How do you relax?
“How do you relax?” it sounds simple enough. Except it isn’t. Because apparently my brain never got the memo on how to switch off.
I’ve tried the “normal” routes. Yoga? Yeah, I’ve never stepped foot in a class (no thank you). My version is “Yoga for Beginners” on YouTube, done in the living room. It usually ends with me collapsed in a heap on the rug, wondering how the instructor is still smiling while I’m trying not to snap in half. Relaxing? Not exactly.
Meditation? Honestly, it’s just me sat cross legged with a magnifying glass on every single thought I’ve been trying to avoid. Far from peaceful, it’s more like inviting my brain to shout about its commotion on loudspeaker. So no, not exactly relaxing.
So what do I do? Well, I try the basics: TV, a book, a candle flickering away like it’s going to suddenly cure all my problems. Sometimes they work. Sometimes they’re just background noise to the whirring inside my head.
Writing, though, well that’s probably the closest I get to real relaxation. Sitting down with a notebook or keyboard and just dumping whatever’s rattling around in my skull. It feels like exhaling. But it’s a double-edged sword, too, because sometimes getting it all out just doubles the thoughts, like they’ve bred overnight. Still, it beats pretending I’m zen while face planting into the living room carpet.
So, how do I relax? I don’t, not really. Or maybe I do, in my own way, by distracting, dumping, and passing out into sleep like it’s my brain’s emergency off switch – until some dream decides it’s a good time to audition for a horror movie, but that’s another story.
Lottie x
Thirty Something Plus VAT 