Thursday, April 15, 2010

mindless

i just tried to lay down and sleep for a few minutes.
i pride myself on being able to take a nap at any moment...for any amount of time.
once, i took a nap for 7 minutes...that was all the time i had!

it takes me awhile to fall asleep at night...but not for a nap.
usually.

today i couldn't fall asleep.
i couldn't turn my brain off.

i think i need to build in a few minutes of "mindless" time during my day.
from the minute i wake up and put on my running clothes, i open the Bible and my brain is working.

as i go through my day, i'm praying for others or myself (Lord, give me patience/strength/grace, etc.)
i'm pondering my kids and their personalities.
i'm analyzing my motives.
i'm deciding what's for dinner for the next week to make my grocery list.
it's ongoing...i know some people think us "stay at home moms" have all this "mindless" time on our hands...but it's not the case for me!

it goes all the way until i climb into bed and read for 30 or so minutes (i used to alternate between a "real" book - which means nonfiction - one that's going to challenge my thinking and teach me something and a fiction book - one that is mindless. lately i've been reading only nonfiction. last night i picked up a fiction book...i just needed some "mindless.")

how do you balance this?

i hate to waste time.
and "mindless" time feels like "wasting" time.
yet i know i need some "mindless" time in order to do the rest of my days well.

ok...back to my thinking :-)

5 comments:

Kate and Geoff said...

OK, here's what I think.

Remember how you said several posts ago (I think it was you that said this) that how you REST your body between training sessions is just as important, if not more so, as how you train the next time? Because if you don't rest and recover, it will negatively affect your body the next time you need it to perform well?

Well, your mind works the same.

So let your poor brain have a little R&R on a daily basis.

Guilt-free, please.

Kim Mattes said...

oh this is my struggle too!! it is soooo hard isn't it??!! i have tried watching tv for like 10 minutes before i go up to bed (usually the food network...that is "fun" and "mindless" and "happy" tv but yet still kind of interesting - to me at least). i have tried reading too but sometimes that can get my mind to working again. sometimes i look at magazines or catalogs. looking at catalogs (pottery barn, pottery barn kids...) is usually pretty mindless for me but i couldn't do that everynight. sometimes i get neat craft ideas from them that i want to try too (in all of my extra "free time"). anyway - just some thoughts. let me know if you find the "perfect" answer! i could use some help in this area too!!

Michelle said...

I find I spend most of my "mindless" time checking blogs! I understand your feelings though.

anthonyandbeth said...

any chance i have to get on the computer and check a blog or read something interesting that feels mindless to me. i can hop into another world and it helps me have a second to myself. anthony and i also have certain shows that we watch together during the week and that is mindless for both of us. :) yes, there is def. not much mindless time for us stay at home mom's. i think most mom's minds are going pretty much non-stop.

Jenkins said...

My mind never seems to turn off. I usually opt for a book like you.