Recently I have been conversing with my support team about making some changes in my life. One of the things I have been thinking about is taking time to rest. I closed on my home at the end of May, and I have been so busy that I have not taken the time to spend a complete day lounging. This past weekend my last presentation of 2014 was cancelled, and I was thinking today is the first day of summer.
Summer is one of my favorite seasons because I was born in August, and I love it when it is warm and in full bloom. Last week I was asked the question “When you are an overachiever how do you find time to rest?”
I was taken aback by the question because it is something I struggle with. The reason I am constantly struggling with relaxation is because my parents taught me while you are sleeping someone else is working twice as hard to achieve things in life.
When I visited my father during the summer, I observed his work ethic and he was always doing something productive from the morning until late at night. At the end of the night, he would shower, get himself some grapes, and sit down in the floor and read a novel.
Same thing with my mother she would work long hours to provide for me and my siblings with everything we needed and wanted. For me, I am constantly working hard to reach and make sure I am utilizing my God given talents.
I digressed a little………………To answer the question we need to learn how to relax and how to unwind. It is important to find something that’s relaxing, healing, soothing, and available to you. For me I love going to the beach, placing my feet in the sand, and laying in the sun. I also enjoy taking a long bath, taking day trips, and spending quality time with family, and friends. This past weekend I took some time to relax and enjoy my house. On Sunday, I went to the Rehoboth Beach with some friends and relaxed in the sun for a few hours.
For the remainder of the summer I am planning to take time to relax, spend time with friends, and family, and enjoy the fruits of my labor. Keep in mind that summer isn’t forever in the DMV, so I do not plan to ruin it with arguing with anyone or entertaining any negativity. My goal is fully to immerse myself in good times, and enjoy the fullness of summer.
We may have become comfortable with colder times, that we’ve forgotten how to enjoy the sun, and the warmth, and the good times. Each moment in our lives is important. To live fully in joy, we need to learn to enjoy the good times as well as weather the storms.
You can’t change your past, and your future has not happened. Focus your energy on enjoying the moment you are living right now. Tomorrow’s lessons will take care of themselves. I am excited about my family and friends arriving at the end of the summer to celebrate another milestone in my life.
Therapist corner: Keep in mind that happiness can be ours if we just remember to be happy. Joy is a choice – a deliberate, a conscious choice. Each day we wake up in the morning, and the choice to be happy is available to us.
