My Top 10 Ways to Take a F*cking Break
- Paige B.
- May 19
- 7 min read
Life can move fast, you wake up thinking it’s Thursday and you have one more day until the weekend, and then you check your phone and it’s Wednesday and you forgot you have bills due today and plans after work that no longer sound enticing. Maybe you haven’t had time for yourself because you’re spreading yourself too thin under the guise that if you slow down, you’ll instantly succumb to the made-up metric of failure in your head. Whatever the reason you feel overwhelmed and overworked, it’s okay to take a break.
If you're anything like me and you struggle to take a break for yourself, this blog is for you. A break can be a cup of coffee or a long, guttural scream in your car on the way to work. There’s not a right way to relax, so do what works for you, but that means making time for yourself too, which I know many of struggle with. Not everyone can jet set to a beach vacation or a log cabin in the woods when they need a mental reset. Luckily for me, I was able to do both this past week on a work trip in Hudson Valley, and now I am on the coast of Florida, escaping life as I know it. For those of you unfortunate souls awaiting your next getaway, whatever that may consist of for you, I thought I’d give you some of my favorite ways to take a break and relax that don’t cost you your precious PTO. With love from DGM, here are my top 10 ways (I try) to relax and decompress when overwhelmed or stressed with work, writing, or anything else that dares to burden us. Cin Cin!
Mindless television
A well-written television show with complex characters and plot lines accompanied by meaty dialogue and maybe some steamy romance is great and all, but sometimes I don’t wanna focus on all the details, hence why I love a good bit of reality TV. There are many plot lines and ripe drama, sometimes even really good one-liners, followed by the psychoanalysis of reality stars and their connections to other reality stars (especially in the Bravoverse). I can’t think of a better way to decompress, honestly, this has been my recent mode of relaxing-especially season 1-3 of VPR, which I’ve been hyper tapped into recently.
Scribbling in my Journal
As much as I love to put pen to paper and hope my soul falls out on the page in the form of a masterfully written diary entry, writing my feelings is not always relaxing, especially if I am yet to understand them. I find journaling and reflecting after a breakdown is better for me, so when I need to expunge energy, I like to scribble blobs of ink on paper, while also screaming or frustratedly grumbling to myself. Scribbling is not only a great way to calm yourself while you destroy a perfect piece of paper, it allows you to lose a bit of control and can often lead to something more productive, like drawing or writing, which, for me, is also relaxing, some of the time. Don’t look at your screen like I’m crazy, try it and then judge me.
Heated Yoga class
I wish I could tell you a nice long walk is relaxing for me, but that would be a lie. A long solo walk is a breeding ground for overthinking because there’s so much to see and nothing to do other than move your legs. If I want to relax in the form of physical activity, I need to be told what to do, I need to not be in control, which is typically the root of my stress. Listening to the soothing voice of a lady reminding me it’s okay to stop, go at your own pace, listen to your body, is highly relaxing, it’s also a nice reminder to slow down and appreciate what your body can do for you. While you're at it, you become stronger and more flexible, but most importantly, you feel good in your skin. Now, if they could lower the prices on those drop-in classes, maybe I’d relax like that more often.
Having a morning routine
Before work having ample time to do something productive or not, waking up early and having a very loose morning routine allows for that relaxation (waking up early enough that I can choose to sleep in or get up, standing in the grass with a cup of coffee, watching tv reading or writing… or scrolling honestly). If you haven’t gathered yet, my stress and anxiety stem from being a bit of a control freak while simultaneously hating control and wanting someone to tell me exactly what to do. I have found that a happy medium is listening to myself and doing what I want to in the moment, when I can anyway. So sometimes I wake up early and stand in the grass with a cup of coffee while the sun lightly kisses my pasty face. And other times, I roll around in my sheets until I have less than 10 minutes to get ready to leave the house. But just having the option is the routine, essentially.
