If you’ve been reading my blog or following me on Instagram, you already know I am in love with taking walks. I think it was Erin Brown who posted something a few weeks/months ago about how she will never let herself be too busy to take a walk.
That comment hit home for me because I tend to be a person who wants to make use of every single second of every single day. This is nothing new, it’s the way I’ve always been, but it tends to lead to burn-out fairly often.
Even though I’m a workaholic (and I’m super type-A), there are a few things I always make time for no matter how busy I am or how many things I have on my list that need to be checked off. Over time, I’m learning what habits and activities fill my tank and help me to be a better mom, wife, friend, coach and business owner.
For example, my non-negotiable weekly health and fitness activities include strength training, taking walks, sleep and food prep. Without adequate amounts (for me) of these things I tend to feel stressed and overwhelmed and I find it really difficult to manage everything else I have going on in life.
So we’re clear, this is not a post where I tell you how busy I am. In fact, I despise the glorification of busy and it drives me crazy when people over-commit to things and then complain about having no free time. Instead, this is a post about how I am trying to boost my happiness by using my leisure time, which is honestly pretty darn limited right now, wisely. I’m working hard to figure out what activities I do that fill my tank and keep me going.
If you have kids, you quickly learn that you have to pick and choose which social events, workouts, and extracurricular activities you make time for and which ones must take a back seat. It took a bit of trial and error, but I have learned that it’s important for me to make time for things that give me more energy and peace and to just say no to things (and people) who leave me feeling drained and stressed.
The most-satisfying leisure activities are different for everyone. Some people feel their best and get re-energized when they spend leisure time alone and others need to be surrounded by people more often than not in order to feel fulfilled. I am somewhere in the middle here, but since my preschooler talks a lot and I spend time in a gym with clients and employees, I have started to really value silence and time to myself. Moms, you hear me on this?
Of course I love my “me-time,” but spending quality time with the ones I love is what else fills my tank. Things like date nights, an occasional night away, dinner with the girls, attending church and family time. Of course, these things should all be non-negotiable too, but sometimes one area slips through the cracks for longer than it should. You know, like going a month or more without a date with my husband, multi-tasking too often when I should be focused on my son or letting too much time go by between visits with girlfriends.
If I had a real answer on how to find balance in your life, how to keep your tank full even when you’re working hard and how to turn down (kindly) invitations that will not help you thrive, I’d be a rich woman. I don’t have the answers, but hopefully you find comfort in reading this and knowing that you’re not alone as you struggle to figure out what’s most important to you.
Your free time is valuable. Spend it in ways that keep you motivated, inspired and happy. Yes, that likely means doing a combination of a whole bunch of things, some solo and others surrounded by amazing people. The key here is to make sure your leisure activities are filling your tank. Do you feel inspired, happy and self-confident after your leisure activities? If not, re-evaluate.
If you know that fitting in exercise is something that fills your tank, but you’re having trouble finding the time or having trouble making yourself a priority, here are a few other good reads for you:
- Creating Habits – Small changes done consistently can produce big results.
- Consistency – The Four P’s of Consistency
- It’s not selfish to make yourself happy first.
- Exercise should enhance your life, not control your life. (It needs to fill your tank, not leave you feeling left more drained than ever!)
What leisure activities fill your tank? What leisure activities do you find yourself saying yes to even though you know they’re not going to leave you fulfilled?
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