My most relaxing moment last week was doing the laundry.
This isn’t something I used to enjoy, but I savored it now for two reasons
- It required my full focus (my toddler creates stains everywhere)
- The physical labor quieted my mind
Laundry is a perfect antidote to what my wife terms “new parent bullshit”. New parent bullshit is the constant stream of anxiety from non-important questions like what if my son doesn’t sleep through the night ever, is the bath water too cold he’ll be afraid of water, will he be afraid of eating broccoli forever? These never ending questions almost never help as they are fictions created of a world that doesn’t exist and almost certainly never will.
Laundry and other physical tasks fix this. It’s hard to give anything other than full attention when changing a poopy diaper with legs wriggling everywhere or making food while he’s screaming and pulling at my leg. Because this requires my attention it brings me into the present moment.
And once I’m in the present moment, this acts as a hard reset from all that new parent bullshit. I find myself more present for every giggle and baby step.
This is true outside parenting too. Many of my best thoughts come while running or in the shower. The physicality of these moments quiets my mind and shifts my focus away from whatever story line I’m racing around inside.
So as I venture on into another day of poopy diapers and irrational screaming, I’m trying to now view it as a gift. It’s a bit of forced meditation that often helps.