rspazzoli, Author at Rowan Spazzoli

Active Relaxation

Most weekends this year have been filled with work, but I’l try take a morning of afternoon off to rest/relax. This usually involves sleeping in late, having afternoon naps, watching series, playing playstation or having a drink with a friend. I’d dub this “passive relaxation“, where you don’t really engage in anything else except resting.

This can be great, especially if you’ve had a particularly heavy week. And usually it is very necessary to take the first bit of down time as passive relaxation.

But at some point, the returns to this diminish. Sleeping 10 hours will leave you rested, but sleeping an additional 5 will not help you (and might throw off your sleep cycle.

Active Relaxation

The opposite to this would be active relaxation, which would involve making an effort to do enjoyable things in your time off. These might include long drives, going on hikes/walks, going to the beach or hosting a bunch of friends for a braai.

As much as I enjoy active relaxation, I too often fall into the habit of over dosing on passive relaxation. Instead of getting equal amounts of the two, I’ll spend the whole day indoors, sleeping and watching series.

Today I was able to find the balance. I slept until 10, watched some series and tidied the house. I then spent the afternoon on a drive with friends which included some hiking and a picnic on a beach.

And now I feel much more relaxed and rested than if I’d spent the whole day watching TV.

I think both types of relaxing are important. But it’s equally important to find a balance between the two.

Image was taken on our drive to Cape Point today. This baboon stole our Doritos and proceeded to eat the whole bag in front of us

Song of the day: Adventure of a lifetime - Coldplay

Blog 113/365. Read more about my #365of25 journey here

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Published by rspazzoli on March 4, 2018 | Permalink

Drive

One of the things I love about my consulting work is driving out to our offices in Stellenbosch. I’ll usually do so twice a month but this week I’ve been out there four times.

The drive itself is really pretty, especially after turning off the N2. There are so many wine estates, animals and dams.

Apart from the scenery, I find the driving to be really soothing. It’s time I can spend with my thoughts, listening to music and being mindful.

After chatting about this, Jared and I decided that we’re setting out to do a long drive tomorrow. We’re going to head out to Cape Point via Muizenberg and return via the Atlantic seaboard.

Definitely going to go on more little road trips once my work load lightens up 🙂

Image is of some cows, taken on the road today. Our beef project is nearly finished, thank goodness!

Blog 112/365

Song of the day: Incubus- Drive

Published by rspazzoli on March 3, 2018 | Permalink

A brief reflection

There won’t be a normal Friday shoutout today . But I’d just like to take a moment to reflect on the amazing friends I have.

This year has been really intense so far. But each of my friends have been incredibly supportive and are always there to help me out.

So thank you to each of you. Those reading the blogs and listening to my story. You’re the reason I get by 🙂

Image is a fluffy car we saw on the prom yesterday

Blog 111/365

Song of the day: Dirty little secret- All American Rejects

Published by rspazzoli on March 2, 2018 | Permalink

To-Done List

Everyone has a to-do list of some form, even if it’s not written down. It can be a source of motivation but also a source of anxiety. And it’s almost impossible to ever finish a to do list, cause there is always more that can be added. It often feels like we’re never getting anywhere because of this. However, there’s a useful way of dealing with this feeling: a to-done list.

I know the name is quite cheesy. But I think it’s catch. So deal with it.

The point of the to-done list is to do the inverse of the to-do list. At the end of the day, you write out everything that you have accomplished that day.

It serves as a way of helping reflect on what has been achieved. And is an antidote to that persistent feeling of not having done enough.

Today I haven’t been able to get through all my to-do list stuff. But after writing up my to-done list, I realise that I’ve actually been quite productive. And I’m proud of that.

Image is of my to-done list for today with this blog post in the background. Kinda meta, I know.

Song of the day: Slow Magic - Wildfire (Mielo Remix)

Blog 110/365. Read more about my #365of25 journey here

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Published by rspazzoli on March 1, 2018 | Permalink

Being okay with letting people down

I’ve always taken pride in not letting people down. I reply to WhatsApp messages and emails as quickly as I can. I get my work completed on time and at a high standard. I follow up in areas I need

But I’ve reached a point where I am unable to keep up that level of perfection. I’ve got too much going on, and juggling it has been quite difficult.

There are emails from students from earlier this week that I haven’t been able to get to (and I usually reply in 24 hours). One of my consulting projects has missed a few of its deadlines. And I haven’t been able to sort out a bunch of admin that I had promised to do in various areas.

My natural reaction to this is anxiety and guilt. I’ve let people down.

