Tag Archives: recharge

Nov18

Finding Balance In How We Play

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Finding Balance In How We Play

Everybody needs time to switch off. For some, it’s exercise or cooking; for others, it’s gardening, reading, or spending time with friends. Play, in any form, gives your mind a break from the structure of daily life. It doesn’t have to be competitive or loud; it just has to be something that’s going to allow you to relax and recharge. Lately, people are rediscovering how play fits into adulthood. It’s no longer something to outgrow; it’s something to bring back in a different way:

Making Space for Leisure:

Setting aside time for play, even if it’s just small moments during the week, can make a big difference in how you handle stress in your life. It means meeting new friends online for shared hobbies. Reliable game server hosting has made it possible to stay connected even when you’re apart. You can turn short sessions into something that’s more personal. But gaming does not mean you have to spend hours on a computer; it could be a puzzle app on your phone, a trivia night with family, or a quick card game after dinner. The goal isn’t to be performing; it’s to be present.

The Joy of Slower Play:

Not every kind of play comes through a screen. Many people are finding comfort in things like tabletop gaming, board games, dice games, and anything that gets people around the table. There’s something refreshing about slowing down, laughing, and focusing on something really simple together. These moments don’t rely on technology or trends, and they remind us that a connection doesn’t always need to be from something like Wi-Fi. Sitting down with others, sharing a snack, and working towards a small goal are all kinds of breaks that bring balance to a busy life.

Small Habits Make a Difference:

You don’t need hours of free time in order to enjoy yourself; brief instances of play can help you reset your focus. Try putting aside some time one evening a week for something light and fun. It might be a simple game, a work project, or a creative project. The key is to be consistent. The more often you give yourself space to unwind, the easier it is to become separate from work and rest. You’ll find yourself feeling calmer, clearer, and better able to focus on what matters when it matters.

You are allowed to take time for yourself to do something that is just purely fun and doesn’t have a reason. Whether you are building something online with friends or shuffling cards on a table, you’re giving yourself permission to take a pause. That’s not a waste of time; that is something that helps you to have balance in your life!

Featured Image By: David Bartus

Aug8

My Big Weekend In

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My Big Weekend In

Howdy! Last week was freaking awesome because my family went on a little getaway to Idlewild Park in Pennsylvania. We had so much fun but it was total anarchy being with five kids under six years old and by the time we got home, I was SO exhausted lol. Kudos to all parents because I truly don’t know how you do it! I returned to work after our mini vaca and in this particular case, your girl was working for the weekend. Johnny had to work overtime all weekend to complete inventory and that meant that the apartment was ALL mine. I seriously can’t recall a time when I had the apartment to myself – probably before Johnny moved in with me lol. As this is something that literally never happens, I took full advantage of it…

By doing nothing! All I wanted to do was sit, relax, watch my shows, play my games, and talk to my blogging bestie and I did so in spades. After the cacophony of an amusement park, I needed peace and quiet time to unwind and recharge my batteries for this week. I truly became one with my couch, which means that I achieved everything I wanted to do. Although I missed Johnny terribly, I’d be a liar if I said it wasn’t absolutely delicious to put America’s Next Top Model on the boob tube without any complaints. And, if the bunnies did mind, they weren’t saying anything about it. 😀

While the novelty of an ANTM marathon sans Johnny’s commentary was a thrill, the most exciting part of my weekend was finally beating Paper Mario Sticker Star. I am an avid fan of the Paper Mario games and have all of them minus Sticker Star for the 3DS. At a buy/sell/trade store a few weeks ago, I found it for only twenty dollars and it was as good as mine. I had this game FOREVER ago and never beat it. I also have no idea what happened to it and I was so happy to have the completed Paper Mario collection. It was just as fun as I remembered it being and is easily one of my favorites!

With Tyra Banks droning on about smizeing in the background, I played and played and played Paper Mario some more. I haven’t had a good video game session in a long while and I just couldn’t stop myself! In fact, the last time I did “game” was the last time I was playing a Paper Mario game forever ago lol. When I had Sticker Star back in the day, I couldn’t win the final Bowser battle to save my own life. It proved to be just as difficult as I remembered it being and I almost gave up. However, when I was texting with my big bro about it, he encouraged me to keep on trying and that I would be able to do it. Armed with his support, I gave it another go and it’s safe to say I made Bowser my bitch and victory was oh so sweet!

Sometimes you just need to do nothing and that is okay. This is your sign to take it easy when you feel like you need it – as a little treat from me! ❤

What is your favorite video game? Do you have a favorite Mario game? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov11

Take It Easier

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Take It Easier

Hello!! The recent election and upcoming holiday season has definitely been causing stress to many, myself included. This time of year often feels like a whirlwind – between wrapping up the calendar year strong at work, shopping for holiday gifts, adjusting to the time change, and attempting to squeeze time in for yourself too. It’s a lot. In fact, I was literally just thinking about how overwhelmed I feel which inspired this post. I came to the conclusion that I need to at least try to Take It Easier and am utilizing the following methods:

There are only 24 hours in a day:

One thing that I really struggle with is making time for every single other person and exclude myself. I spend so much time in my own head mentally trying to rearrange my calendar to accommodate to everyone and so be it if I fall by the wayside. The biggest change I have been trying to make is reminding myself constantly that there are only 24 hours in the day. I can’t create more time no matter how much mental Tetris I play with my schedule. With this reminder, I think I have been a lot better about saying no to extra shifts or demands that I am too exhausted to meet. This has been difficult because I am a complete and total people pleaser but I can only do so much and that is okay.

