Share our Lives: How do you take a break?

It's time for me to share some of my life, linking up and joining in with the Share Our Lives bloggers! This months prompt to talk about is: How do you take a break?

Once in a while I feel like I need a break. I just need to hide from the world for a little while. Maybe something stressful has been going on or I have been extra busy and I just want to bury my head in the sand for a few hours or a day. I don’t mean anything dramatic just a breather, a time where I don't really have to do anything and can hide from the world.

The first rule of taking a proper break in my book is to retreat. I don’t mean to a glamorous countryside retreat with a spa, I mean hiding away in my home like a full blown house goblin. I hide and don’t feel bad about it either. I genuinely love people but I also find them exhausting, even the lovely ones. I am a bit of an introvert so people wear my social battery out. I close the curtains, put my phone on do not disturb and ignore messages. The world carries on spinning outside but I want absolutely no part of it. 

I don’t cook. I might graze on a picky plate of snacks or reheat something. Sometimes I won't even eat a proper meal, I will have some fruit and a packet of crisps. I wear soft clothes, probably slightly mismatched and definitely not fit for public viewing. I might light a candle and I let the house look a bit messy because I’m off duty. Sometimes I hole up in the bedroom with snacks and a blanket. Other times it’s the living room but with one strict rule: no one else allowed unless they bring chocolate or a cup of tea!

There is something comforting about a cup of tea. The one's that aren't rushed, I mean the good kind, the steaming hot, perfectly brewed kind. Made in a proper teapot if I’m feeling fancy or just in my favourite mug that’s older than some of my clothes.

When I take a break I don’t want anything new or unpredictable so I stick to my favourite TV shows which I have seen again and again. I don’t want intense plot twists or cliff hangers that leave me more anxious than when I started. I want comfort TV. Friends, Gavin and Stacey, The Vicar Of Dibley or The Gilmore Girls. I laugh at the same jokes, still gasp at the same plot twists and maybe shed a tear even though I know exactly how it ends. 

I know it sounds a bit odd, but sometimes I escape by simply pottering. Nothing big or urgent, just doing small, mindless things like sorting through a drawer, reorganising a shelf or watering the plants in the garden. There’s something good and calming about moving slowly but makes me feel like I'm being productive.

If I really want to switch off, I’ll run a bath, the kind with bubbles or bath salts and maybe a candle flickering. I will listen to music and the warm water helps my muscles relax and quiets the noise in my head. It’s like a mini retreat in my own bathroom.

The key to taking a proper break, one that actually works, is ditching the guilt. It’s not lazy to rest. It’s not selfish to take time for yourself and if I want to hide away in my own home and not speak to anyone for a while that’s perfectly okay! It’s amazing how much better I feel after a little hibernation.

How do you like to take a break?

I am linking up with:

Adrienne from Mom Life with Adrienne.

Dara from Not In Jersey.

Jen from Show me & Sweet tea.

Joanne from Slices of Life.

Sarah from Toronto Sam.