But in reality, there are two potential scenarios. Either the people are not concerned, and therefore I shouldn’t stress. Or they are concerned/upset, which I don’t really have control over. And I can give it my best, but beyond that they’re going to have to deal with a bit of frustration.

This point may seem rather negative. But in fact, I’ve been thinking about this all day and realized it’s rather liberating.

I’ll give my best in every way I can. But if i can’t, it’s okay.

Image is of some Bonsmara cattle I saw on the way home today. This beef project needs to end soon.

Blog post: 109/365

Song of the day: Axwell^Ingrosso – Dreamer

Published by rspazzoli on February 28, 2018 | Permalink

The Upside

A while ago I read a post by Tynan, one of my favourite bloggers, where he talked about his Bentley getting totalled. In it he describes how his constant training to maintain a positive outlook helped him see the good in the situation. He describes being happy his fiancé wasn’t hurt, glad that something bad can happen but he’s still okay, and pleased that he was able to remain calm.

It then turned out that the person didn’t have insurance, but he still outlines why he was positive about this (see the post, linked above, to see how).

Practising the upside

I was reminded of Tynan’s post today. I got to my car this morning and saw that someone had hit into it (as pictured above). My immediate gut reaction was anger and frustration. But I caught these feelings before they altered my mood and tried to picture Tynan’s reaction to the situation.

The thoughts that followed were all about the upside:

I can still drive the car, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to get to my meeting in Stellenbosch.
The person left a note with their number. Therefore I could contact them and get their insurance details.
This note was still there (and readable), despite it raining the night before.
I now knew the procedure for dealing with an accident because I’d had one just the other day.
I hadn’t yet taken my car in for my previous accident. So now I could do both at the same time.
There would be something to write about in my blog today.

And just like that, an event that had the potential to ruin my whole day was turned into an array of positives. I’ve hardly worried about it at all. I’ll call the person tomorrow, get their details and sort it out at the same time as my other incident.

By managing my reaction, and seeing the upside, I was able to manage the situation and my emotions. In doing so, an event that I had no control over had no control over me. And the rest of the day proceeded as normal. In fact, it was a pretty great day.

Image is of the accident 🙂

Song of the day: Goldfish - Hold your kite

Blog 108/365. Read more about my #365of25 journey here

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Published by rspazzoli on February 27, 2018 | Permalink

Fat and Funny

This morning I put on a blue v-neck shirt that I’ve been wearing for years. It’s always been just the right size. But today it felt tight. Really tight. And in my semi-conscious pre-coffee state I decided that I had officially become fat.

It was on my mind the whole day. When I chose lunch, I decided to go for the healthy salad option. I didn’t have my usual mid morning snack. And I resolved to start running more.

While walking on the promenade this evening Jared was eyeing me out with suspicion. Clearly he had noticed I had gotten fat too.

“Is that my shirt?” he said.

It was

And it was 3 sizes smaller than my shirt.

And then we went and grabbed ice creams.

Stand up comedy

On an entirely different note, I’ve been contemplating doing stand up comedy for a while. I really enjoy telling stories and love the thrill of public speaking. So this evening I committed to doing a stand up comedy gig at some point this year. I’m going to try and find an open mic night or something and give it a go. Who knows, maybe I’ll be the second famous comedian by the name Rowan.

Image was taken post-ice cream. Holly, I know you’re reading this and I’m really sorry about the picture. You can shout at me next time you see me.

Song of the day: North End Nightlife - Headphone Activist

Blog 107/365. Read more about my #365of25 journey here

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Published by rspazzoli on February 26, 2018 | Permalink

The Pleasure of Being Present

Two moments stood out for me today as being moments when I was fully present. The first was while sitting on the couch at home, staring out the window. I was immersed in the view of the fading orange hue over Devils Peak. Everything around me fell away and I sat with that scene entirely.

The second was, oddly, while I was washing dishes. I found a Headspace session on cleaning and gave it a try. With a little bit of guidance I was able to sink into the current moment. I experienced it fully, and stayed present with what I was doing.

These two moments are fairly ordinary. But my experience of them was altered by being mindful about what I was doing. And it brought a certain, simple joy.

From this experience, I know that my daily meditation is enhancing my ability to be in the moment. Which is just another reason to keep on doing it 🙂

Image was taken while trying to decide what veggies to buy for Sunday lunch. In the end, I settled on a roast chicken. It was much better than the vegetables

Song of the day: House of the rising sun - The Animals

Blog 106/365. Read more about my #365of25 journey here

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Published by rspazzoli on February 25, 2018 | Permalink