Sometimes You Just Need to Get Away

After several months of child-induced sleep deprivation, a brutal week-long stomach virus and general day-to-day stress, I decided a break from life was in order. A few days in the mountains with a whole lot of doing nothing was exactly what my exhausted body and mind needed. The weekend basically consisted of a lot of lounging in bed, a few dips in the Jacuzzi, a much needed massage, venturing into town once or twice for a meal, followed by a little retail- therapy at the outlet mall on the way home.

It is often so easy to be excessively hard on ourselves and forget the absolute necessity of taking a break. If you don’t have a balanced mind, how can you have an organized home, or life for that matter? In an ideal world, it really shouldn’t take violent illness or massive bags under our eyes to force us into retreat. Why is it so difficult to take these needed time-outs before drastic things happen? The fact is when we become so consumed by our work or taking care of our homes, we neglect ourselves. Eventually it does become mandatory to actually leave your home to get some peace and relaxation.

My point to all of this? It’s ok to give yourself a break! Sometimes we need to walk away from routine every now and then. If you can do this in your own space, great! For me, I need a change of scenery and a new place to be where I won’t be tempted to do laundry or feel guilty for not cleaning and picking up. We aren’t machines, and while we are our worst critics, it’s so crucial to give ourselves some time off from all the “have-to” and “should be doings” of life.

Escaping for a little bit won’t make your issues or problems go away, but it will certainly put you in much more relaxed state of mind, giving you the opportunity to attack each day with renewed energy. It is my goal to allow the next “retreat” to come sooner rather than later, or at least before life begins to feel overwhelming again. Of course, there is always the ever helpful chant of "Serenity Now!"