When I got here I realised how tired I’d become. Days beginning at 4:30am, with writing, social media, bread mixing, bread baking and just plain old early waking. Days filled with kids activities, play group, music and swimming.
At Wollangarra I was happily going to sleep at 7:30pm and waking at 6am. Instead of filling the days with ‘busy’, I needed to come up with some electricity-free, free activities to help me low down and pamper myself. You can and should do some of these too.
- write a letter with pen and paper
- bake cookies and eat them all
- read a book in the sun
- take a long shower in the rain
- light some candles and run a hot bath
- invite your favourite friend over, have a sleep over and chat all night
- forget about housework and go to bed early
- leave the dishes until tomorrow
- go for a walk up a hill
- call up an old friend and have a long overdue chat
- turn off your phone for a day, you’re not missing anything, and if you really are, you’ll find out tomorrow
- sit outside in the dark and look at the stars
- take a picnic rug to the park, lie on it and see what shapes you can see in the clouds
- make a fort out of blankets, hide under there and read a book
- curl up in bed with a pot of tea and a good book
- light a candle and do some yoga stretches
- enjoy a decadent dessert for one
- light a fire inside or out, sit and stair at it
- turn off your phone, turn off your tv and just sit on the couch and snuggle up with a good book and your lover
- play some music and have a kitchen dance party
- go to bed early, read a good book or just fall an early into a well deserved slumber
- sit down with a pen and paper and see where the words take you
- cook up a big pot of soup and share it with your friends and neighbours
- go outside, weed a garden bed, cut the grass, prune and tree etc
Do you have any suggestions of electricity-free free stress reducing activities? Let your ideas in the comments below.
On a recent holiday up at my Mum’s, surrounded by the quiet of the bush, I too slept longer and later than I do here at home. Maybe there are fewer reasons to get out of bed!
Thanks for your beautiful comment Meg.