Enjoying Alone Time

There have been several times I have just crashed on the weekend after a long push with life (it’s a common stress response to feel overwhelmed or shut down). But when I had COVID over the winter break it opened my eyes to how enjoyable slowing down can actually be.

I want to note that I am extremely grateful my symptoms were mild while also recognizing that my access to resources allowed me to use this time as a reset. The worst part of it was not being with my kids for Christmas, but potentially re-exposing them wasn’t worth it. Christmas could wait. We celebrated on a Tuesday after school in January - matching pajamas, hot cocoa, presents, and a Christmas movie. We made it work.

Back to my quarantine: I had to battle myself to not jump into work. It’s easy to find work to do when you run a business. So I told myself no work for 2 days. Instead I pulled out a puzzle, and built it piece by piece in silence for the majority of those 2 days (there were some naps in there, and some TV watching). At one point, I attempted to listen to one of my favorite Spotify stations, Soul Coffee, but it felt like an intrusion. I craved the silence so I indulged myself. And..

IT. WAS. INCREDIBLE.
Me, the puzzle, and peace and quiet.

Fast forward two weeks, and I was missing my bestie like crazy. We usually have a weekly meetup that was on hold for a few weeks due to holidays and my quarantine, and I wanted so badly to hang out with her. But instead I felt the pull to do a solo hike. I just needed more of that peace and quiet. (I created some content out there and had to voice memo myself the ideas so I could free my mind, but otherwise it was just me and the lovely P&Q).

It seems that 2022 = me + P&Q.