A bath & a movie
A movie, in general, is the pinnacle of relaxation for me. Still, sometimes it can feel like work, so I like to hop in a scalding hot bubble bath and put my laptop on the toilet seat while sipping a cup of tea, pretending I’m in a clawfoot tub in the center of a palace- imagination is key. I don’t care if your tub is the size of a basin sink or the lap pool at the Ritz-Carlton, hop in the heat and chill out. If you are one of the unlucky few who do not have a bathtub, I apologize, maybe just watch a movie in the bathroom anyway… I do that a lot because I have a comfy stool and I talk to myself in the mirror.
Going to sacred places alone
What? Did you just suggest I leave the confines of my usual environment? Not only that, but go out alone? Yes, I did, it’s good for you, I promise. Find a place that is yours and tell no one; otherwise, they will ask to come, and it will no longer be sacred. Local library, sure. A coffee shop, half an hour away from your house, great. A bathroom stall at school that smells like leftover vape clouds, covered in names written in half-dead Sharpie, perfect. Find your sacred place and go there whenever you need to decompress, and do it alone!
Dance party in my room
You may find show tunes to be a nuisance, but I find them a necessity. Whatever genre you choose, it could be Lady Gaga or Limp Bizkit, just dance. Performing for no one, not even the invisible man I fear watches me through my windows, is a great way for me to not only unwind, but have fun. Releasing energy is relaxing, because I just have so much of it, and I find that blasting Hadestown or Rebecca Black, or whoever, in my headphones while flailing my limbs is the best way to achieve that.
Editing
This is not for everyone, but for those of you who like to get technical, here you go. I know it’s for me, and it allows me to get comfortable and decompress, shifting my focus to something I know I can do without worrying about anything, and it’s fun for me knowing that I’m improving each time. I like to edit my own YouTube videos or reels for work; most of the time, I am editing my writing. Short stories, screenplays, blogs, burn book entries of my enemies, etc. Editing forces me to pay attention to else, something I enjoy. Oftentimes, we assume relaxing has to involve doing nothing, but sometimes it's nice to relax knowing you're doing something for the future you.
A nice cocktail or something to take the edge off
Sometimes there’s a placebo effect that occurs when you take a sip of a nice beverage after a long week at work, or an extra hard Tuesday. An ice cold G&T on the patio after a day from hell is quite nice and relaxing, sitting with friends, sipping, and sharing stories. I do not condone substance abuse or alcoholism, and I hope nobody would take number 9 on this list as championing such, but just to be safe. I love having a Dry Gin Martini with friends, or a Cosmo, or a Miami Vice like I did this morning by the pool (It doesn’t have to have alcohol, it could have something else, or nothing at all).
Starting something new
Wait, but that seems like it would cause me more stress. Why should it? I’m sure you have a book lying around that you’ve been dying to read. Maybe a while ago, you purchased materials to begin painting, gardening, or crocheting. Doesn’t matter what the potential new hobby is, just that you start it. How do you know reading is relaxing if you never sit down and crack open a book? How can making hats for your cats be your favorite way to unwind if you haven’t made a hat for your cat? Try something new, allow yourself to fail, allow yourself to have fun, for all you know, it could be your new number 1 way to take a break. Start the thing that you’ve been pushing off because you never have time. Make time for yourself, and you’ll find plenty of relaxation where you didn’t before.
Life can move pretty fast, but it can also move pretty slow if you allow it to. Take a break, take a breather, take time for yourself. You won’t fail or be less successful if you slow down or, god forbid, relax. You are in control of your life, and if you want to stop feeling like your life controls you, make the time for it. Start a new hobby, pick up an old one, scream into a pillow, lose control, take a class, take a bath, take a break. Relax, it’s good for you, and here’s a Time article if you don’t believe me. Till next time, stay flirty, stay thirsty, and stay calm. Cin Cin!
See you soon (hopefully with some semblance of a tan),
Paige B.
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