“Vegging Out” Might Have More to it than You Think!

Google Search (in case you were wondering how I spark up my creativity):

Vegging Out Definition

“After a busy day — it’s good to veg out on the sofa

Meaning: to relax in a lazy and inattentive way.

Basically we are vegging out when we sit on the sofa for a long time doing nothing and hardly moving. The phrase comes from the association between vegetables and mental capacity.”

Relatable?

I think so.

If someone were to compare me to a vegetable, I would most likely be instantly offended while visualizing the most withered up and overripe (possibly spoiled?) vegetable sitting in the back of the fridge hiding from everything — its only goal being to avoid an abrupt end via trashcan.

Me?

Someone who works as hard as I do?

A Vegetable?

Truth is, I have definitely resembled ALL of that and more. Especially when I’ve had an incredibly unproductive day topped off with some poor nutrition choices and what I like to call trash television. . . Let’s not forget that I’m also super productive at times, though! Even going above and beyond at work, as a friend, partner and when it comes to personal goals.

So . . . if/when I’m a vegetable, can’t I at least be a yummy one?????

This got me thinking about how I really enjoy vegetables and all of the positive properties that vegetables are associated with.

That got me thinking about connecting the concept of vegging out to these positives.

ARE YOU LOST?????

No worries, I got you:

If you’re not like me, you truly enjoy the moments you carve out for yourself to get in some true, 100% well deserved (no matter what you have or haven’t done) R & R (otherwise known as Rest & Relaxation and/or vegging out).

The point is, you’re ALL IN and you’re participating in the present moment which is all there is anyway.

The alternative to this (AKA what I do) is still carving out those moments, but all the while, contemplating what you think you should be doing because time off on the weekend is really just an opportunity to be productive like never before or because that to-do list isn’t going to check itself off. I mean, what else?

As I started to notice the guilt and anxiety I was feeling whenever I wasn’t up and about working on or towards ANYTHING, I began to notice how uncomfortable I became sitting with that guilt and anxiety. Plus, I really enjoy my down time. Like — if there were vegging out championships I’m pretty sure I’d at least get Silver. I just wouldn’t feel good about it.

Wouldn’t it be nice to stream a movie I’ve been wanting to see for months on a Sunday afternoon without waiting for the dishwasher to signal to me that it was ready to be unloaded?

Could I ever enjoy listening to a new album drop (yes, in its entirety and yes for the enjoyment of the experience) on a weeknight instead of using it as background music for whatever the fuck it is that I need to get done right that very moment?

The answer to these questions and many more like them is -

OF.

COURSE.

Here’s what I’ve learned about myself on this journey:

First -

• How individuals experience taking a chill pill differs across the board and could potentially have to do with SO MANY reasons, I don’t have the time to attempt covering every single scenario/possibility in this particular entry. For me, I’ve uncovered a link between the energy surrounding me in my childhood and how I operate now when it comes to how I think about taking a break. When I was younger, I spent a lot of time preparing myself for the worst. That energy followed me into adulthood and is something that contributes to those inner voices that tell me that there is much more I could be doing or, that if I relax too hard, I might not be ready for whatever disaster will FOR SURE be right around the corner. But, usually, there is no disaster. And, if there was (for me or any of us) unfortunately, nothing can prepare us for whatever it may be. So, after uncovering this within my own life, I learned to actively remind myself that I am safe, I am strong, I am full of life and a part of life is sitting back and enjoying it. Mostly, I want to stress the importance of finding out more about yourself so you create the possibility of later connecting what you’ve learned to how you experience life. Some of us might avoid vegging out and others of us may spend a lot of time doing just that. But, once you figure out the WHY, you can become more in tune with the WHAT and HOW. WHAT do you want your life to look like and HOW are you going to get there?

