Couch Potato
Does anyone else find it hard to switch off in the evenings? I think I already know the answer and I’m sure that I’m not alone. Like most, my mind runs at 100 miles an hour and shows no sign of slowing down. I could wave a big, fat, juicy doughnut in front of it’s face and it wouldn’t stop. I actually dread when the evening approaches as I know I’ll enter the battle with myself about what I should spend my time doing.
After going back and forth in my head for what seems like an eternity, I’ll sit on the sofa and attempt to watch a series on Netflix. No matter how hard I try, I just can’t seem to focus on the TV for more than 5 minutes without my mind drifting off. I usually reach for my phone and aimlessly scroll through social media like something so captivating is going to have happened in the 5 seconds since I checked it last. I sit feeling frustrated, like I should be doing something more productive with my time and that feeling of guilt and frustration is not the Friday night cocktail I want to be sipping.
Why do we do this? Beat ourselves up and convince ourselves that we don’t deserve to kick back. If I actually took the time to consider all the things that I’ve achieved throughout the week, I’d realise that I most definitely deserve to be a couch potato. Even if it is only just for one night. Maybe, like most things, you have to be in a certain mood to crash in front of the TV and eat an entire bag of Revels. It sounds like the perfect evening though right?
So, I think I might have a solution and that is taking 10-15 minutes at the end of my day to reflect on my achievements. This way I can end on a high and acknowledge all the tasks that I’ve completed. I can then give myself permission to take off the thinking cap, put it to one side and just get cosy on the sofa. Netflix, Revels and a cuppa – perfect.
One thing I will say is, I think it’s really important to spend your evening doing something that brings you joy. If you’ve sat in front of the TV for the past 4 nights, you might want to shake things up a little. Maybe you could go up to bed early and read that book that’s been collecting dust on your side. You could take 20 minutes to practice yoga and meditate. Or it might be the case that your butt has carved the perfect mould in the sofa, so you’ll continue to binge your favourite series and stuff your face with chocolate. I’m totally on board with that!
There really is no right or wrong answer. However, just make sure that when you go to bed, you have a smile on your face because you know that you’ve done something that serves you and make you feel hella good!
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