Things are hectic in the world. Make sure you find some time to unwind doing something you love. I’ve had a pretty rough start to the year so far myself. I won’t go into what’s been going on here, but suffice to say, I really hope I’m on the upswing. I think so, but we’ll see.
I just wanted to take a moment to point out that it’s important to find some time to relax a bit. I’ve been slowly finding myself gravitating away from devices and more to physical things. I’m starting to prefer taking physical notes over reaching for my phone first, reading physical books versus ebooks, and just enjoying working on things that I can see and feel. None of this is to say I plan on getting out of the tech field, but I do think that I need to expand my hobbies out from solely online things.
Lately, there are two main things that I do to unwind. Those are lifting weights and doing yard work. I’ve even got to wearing the “dad shoes” that all of our dads would wear when mowing the grass – no lie, they’re super comfy.
Weight lifting has been a huge boost for me. I’m still only a couple months into it again, but there’s something cathartic about being able to shut off the outside world, kick on some heavy jams, and focus on performing the movements with proper form. I still have a ways to go before I get back to my previous lifting numbers, but I’m not in any rush. The important thing is paying attention to what my body is telling me.
Yard work is another one of those things that just has to get done. It doesn’t always have to be seen as a chore though. It’s a tough mindset to get out of though. I used to hate doing it, but when I started looking at the bigger picture, I found that I enjoyed the process more. I don’t have the best looking yard in the neighborhood, nor do I want to. I want it to look good for us, to be a place where we can express ourselves. Don’t get me wrong, there are some parts of yard maintenance that I don’t like – trimming hedges and pulling weeds aren’t exactly my idea of fun – but it’s all part of the process. It’s another one of those things where if you let yourself get lost in the activity, you can actually find it to be quite peaceful and fulfilling. Watching something you worked on flourish over time can be exciting.