Sitting can feel as if it is a sin today. How fast everything moves in the world can sometimes give us whiplash and make our head spin. But if we don’t keep up, we feel left behind, out of the loop, irrelevant. So, we run constantly, making sure that we are up to date on absolutely every chore, event, trend, and task.
I’m here to tell you that it’s okay if you are not.
Disclaimer: I am not a professional care provider, doctor, or medical practitioner, in any way. I have no experience in the medical field at all and do not claim that I do. I simply am just providing friendly advice when I say “just sit down.” This post is the product of my own experience and research I have done, as well as speaking to some medical professionals who I happen to know personally. If you are experiencing serious symptoms of anxiety or any other ailment, I encourage you to please reach out and seek professional help from your care provider. Thank you.
Never underestimate the power of just sitting…
It’s extremely easy to fall into the rabbit hole of constant stimulation. For years, and I mean, YEARS, I have been taken victim by this pit. If I fell behind on news, social media trends, chores and tasks, projects I wanted to get done, dreams I wanted to accomplish, I would become extremely anxious, angry, and frustrated with myself for doing so. I wasn’t working hard enough, and I must not want all my goals enough to keep moving in order to achieve them.
I became extremely anxious…
One night my husband and I were watching a movie, the baby laid down for the night, and I was feeling completely relaxed and unnerved. About halfway through the movie, I noticed that if i turned my head in a different direction at all, I would suddenly become extremely dizzy. Thinking it would be just a quick spell like usual, I ignored it. However, it wouldn’t go away.
About a half hour after I started feeling this way, I went to go check on my daughter, and I stumbled on my way down the hall. Everything felt like it was spinning. I sat down, but it didn’t go away, and I started to panic. Now, trying to use common sense, I knew I was most likely tired since it was late, we had been busy during the weekend, and I was also PMSing, so I figured it was a combination of things making me feel this way.
But it wouldn’t go away, and a whole slew of reasons as to possibly why began to enter my head. Am I getting enough oxygen? Did I hit my head earlier? Regardless, my husband knew I would feel better if we went for a drive and had a change of pace. So, we packed up, loaded the baby into her seat, and went to spend the night at my parents, about five minutes away. I couldn’t get out of the house fast enough, wondering why I felt that way. Was something going to happen in the middle of the night while we were away, which is why my gut told me to leave? I couldn’t shake the feeling.
When we got to my parents, I had an excellent nights sleep without any anxious thoughts or interruptions. Even though I had felt relaxed while watching the movie earlier, my body was still feeling the effects of the stress that I had accumulated from everything over a very long period of time.
Why?
When our body feels a threat to our overall well-being, such as being stressed, anxiety is our body’s reaction. While it’s there to help us realize when we are in danger, our minds can automatically assume that there are actually more threats than what there are, causing us to be more anxious than necessary.
I implemented “just sit.”
I spent the next few days doing a LOT of sitting whenever I could. With a nine month old, it can be difficult to do for long periods of time, but every chance I received, even by getting up early and sacrificing tasks that needed done during nap times, I just sat my behind down. I didn’t touch my phone, speak with anyone, make lists, write, read, nothing. I simple sat with a cup of coffee or tea and did nothing. Doing this extremely simple and tiny action made a world of difference when it came to my mental health and gearing up for my daily tasks. I found that I actually enjoyed my daily take better because I made sure to take time for myself amongst it all. It’s all about balance.
Everyone is different!
While this tactic works for me, know that everyone is different, and this may not necessarily be something that works for you. That is absolutely, 100% OKAY. There might be a different mode of relaxation and meditation for you. Sometimes it takes a little bit of trial and error in order to figure out what is best for you, even when all you’re doing is sitting. Yes, you read that correctly. Just SITTING can take practice. When we are so used to being on the move, we can feel restless when we sit, even guilty because we feel like we should be being productive. However, this is what this is all about. Figuring out what you need to do in order to lower these feelings of anxiety. We have to experiment sometimes on what helps us the most! It can be fun! Let me know what you do in order to take a breather in the comment section below!
If you’d like to give the tactic of “just sitting” a try, here are some helpful tips to help you feel guilt free and completely calm when doing so!
Helpful Tips on how to “just sit.”
1. Put your phone in a separate room
This is a BIGGIE. Phones are pretty much essential to our everyday life now and keep us connected 24/7. While they can be helpful in certain aspects and have many pros, phones are always going off with notifications, text messages, phones calls, etc. Give your brain a break from the constant noises, to-dos, and mobility by putting your phone on vibrate in a separate room. If you are usually contacted a lot by certain individuals for one reason or another, you can always send a quick “be right back message” to them to let them know that you are at least taking a few minutes to yourself and that you won’t be able to answer anything right away.
2. No screens
This one goes right along with no phones. However, that goes for ALL screens. No laptops, tablets, or being in a room with a television while you sit. We’re talking completely screen free here, people.
3. Sit somewhere different
We all have our favorite spots where we like to sit and take a load off. However, sometimes even the simplest way of changing things up can make a huge difference. Try sitting someplace different in order to give you a different view and perspective on everything. Trust me. It’s amazing how nice it can feel to change things up now and then. Even the small things!
4. Have a calming beverage
There is nothing better than having a perfectly brewed coffee made to your liking while sitting in a calming environment. It’s absolute bliss. Before your designated sitting time, grab a mug of your favorite coffee or tea drink and just enjoy! I prefer hot drinks, but perhaps a sweet tea or glass of chocolate milk is your comfort drink of choice! Whatever you want and helps calm you down while you sit!
5. If possible, sit in a place with calming sounds
Perhaps it’s a beautiful summer evening when crickets are chirping. Or maybe you’re sitting by a creek that’s bubbling away. Maybe birds are chirping to say good morning. Honestly, beautiful white noise from a fan in your living room or street noise could be your definition of calming sounds! They all work! If your sitting spot has the opportunity for perfect ASMR ambience, then I highly recommend taking advantage of it!
6. If possible, sit in a place with a calming view
What’s the view you’ve chosen? Your backyard? Watching cars along the road? A beautiful forest of trees? A beach? A skyline? Sit in a place where your calming atmosphere has a killer view that helps your breath easier.
7. Mornings
This one might be a little tricky because it might not always be the best time for everyone. Or perhaps you find a different time of day that alleviates stress for you more. The reason why I have included this one is because we all have a certain way we like to start our day. Sometimes how we start our day determines how our perspective and feelings will be throughout the rest of the day. I like to take at least a few minutes in the mornings that I am able to and just sit. This helps to determine my mood for the rest of the day and helps my heart rate slow so that I’m not feeling as anxious for the tasks ahead that need to be completed. Even if your day ends up in shambles, you feel better knowing that you took time for yourself that morning and will look forward to it next time! I know that mornings can be chaos and that it’s not everyone’s favorite time. However, it can make a world of difference if you wake up feeling more relaxed than overwhelmed before moving on for the day.
8. Let the household know
This one can be similar in letting whoever you need to let know on your phone that you’re going to be unreachable for a few. Let your spouse, significant other, roommate, family, etc. know that your just need a little time to yourself to sit somewhere. If they need something and it is not an emergency, tell them you will help afterwards and that you just need a breather. I know this can be tricky with little ones, so I suggest picking a time when someone is available to help with them or perhaps during naptime!
I hope these tips help you in your journey towards just sitting! Perhaps even just one or two will work or you have other ideas to help you take some quiet time for yourself! If you do, share them below! I would love to hear!
Happy sitting!