The Experiment
To my potential readers,
Let me start by saying that I fully acknowledge that as a teacher I have more time off than most people. I know, we teachers get a lot of time off. So much time. And while you wouldn't envy my salary, you're likely pretty jealous of my long and luxurious summers. It's ok with me if you go ahead and admit right now that you hate me at least a little tiny bit for it. What you wouldn't give for all this time.
If you work a job that doesn't follow the school year calendar, let me apologize in advance for this blog and the 10 (yes 10) weeks I have off this summer. As I write this, I am in week 4 of my vacation. And why not crank this whole thing up a notch and say that I'm already bumming out because I feel like it's "almost over". I know, I am an utterly ridiculous human.
But, if you're just a tiny bit interested, and if you feel like there is any way you can get over your jealousy at my long vacation, and if you're wondering what on Earth a "5 Week Boothbay Harbor YMCA Challenge" could possibly be and why I am attempting it and blogging about it, or if you just don't really have anything else to read right now because the regular news cycle has you pulling out your eyebrow hairs one at a time, then by all means: indulge me!
Let's begin with a little background about me.
I teach 8th grade, I have a few kids, some pets and a husband. I am your standard suburban working mom. Apply all logical stereotypes now.
Every year, during the latter part of summer, I go to Southport, Maine for 5 weeks. 5 full weeks on a picturesque island in Maine. While I'm there, I stay in a lovely house and my children are gone for most of the day sailing. I fully acknowledge that this is not a good start to you hating me less for my vacation time.
But here's the truth: I don't like those 5 weeks. And sometimes I have so much anxiety leading up to them that I do crazy things like contemplate cutting my own bangs. I know, right? Always a bad idea.
Why do I feel like this? Right?! I should be RELAXING. That's what everyone tells me will be so nice about my time on Southport. So much relaxing. Relaxing all day. Oh, the relaxing.
But here's the thing....
Sometimes I call one of my best pals, my friend Jill, and I'll ask her what she's up to and she'll say, "Oh, I was relaxing" and I have absolutely no idea what she is talking about or what she could possibly be doing.
More and more I read these things on social media about 'self care' and taking time for yourself or whatever. Yes, I get pedicures, I take baths, I read, I have a glass of wine at the end of the day and I watch TV. But I don't know if those things are really relaxing for me. I don't know if, after doing those things, I feel this elusive "relaxed".
And maybe I just don't really know what being relaxed actually is, for me.
Because I'm a science teacher, I'm starting with observations.
#1. I'm an energetic person. I'm not really athletic or anything, but I have a lot of energy. Like, a lot. I go into "BeastMode" very often and do things well outside of my physical and mental capacity. I'm often told I operate at the speed of light.
#2. I'm much more tired in the school year than the summer.
SO. Now for my hypotheses.
If I don't expend enough of my energy, then I have a surplus of it and this fuels anxiety.
If I expend more energy, both physically and intellectually, then I will be less anxious.
If I am less anxious, then I will be calm enough to uncover what this elusive thing is, "to relax."
So is born THE EXPERIMENT.
Over the next five weeks, I am going to attend and review each and every class at the Boothbay Harbor YMCA. Then, I'm going to blog about it. This is going to use up all of my physical and intellectual energy so I can finally figure out how to "relax" in Maine.
Why every class, you ask? Just a boredom preventative and a way to have more things to write about. Also because I think it will be funny.
Maybe at the end of this experiment, I'll be a gym rat. Maybe I'll be a stand-up comedian. Maybe I'll be a stand-up comedian who works the gym-circuit. I don't know. But hopefully, I'll be RELAXED.
Let me start by saying that I fully acknowledge that as a teacher I have more time off than most people. I know, we teachers get a lot of time off. So much time. And while you wouldn't envy my salary, you're likely pretty jealous of my long and luxurious summers. It's ok with me if you go ahead and admit right now that you hate me at least a little tiny bit for it. What you wouldn't give for all this time.
If you work a job that doesn't follow the school year calendar, let me apologize in advance for this blog and the 10 (yes 10) weeks I have off this summer. As I write this, I am in week 4 of my vacation. And why not crank this whole thing up a notch and say that I'm already bumming out because I feel like it's "almost over". I know, I am an utterly ridiculous human.
But, if you're just a tiny bit interested, and if you feel like there is any way you can get over your jealousy at my long vacation, and if you're wondering what on Earth a "5 Week Boothbay Harbor YMCA Challenge" could possibly be and why I am attempting it and blogging about it, or if you just don't really have anything else to read right now because the regular news cycle has you pulling out your eyebrow hairs one at a time, then by all means: indulge me!
Let's begin with a little background about me.
I teach 8th grade, I have a few kids, some pets and a husband. I am your standard suburban working mom. Apply all logical stereotypes now.
Every year, during the latter part of summer, I go to Southport, Maine for 5 weeks. 5 full weeks on a picturesque island in Maine. While I'm there, I stay in a lovely house and my children are gone for most of the day sailing. I fully acknowledge that this is not a good start to you hating me less for my vacation time.
But here's the truth: I don't like those 5 weeks. And sometimes I have so much anxiety leading up to them that I do crazy things like contemplate cutting my own bangs. I know, right? Always a bad idea.
Why do I feel like this? Right?! I should be RELAXING. That's what everyone tells me will be so nice about my time on Southport. So much relaxing. Relaxing all day. Oh, the relaxing.
But here's the thing....
Sometimes I call one of my best pals, my friend Jill, and I'll ask her what she's up to and she'll say, "Oh, I was relaxing" and I have absolutely no idea what she is talking about or what she could possibly be doing.
More and more I read these things on social media about 'self care' and taking time for yourself or whatever. Yes, I get pedicures, I take baths, I read, I have a glass of wine at the end of the day and I watch TV. But I don't know if those things are really relaxing for me. I don't know if, after doing those things, I feel this elusive "relaxed".
And maybe I just don't really know what being relaxed actually is, for me.
Because I'm a science teacher, I'm starting with observations.
#1. I'm an energetic person. I'm not really athletic or anything, but I have a lot of energy. Like, a lot. I go into "BeastMode" very often and do things well outside of my physical and mental capacity. I'm often told I operate at the speed of light.
#2. I'm much more tired in the school year than the summer.
#3. I'm much more anxious in the summer than the school year.
SO. Now for my hypotheses.
If I don't expend enough of my energy, then I have a surplus of it and this fuels anxiety.
If I expend more energy, both physically and intellectually, then I will be less anxious.
If I am less anxious, then I will be calm enough to uncover what this elusive thing is, "to relax."
So is born THE EXPERIMENT.
Over the next five weeks, I am going to attend and review each and every class at the Boothbay Harbor YMCA. Then, I'm going to blog about it. This is going to use up all of my physical and intellectual energy so I can finally figure out how to "relax" in Maine.
Why every class, you ask? Just a boredom preventative and a way to have more things to write about. Also because I think it will be funny.
Maybe at the end of this experiment, I'll be a gym rat. Maybe I'll be a stand-up comedian. Maybe I'll be a stand-up comedian who works the gym-circuit. I don't know. But hopefully, I'll be RELAXED.
I am seriously hoping there is a couples class and you are bringing C into this.
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