Also this -

• We are all navigating the concept of YOLO in our own way. YOLO of course stands for You Only Live Once . . . (you’re welcome). Everyone faces different decisions and often times the decisions we make impact one of the most precious commodities known to humankind: TIME. What does YOLO have to do with TIME? I’m glad you asked. Depending on how you may be feeling, what stage you are in on your journey and so much more, when considering different choices that present themselves to you, you can YOLO them as in I give completely no fucks, like none, about ignoring all “responsibilities” to live fully and in the moment because you only live once, right? OR you can YOLO them as in I am going to give all the fucks about all of the responsibilities I have because I know that later on it will have a positive impact and I want to protect my quality of life since, well, you only live once, right? The awesome thing is, NEITHER of these perspectives point someone in an exact direction of a more optimal way to live . . . as if there is a such thing. In fact, I experience both YOLOs a LOT. The goal is to avoid assessing the perceived damage or contribution to the TIME aspect. Try seeing time as abundant. Tell yourself that there is always more than enough time to get the things you need to get done taken care of just as there is enough time for you to sit back and relax too. I guess what I’m trying to say here is, sometimes it’s okay to give no fucks and veg out and, yeah, it’s okay to give all of the fucks too . . . without overdoing it one way or the other and without self-judgement when your mind tricks you into thinking you’ve gotten the ratio off.

Oh, yeah — and A L L of this -

• I once was asked to map out an estimate, pie-chart fashion, connected to the amount of time I spent doing things I enjoyed vs. doing things I wasn’t really excited about. After getting in-depth and putting pen to paper, I quickly calculated 80% things I enjoyed and 20% things I wasn’t really excited about. WOW, I thought. Really? And, even after crunching numbers a few times more, I would consider that pretty accurate. So, here is where I explain that sometimes I’m a little dramatic. Before doing that little eye-opening activity, I probably would have assumed the opposite — that I spend 80% of time doing things I feel I have to do, but don’t necessarily want to do vs. 20% of my time doing things I enjoy. However, seeing the breakdown on that paper, I realized how skewed my perspective can become on a daily basis. It showed me that perspective plays a big role. Actually, it’s the star of the show. Goes like this, you could spend most of your time in the way that you want, but if you complain and begrudge the little time spent on something you’d rather not be doing and focus on that, it won’t feel like it. And how you feel is what it ends up being. Now, if you go and do that pie-chart and the numbers show that you are spending way more time in the idontwanna category, it’s time to crunch some more numbers: a) What percentages would match how I want to live my life? and b) What do I want to release or bring into my life that would get me closer to those percentages? As I love to reiterate, no right or wrong here, just something to think about.

As I hinted at earlier, comparing your mental capacity to a vegetable doesn’t have to be ALL BAD . . .

Stick with me here!!!

• Vegetables FUEL and RE-FUEL your body — Veggies are filled with the good stuff; antioxidants, vitamins, fiber — basically everything you need to keep your body and mind strong and healthy. The same concept applies when it comes to vegging out! When you take a break to participate in activities and behaviors that you enjoy, you are contributing to your strength and well-being physically and mentally. I cannot think of a time where I didn’t feel recharged and refueled after literally. doing. nothing.
• Vegetables aid your system in the prevention and risk reduction of harmful diseases and a variety of health issues IF you’re having lots of servings over an extended period of time — When you eat your veggies, there’s more to it than just eating them. You can’t have one vegetable once a year (and it can’t be covered in cheese or marshmallows). Needs to be quality vegetables and needs to be consistent. This is true of vegging out as well — the time you spend decompressing can’t only be the vacation you take every so often while bringing your laptop along. It needs to be found in pockets spread throughout your daily, weekly and monthly routines and it needs to be the only thing you’re focused on doing. Or would it be not doing?

Let me be clear, getting comfortable with doing NOTHING is a continuous process that I am letting work on me. It isn’t always as easy as thinking of vegging out as AMAZING after making a few arguments on behalf of vegetables. But, I’ll be honest, it helps.

AND for those of you that struggle with a perception connected to not feeling bad enough about the extensive amount of time you spend vegging out, I encourage you to keep this in mind: TIME is a social construct; many people experience feeling behind or overanalyzing this this idea that they are not where they thought they would be when in reality, there is enough time for everything you want and need to get done. TIME, once again, is abundant and everything you need is INSIDE of YOU.

All of that being said, whenever I need a friendly reminder that vegging out is a need just as much as my need to get things done, I keep in mind is that whatever decision I make is the right one, because I made it.

The same is true for you.

Whatever decision YOU make is the right one, simply because it’s the decision YOU made.

HAPPI Vegging,

- Alexandra