What would you do with 24 hours of Free time?

One of the biggest difficulties with having a Dependant Personality Disorder is the alone time.

D.P.D plays on the fact that you are isolated and alone and that ultimately this is where you will stay and that seeking any human contact (Friendships or Relationships) seems utterly pointless because surely you are worthless.

This aspect is something that I specifically struggle with.

When I have the boys I am focused and know exactly what to do and who I am; I am their Dad and they need me to be their dependable person and I focus fully on what I need to do for them. However, when it comes to the evenings and days that I don’t have them I seriously struggle.

So I have the Boys for half of the week, of which they head back to their Mums Wednesday evening. So what do I do with the rest of the week?

Thursdays and Saturdays are usually spent teaching the Piano and Guitar. Like the time with the boys I am usually ok. I may have small flare ups but it is usually minimal; ultimately on these days I am in “Teacher Mode”.

This then leaves Friday.

I make sure there is at least one day of the week where I don’t have the boys and I don’t work. This is great for my Muscular Dystrophy but I find that I am at a loss of what to do with myself. Most of the day is spent trying to focus on blogging, either writing or reading posts. Yet, I massively struggle on these days.

Since my recent D.P.D flare up I have been trying to practice a level of Mindfulness as well as Self-care (Something I hope to write about soon) The main concept is that you do something that is just for you, something that gives you positive regard and subsequently reinforces the feeling of self-worth; rather than depending on activities that are destructive, like drinking.

I have very few things that do this. I will usually read or watch a film, try and find time to do one of my detailed drawings or even sit and play the piano. These activities are great but they don’t seem to fully stop the struggle that I have on Fridays.

Last week though I posed a question for you all: What would you do?

The premise on this is that you have 24 hours free with no responsibilities of worries and can do whatever you like just for you. The results were quite interesting:

1. Sleep

This was the most answered suggestion. I think that as parents we can all relate to the lack of sleep coupled with the busy lives we live. Sleep is definitely required!

2. Food

This was the second most popular. This ranged from going out for a nice meal and fine dining to pigging out in a café or getting a takeaway. I think that, again, is something definitely needed!

3. Physical Activities

Interestingly these all varied but they all had the common theme, exercise. People suggested going swimming, running or even just to the gym. I suppose as a parent time to do this is extremely limited.

The next suggestions all varied. Some wanted to spend the day reading, painting, watching films or box sets or even do some gardening. The most common theme found though was the quiet and relaxing environment to do these things.

Interestingly the top three suggestions are what most people would be recommended for a healthy life and a healthy mind.

The other key factor seemed to be peace and quiet. I suppose the logic here is that a peaceful environment means a peaceful mind.

I definitely try to do these things but then that just leaves what to do with the rest of my 24 hours. Some activities seem tedious and feel slightly superficial. (Doing something for the sake of it rather than sitting and wallowing) I also know though that I am not the only one to feel like this so I also know that it isn’t necessarily a D.P.D thing.

So although I will continue to delve into activities that promote self-care I think I will also be looking at new activities or projects to do; something that will give me focus and drive in  the empty places.

So my question still stands the same:

If you had 24 hours free with no responsibilities or worries, what would you do? I would love to know!