Evening Routines
For months now life after work includes getting home as soon as I can so I can bathe, eat dinner and go to bed. I’ve been absent from the blog for a reason, there’s a lot going on at work that I wish I could talk about but until things cool down or I leave my current position, I’m just not ready to share what’s been going on behind the scenes. By the time I get home I am usually pretty tired, in fact the past few weeks I've literally been falling asleep while reading. I’ve been a bit emotional and to be really honest, I’ve just been trying to escape with books and tv shows.
It’s hard to get out of a rut, I know. When you’re burned out, overworked and stressed to the max, you just want to cry! I’ve been trying to work on a few bad habits and I constantly have to tell myself to breathe; I’ve been hanging by the pool these last few nights now that the weather is cool enough to just rest and take a moment for myself. How do you take time for yourself? What does your week night look like?
1. Put work stuff away. I am very guilty of working on library projects at home. I easily get distracted and spend too much time on work when I should be enjoying my time off. Work is meant to stay in the office, not your living room.
2. Clean/Organize. I thrive on cleaning and organizing, it really helps me concentrate on single tasking and not think about work or the million projects I have going on. Who doesn't love a clean space when you come home after a long day at work.
3. Work on a hobby. I read so much between my job and school, sometimes my mind needs a break from consuming so much information. Relaxing to me means investing in a hobby or two, whether it's gardening, painting, playing an instrument or hiking.
4. Cook more often. When I was a student, cooking saved me. I felt totally relaxed in the kitchen. I swear by magazines like Cooking Light and Cook’s Country and the Trader Joe’s cookbooks. Now, I cook most weeknights and reserve the weekends for going out or ordering in!
5. Lay out work clothes the night before. If I choose my work clothes in the morning, it is practically an hour event, ridiculous I know. It takes twenty minutes for me to really wake up so thinking/picking out something to wear early in the morning is not fun for me. Instead I like getting ready for the next day during my bedtime ritual the night before. Since I go to sleep really late, the little bit of extra time I can sleep in, in the morning goes along way during my work day.
