Recharge yourself!

New year coming, a shitload of new year´s resolutions, putting pressure on yourself. You hear about making the most of your day, being efficient and productive everywhere. From me too. I also want to make the most of my day. BUT – sometimes, it´s ok to stop and recharge yourself. It´s ok to be boring, lazy, unproductive sometimes. As long as……

…as long as you are aware of it and are doing it consciously, knowing that it´s a pause and you´ll return to being active, productive and efficient.

We put a lot of pressure on ourselves – helping our friends, charities, being amazing at our work, having a long list of activities and hobbies to do in our free time.

But this can take it´s toll. There´s only so much, only so far our bodies will stretch, and then, it comes. We hate it, but we can´t avoid it – the breakdown, the feeling of “I can´t anymore, everything sucks”, the hours of watching youtube videos of animals being silly, watching pointless series on TV or websites about shitty tattoos (my favourite).

But this is avoidable. All we need to do is allow ourselves a rest. Accept the fact, that we can´t be productive, effective, great friends and support everyone all the time.

It´s ok to be selfish sometimes. (because it´s not actually selfish… keep reading)

It´s ok to be lazy sometimes.

It´s ok to be a couch potato sometimes.

As long as we´re aware of it and we won´t make it a daily thing.  This isn´t an excuse to become a couch potato all the time.

I call this recharging myself. This traveling lifestyle means that no day is the same, there´s always a challenge or something to do, see, people to meet, be sociable and so on. And I love it.

But – I don´t do it all the time. I have my days of being a lazy shit. I hole myself up in a hostel for a day and watch movies, silly youtube videos or spend lots of time on facebook and avoid contact with people.

How do I know when to do this? You can notice it. You become less responsive to people, more edgy, more irritable. You care about connecting with people less. This is when you should take a break from pushing yourself. That´s when I think it´s good to be a lazy shit for a bit. Because if you feel tired, worn out, stressed and not caring, it´s only going to get worse. You will eventually alienate your friends or snap at someone or suffer a breakdown.

But if you acknowledge that you´re human and need a break, allow

yourself to be lazy and do things you enjoy, whether they are considered productive, healthy or not, they will reset you back to your normal productive, lovable, sociable self.

So keep this in mind when starting your new year, with new resolutions – DO try to achieve them, DO try to be the best person you can be, the best friend, the best employee.

BUT also DO allow yourself a break. We´re not machines.

Only if you are happy, healthy and rested, you can offer this to others. A grumpy, tired you is no use to anyone around you. And you don´t want to be a burden to your friends, I know I don´t.

You might end up like this Bolivian artist with a lot of surpressed anger that he expressed in this mural:

And why is it not selfish? Because you´re doing this for your friends and people around you too. A happier you radiates better energy to everyone else around you. A stressful you can´t make others around happy.

So go on, watch that youtube video. You deserve it. And your environment too. 😉

Here´s some ideas to take your mind off stress:

http://lookatmyfuckingredtrousers.blogspot.com/

http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/

http://wtftattoos.com/

http://imgur.com/

http://stupidstreetsigns.com/