Wasting the Day Away By: Gwen Schrank
It was a Saturday morning, and all that I wanted to do was stay in bed while continuing to feel the warmth of my weighted blanket holding me down. Thoughts and plans of the many lists of things that I needed to accomplish over the weekend ran through my head; however the tiredness in my bones didn’t want to give way to me climbing out of bed to tackle things that could be handled another time. At least that’s what my mind and body were telling me. That morning, I decided to indulge myself a bit and spend time lying peacefully in my bed and avoiding all distractions. I was determined to become weightless and without thought, as if I was a rock in a soft spot. Nothing was going to lure me away from this moment as it held me so tightly. Enjoying the sunlight beaming through the window and the smell of the vanilla lavender candle at my bedside, I felt safe and comfortable surrounded by beauty, warmth, and softness. How long could I make this moment last? Could I spend the day, or maybe just another hour or two, completely and delicately resting in peace? Then my bedroom door slammed opened and my kids came running in shouting, “Wake up! We’re hungry!” They piled atop my nice soft blankets. “I want pancakes,” my daughter insisted. “I want cereal,” said my son. Okay, okay, okay, it was time to get about the business of my day. How could I ever think that I would be able to pamper myself for just a little while? We live in a busy season of life where our days and nights are filled with one activity after another. It feels as if the twenty-four hours in a day have shrunk to a mere seven or eight, not giving us enough time to balance the activities of life and rest. In today’s world, indulgence is frowned upon. Somehow, people have stopped indulging in the things that bring them good health and healing, but instead have started focusing more on things that add stress, anxiety, and shame. Some people indulge in food, which leads to our bodies being overweight and unhealthy. Some people indulge in worrying over other people’s problems because they don’t want to face their own. They want to gossip and draw attention away from themselves in a way that diverts them from being emotionally healthy. Then there are those who indulge in the feeling of shame, and that takes them down a path of striving to make things better and working hard at things that don’t even suit them. It’s actually about who they think others want them to be.
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There are good things to indulge in, and bad things to waste your time on, but let’s take a look at why balance is necessary. Everyone needs balance in their lives. Balance is one of the most important goals a person should be working toward in order to apply it in their life. It provides both a space for achievement and a place for rest. It also helps you to determine your boundaries—when it’s time to go, and when it’s time to stop. Unfortunately, in our society’s digital age, we are encouraged to always be on and available to others. The boundary lines are being blurred in a way that is causing more and more people to suffer from stress and be diagnosed with some form of mental illness. People are working, taking care of families, running around doing social events, spending countless hours on social media, and information is constantly flooding our brains to the extent that there isn’t any room left to take care of ourselves and get rest. There is no balance. Today expectations appear to be greater than ever. Balance is often lost to us for days, weeks, and sometimes years. Many people don’t have a clue of what a balanced life looks and feels like.