Still give your all:

I saw a quote on Facebook that I really liked. It went something or other like this: “If you only had 50% to give today, you still gave it your all”. I’m paraphrasing, but you get the point. Some days, it is just impossible to be firing at 100%. It’s human, so normal, and you shouldn’t beat yourself up about it. As long as you are doing the absolute best you can regardless of being at 100% or not, you still did your best that day – even if you weren’t feeling it.

Utilize your breaks:

I don’t know about all of you, but I am very guilty of eating breakfast or lunch while working. Sometimes it’s a necessary evil and you can’t do anything about it. However, if you can, you should utilize your breaks every day because that is what they’re intended for – giving yourself a break. As often as I can throughout the week, I give myself twenty minutes for breakfast and for lunch. During that time, I will watch an episode of Degrassi and get back at it afterwards. I always return to work feeling refreshed from having a little breather. Remember that some days, you might need to give yourself more breaks if you are feeling burnt out and that’s okay too. For example, if I have a particularly long day at the computer, I will break a few times to do some Tai Chi and work out the kinks from sitting in an uncomfortable chair lol.

Facing negativity:

When you stop spreading yourself so thin, you might face negativity from the people who benefited from it. In the past handful of weeks alone, I have certainly had several guilt trips and it has sucked. I legit felt SO bad about it to the point of almost adding things back into my schedule and running myself ragged. Don’t do this!! If you succumb to guilt trips, you are going to be right back where you started. It might be hard, but be firm when you say no. It will leave no possibility for interpretation and will introduce people to whatever new normal you are trying to create for yourself. If you are getting any guff from anyone, then they might not have your best interests at heart. And, remember, you never, ever have to justify or explain when you’re doing what’s best for you.

I have been trying to decrease my stress and increase time for me these past few weeks and it has been really… stressful lol. The hardest part has definitely been the guilt trips. As I adjust to my new normal, I will continue to use my new mantras and mindset and keep moving forward. It’s the best thing for me and that’s the best!

Would you consider yourself to be a people pleaser? What changes have you made in your life to decrease stress? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar25

*Trying* To Take It Easy

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*Trying* To Take It Easy

Hello!! The irony has not been lost on me that the past two times that I had any time off from work were spent being sick. I spent my week long holiday break this winter with RSV and had another week off due to a nasty virus at the beginning of the month. It was a huge bummer to be sick over the holidays, but I’d be a liar if I said it wasn’t awesome having some time off this second time around! As someone who has been self employed for almost a decade, it is incredibly difficult for me to justify time off – even if it is for fun things like vacations. However, after enjoying being sick more than I probably should have, I realized that I really do need to make an effort to *try* to take it easier. So, I have been doing the following:

Sleeping In:

I have always been adamant about waking up as soon as my alarm goes off because I need my jam packed days to run like clockwork. This proved to be very hard after a whole week of getting up sans alarm, though. After my sick spell, I have given myself permission to hit the snooze or even sleep for another extra hour. And guess what? My days still are going without a hitch and I feel much more well rested too. This isn’t an every day thing, but I have been taking advantage of getting some extra shut eye on the days where I have a bit more wiggle room. I have noticed a huge difference in my energy levels and will absolutely continue with this!

Face Masks:

One of my sick day rituals was using face masks so I could feel some semblance of pampered while I was a gross, sweaty mess lol. This is another thing that I have been sticking with and I have enjoyed a weekly face mask since the beginning of March. I tend to do this as soon as I get home one day during the week and even though it’s only a twenty minute process, I see its merits. Rather than diving into the next thing I have to do (computer work, cooking dinner, cleaning), I am able to take those twenty minutes to recharge and continue going about my day. This is a win/win because I love doing skin care and I feel like it gives me a second wind until bedtime. It’s amazing what taking twenty minutes for you out of your day can do!

Making Plans:

I can’t tell you the amount of weekends I have spent doing literally nothing because I am too tired. Then, I would go about the work week feeling disappointed that Johnny and I didn’t do anything fun at all. While we still have our lazy weekends, we have both been making an effort to do more and have a good time during our time off. Within this past month alone, we have reincorporated date nights and I have tried my best to make plans (and keep them) with my friends. For a long while, I was going through the motions of the work week without much to look forward to once the weekend rolls around. Now, Johnny and I have been adding at least one fun outing to our weekend and it has been fantastic. On Mondays, I feel happy with the hang outs we’ve had and am eager to see what we’ll do the following weekend.

I have been on the grindset mindset for so long and, although these seem like small changes, they are huge to me. I plan on continuing with all of these improvements and adding new ways to make things easier for myself when I feel like I need it. I already notice a difference!

How do you take time for yourself? What are some improvements that you have made recently? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah