It's been almost a week now into my new job. I am not complaining but there is a lot to adjust to as far as my body clock and lifestyle are concerned. Changes are stressful and as I put in all my time and energy into work, I would be lucky to have some 'me' time if at all, something which I have taken for granted in the past.
Well, life is all about changes, setting reasonable boundaries, and balance. I have been mercilessly unsubscribing 80% of the newsletters which I enjoy receiving and become more intentional in everything I choose to do on a daily basis. I have my priorities set up and there are certain things that simply need to go. It is not easy but it is my way of tuning into a new lifestyle without warranting a burn out.
I am never a morning person and I can't remember when was the last time I actually woke up before noon. I am now getting up at 7:30am and trying to hit Snoozeville around midnight. I have an hour for lunch which I treasure and I am trying to slow down and savour my food instead of skipping meals which I did when I was too engrossed in my art. I have limited my access on the Internet to 45 mins instead of checking my inbox incessantly throughout the day. I stop reading 3 books a week and read only when I am on public transportation and before bed. Instead of indulging in my hobbies, I can only make art on my days off if I feel like it and writing my second book has to be put aside for now.
Yes, that's a lot of adjustment but this is what happened when you make commitment to something worth pursuing. I try to beat stress by not taking things too personally but rather see it as some non-personal external event. Meanwhile, I am working on reducing all kinds of noise such as visual clutter, notifications, social media, and news which are time-consuming.
There are indeed benefits of living life within boundaries. We need healthy boundaries more than ever especially for those who have problem with self-control. I am forced to identify what my needs and wants are and hence, single out the most valuable and important things in life. I also get to know my style by eliminating things in the process of decluttering.
Despite the fact that I have no dependants, no mortgage and alone most of the time, I do need to create a balance between work and play (my hobbies). There are household chores that need to be done, errands to run, grocery to queue up for, and people to see. Now that I am back in working mode, a full-time job which takes me an extra 2.5 hours of commuting robs me of my personal / private time which I sorely miss. I try to get as much done as possible during the work day, get out of the office for lunch more frequently, take small breaks whenever necessary and never bring work home.
As I acclimatize to the new body clock, I'll have the mornings on my days off to work on things that matter to me, make a scrapbook page, do some art journaling, or brainstorm ideas for my book...I have stopped wishing for more hours but spend my time wiser. This is the 'sacrifice' you make as part of the deal!
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