RELAX, don't do it.....

You know that song? I was going to make the title FRANKIE SAYS RELAX but then you'd think I was blabbering on about my geek chic printed buddy Frankie . Also it's really early in the morning for me so excuse my typos. I am awake because I have been conditioned to view relaxation, the fine art of doing nothing, as unproductive, lazy, and a pure and simple waste of the precious time in which I could be working on my career, relationships, quality time with my daughter, reading, pampering myself, cooking gorgeous meals, making our house look like something out of a magazine, catch up with friends, exercise and all those million other things we should all be doing each day in order to lead purposeful, meaningful and fulfilled lives. Well, fuck it. I woke up before 6am (I used to get home at this time, sheesh) and started to think, which is a dangerous habit. I could not get back to sleep because I am conditioned to telling myself I need to do this and that, will get so much more done if I get up a few hours earlier, I'll have a better day and be ready for a good night's sleep this evening. Bollocks. I'm cold (the heat pump is cranked up, thus using more power hurting the environment and costing us more money which isn't very efficient of me is it?); crabby (not the calm, centred and go-to-it person the magazines tell me iI should be); and I dare not look in the mirror lest it break (I didn't have a long relaxing bath last night with expensive lotions, followed by herbal tea, a good face cleanse and moisturise and sleep-inducing hand cream, like I was meant to, naughty naughty). My aim for the weekend was to r-e-l-a-x but I didn't. I couldn't. Vegging out on the couch with a book or magazine has no point unless I'm taking notes becuase I need to write about them, watching a dvd is a rare event (unless it's Shrek or Nemo as favoured by Charlotte), we did take her to the park and for a nice brunch on Saturday but as soon as I got home I had to check my email. The only way to counter this is to switch the computer off, switch my phone off, and get out of the mindset that I need to be doing something, all the time. Men are very good at this. My partner even had a nap with our daughter yesterday afternoon. So I took the opportunity not to have a bath or paint my toenails or indulge in a hot chocolate and a book, but logged on and caught up on some work. Life is too fast-paced, we're all complaining of stress and burnout, yet it's our own fault! It's not going to change I guess, marketers and advertisers would never allow it, but don't you think we could get more out of life by simply doing less?

Next weekend, I promise I'll try it. As long as I've caught up with work and the house is clean. Oh and my wardrobe cleaned out and dinner cooked in advance. Hmmm.