I still haven’t mastered the perfect balance between maintaining relationships and taking care of your soul. Whenever I settle down for the night, it seems like people keep inviting me to places. Don’t get me wrong, I jump at the chance to hang out with people. I just no longer have the energy to do it every week.
Between my work and dance class schedules, I have a lot of hobbies and skills I would like to improve. That’s where my focus is now. This year, I have learned to put up boundaries.
It’s Okay To Go DND
I’m the type of person to connect my phone to my Wifi until it’s time for me to fall asleep. When I do, it allows people to call and text me. Now, I use the Do Not Disturb mode at 8 P.M. I’ve been utilizing it for a couple months. It encourages me to put my energy into other hobbies such as reading books, learning instruments and languages, and table tennis.
If needed, I will use my phone to send any messages once more before I get some rest. I no longer feel the need to answer any calls after 8 P.M. This creates a great habit for me, especially since I used to be on my phone 24/7.
New Hobbies
I cancelled my gym membership. With my schedule, I could no longer find the time. I had it on hold so I wouldn’t have to be charged. I was trying to see if I could find a balance but it didn’t fit. After I cancelled my membership, a huge weight had been lifted. I had other hobbies I wanted to maintain.
I have incorporated table tennis into my life. It’s a wonderful addition. It challenges my hand-eye coordination. It’s quite a workout!
I’ve also been going to yoga classes. I usually go once a week at night. It helps decompress stress. It’s NBA season and this yoga studio is downtown so I try to avoid going on game days. Since NBA season is going on, I try to catch up on games through the NBA TV website.
On days when I don’t have time to watch the game, that’s when I dance. I dance at least 4X a week. Going to dance class reminds me of why I started in the first place. It’s one of the few things that will never judge me.
When I’m not dancing, I’m trying to improve my language skills. Learning multiple languages at the same time can be difficult! I have a notebook for each language and I go over it every other day. Youtube videos are a fun way to learn so I like to create playlists for each language as well. I’m re-learning Mandarin. I’m learning French, Italian, Spanish and German. Not sure how it will go but we shall see!
Planning Hangouts
I do my best to plan hangouts with people at least once a month. If I’m lucky, maybe twice. If my body isn’t feeling well, I no longer force myself to go through with the plans. It is okay to decline. It’s better to focus your priority on your health. My body has been through a lot these past few months because I didn’t take care of it. I kept trying to maintain my hectic schedule so much that I fell ill many times.
Planners
Planners are a life saver! I use it to remind me of things I need to do! I plan a month at a time. I write down when I want to do my hobbies, when I have dance classes, and when my half-days at work are! If there’s anything new that’s coming up, of course I have to add it! It’s a scheduling genius! Plus, there are a lot of beautiful planners to choose from!
Even though I’m still learning to maintain my boundaries and juggling my schedule, it’s still a fun journey! Bring on 2024!
ChauT 