry. I totally wish I could, but I just have too much to get done tonight. I love you though and let’s get together soon.” Do you want to know how much of the latter I would really mean? Approximately 0%. Over that.
Not feeling guilty for taking time to myself to read, watch my shows, and spend time with my favorite people. I am the type of person that needs down-time or I lose my mind. No shame in that.
The below picture is one of my favorites that I have ever taken. It was at the end of a long Labor Day weekend up north with my boyfriend, having a bonfire on the beach with some wine, smores, and a beautiful sunset. What could be better? So simple, yet so beautiful. Those are the moments I want to cherish, instead of rushing through them.
So with that all being said, I think we all need to try a little harder to fill our days with what we want to be there rather than waiting until they’re over. Also, I’m done with doing (or not doing) things “because I think I should.” That’s crap. As long as I am being a good person and getting done what I need to, I see no shame in the way I complete those two tasks. I’m really tired of waiting around for someone to give me permission to do something that I have the ability to decide on my own, because I am an adult.
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