I work from home most days but it can often feel like I am on the go and moving way too fast, even though I am sat at my desk or in bed, writing or photoshopping or email back and forth with designers etc. Add moving house to the other side of the country into the mix and its nonstop. Oh not to forget babysitting the cutest five month old ever…how do mothers do it? I have no time to just stop, even if I am stationary my brain is constantly on alert, juggling the balls.
But I was recently forced to find time to make it all stop when my whole body went into shut down mode because I’d been overdoing it. I gave myself one day. One whole day of doing nothing but whatever it is I wanted, not had, to do. I had to make this time for me, to tune off and turn out. Step away from looking at my computer screen, away from an erratic inbox, away from the stress. It was much needed.
This perfect day, I started early, hopped on a bus to the west end, first stop, Selfridges, Lola’s cupcake cafe for a red velvet cupcake and Lindt hot chocolate and an hour with a book. A proper physical book not on my kindle, a book I’d read before and loved. At that time in the morning the store is near enough dead, whilst commuters are fussing their way into work I was sat smugly eating cupcakes, drinking the most divine beverage and indulging in a good book. It was heavenly.
Afterward, I traipsed up to Leicester Square, to the Empire Cinema for a movie marathon. I watched four movies in one day, only breaking briefly for a lunch of ice cream and warm soft baked cookies in the Haagen Dazs ice cream cafe and dessert of ice cream cocktail and M&M’s. Not even the tourists in central London could scare me off. It was like they didn’t exist and for the most part I was away from them. It felt good not to be rushing off to some appointment, not to have to meet deadlines, not to have to deal with inquiries and urgent emails, check things off the list or add things on. And it felt heavenly not to be in heels but the slouchiness of trainers. It felt perfect in every way.
There was stuff to be done but for once it didn’t feel like the sky would fall if it wasn’t done.
Try it sometime.