When we are in “bus-y mode” that feeling like you just can’t stop, and dealing with overwhelm, it can be really hard to relax even if you know you should. You might start to worry about all the bad things that will happen if you take a break, or if that to-do list doesn’t get checked off. Welcome to overwhelm my friend, I know this neighborhood well.
I know this feeling of dealing with overwhelm all too well. Most of us actually get addicted to “busy-mode” because there’s a certain rush in accomplishing tasks. That satisfying feeling of having all your items on the list crossed off like you are superwoman of task management (ok that’s doesn’t really sound so exciting after all). We start to get that feeling like we HAVE to do all the things or the world is going to end.
Well, the weight of the world doesn’t rest on your shoulders alone, in fact by you driving yourself into the ground, those things are less likely to get done in the end anyway.
So I started putting more value on the time I spent that was not meant for doing anything productive. This was REALLY strange at first. I call it “Purposeful Purposelessness” (Ok I’ll work on the title).
We can get so addicted to checking things off the to do list, that we forget that getting our energy back can often occur in those moments when we are not doing anything with an outcome in mind. This may look different for everyone. Even Psychology Today wrote about the benefits of purposeless behaviors.
Here are some things you can do that are totally and blissfully purposeless
Go to the library or Barnes & Noble and just browse with no intention of getting anything.
Flip through books that catch your eye, get a cup of tea and browse through a beautiful home decor book or a fashion magazine. Look at a travel guide of a place you want to go to, or feed your soul in the personal development section. This is one of my favorite “me time” activities.
Most of the time when we go into stores is because we have to get something; a birthday present, there’s a new book club book you have to get, it’s fathers day tomorrow, etc. How about you just go for fun! It’s like a playground for book loving adults!
Browse Pinterest for your dream vacation
(note, don’t PLAN this vacation, this is about dreaming) just explore places you’ve always wanted to go to, look up the most expensive resorts you don’t ever plan on going to. Normally I try to stay away from screens for my purposeful purposeless activity, but Pinterest somehow always makes me feel good, I don’t know why!
Read a fiction novel
This one was actually really hard for me, because for about 5 years I only read personal development, nutrition, yoga, or spiritual books. I always thought that I HAD to be learning if I was going to be reading because otherwise it would be a waste of time. No, the idea IS to waste your time and be ok with it…and if you are relaxing and enjoying yourself then it’s not really a waste of time *wink*. Find a book that’s easy enough that it’s not a struggle to get through. Young adult novels, beach reads, and light murder mysteries are some of my favorites.
Take a walk without needing to go anywhere.
Enjoy looking at the homes in your neighborhood, go down a street you’ve never been down before. Be curious and explore. Wanter with no plan, just enjoy where the walk takes you.
Binge on your favorite blog
As a blogger I love looking at other peoples blogs. Everyone has their own unique voice, so even though there about a bazillion blogs out there, they are all different. Go through their old content, get to know the blogger, it’s not stalkerish I promise. That’s what blogs are there for! You can learn a lot by “blog-binging.” <<< I just made that up!
The idea of Purposeful Purposelessness is to do something that doesn’t produce an outcome, doesn’t check something off the to do list, isn’t something that NEEDED to get done, that nobody is counting on you to do. This is just for you. The key is FUN and/or relaxation. What would be fun right now? What would make you smile? The “purposeful” part comes in because you are meaning for this activity to have no real end results to show for it. You’re doing it on purpose, in contrast to just wasting time mindlessly.
