My Reset Button
#TIL… Today I learned, or in this case, last Thursday I learned, that sometimes it only takes 30 minutes in nature to reset my whole attitude. I was having a rough, overwhelming week. Just a lot of work for my graduate studies on top of my regular work and household responsibilities. And on top of the work, I had to find a few hours to drive up to the mountains and clean our cabin because we agreed to let some friends borrow it for the weekend. As I was making the 45 minute drive into the mountains, I told myself that I had to take a quick hike to the lake behind our property before I could start cleaning. I knew if I started cleaning first, I would never find time for the hike. So I did. I arrived, walked in the front door of the cabin, and headed directly out the back door towards a little lake in the National Forest, which we have dubbed Bradley Lake. It only took 15 minutes to walk up there, but I could feel my stress falling away as I walked. And when I reached the lake, the pure beauty of the changing leaves and the sheer joy of watching my dog playing in the water melted the rest of my stress away. I sat and breathed it all in for 5–10 minutes, then went back to the cabin and cleaned with a glad heart, grateful that we have this place to share with friends instead of resentful that I had to clean. I am still busy. It took me over a week to find the time to write this short entry. But I have had a much happier, more relaxed, more productive week of busyness than the week before my self-imposed therapeutic half hour in nature.
This is my reminder to myself and my few readers that self-care is important. Although a weeklong vacation or a couple of days at the spa can be beneficial, that amount of time and expense is not absolutely mandatory. Where do you go to recharge and reset your attitude? For me, a half hour in the mountains was just what I needed.
