Restarting and Relaxing

Years have passed, multiple children born and the world now balances on the top of a pyramid rather than in the embrace of a cradle.

An activity like writing a blog becomes increasingly difficult to pick back up the longer that it sits idle. The same holds true for other things like working out or playing an instrument.

It’s as though there’s a constant snowfall in our minds. As an activity sits idle, a thin layer of snow starts to form. If months slide by, our abandoned pursuits become hidden beneath a smooth blanket of white.

The only activities that haven’t become buried by this metaphorical blizzard in my experience are those that I’ve turned into daily habits. Habits are like a well worn paths through the snow. They’re trails so often traveled that nothing along the path has the opportunity to become buried.

This post is me picking up a shovel and rediscovering this blog again. I encourage anyone reading this to do the same with something that you previously enjoyed. Whether it’s a guitar, foreign language, running or taking photos.

Start small. If it’s an old guitar, just pick it up, strum a few chords and let go of any guilt that you may have for setting it down in the first place. There’s nothing wrong with starting and restarting (assuming we’re talking hobbies and not feeding the dog).

If it’s something that you want to build into a habit, practice it daily for a month. You can use an app like Streaks or Reminders to keep it fresh in your mind. Build it into your calendar to make sure you set aside the time it requires. With time, it will become part of your daily routine and you’ll actually build stronger neural pathways with repetition.

Fall into it and enjoy it. Rediscover something that will help you relax and let things breath. Allow time to unwind and let your shoulders fall. Disconnect for a bit and reengage with the things that give you the opportunity to find a state of flow.

Recommended books: Flow by by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi & Atomic Habits by James Clear.