Oscillation

From Self Care to Self Flagellation

BY GEORGE FASEEMO

Have you ever watched the Powerball lottery drawing on TV? It would come on sometimes when I was a kid and I was always transfixed by one element of these draws: they had these clear spinning orbs filled with dice that enabled them to pull random numbers when they needed them. I always wanted one.

Unfortunately I am now an adult, and I haven’t seen a lotto drawing in years. I also haven’t watched cable TV in years, actually. This is largely because cable now only exists in the homes of old people who have been eaten by their pets, but it’s also because I’m incredibly busy. The conundrum of how to balance this busyness and the question of treating yourself has increased in importance as more people try to cope with schedules that continue to get exponentially busier. This has led some to cycle between two unhappy positions: One: brief periods of overindulgent, somewhat self-destructive hedonism as a form of self-care-based escapism, and two:. an overwhelmed state of self- flagellation and broken self promises.

On a large scale, this problem must be solved on a systemic level—we have a society that doesn’t give people enough space to breathe. But there are personal steps that we can take to have some form of balance, and I am willing to personally endorse a system that uses the Powerball lottery way of doing things.

The way to think of it is as if each realm of life (leisure time, cleaning, etc) is one of the dice in the powerball spinner. Some of these dice need to be permanent, like schoolwork or time with loved ones. But other less urgent issues can be cycled in and out every few weeks. The point here isn’t necessarily to follow this Powerball system—the point is that a stable, balanced, regular schedule is the best way to reduce the stress created by having way too much to do. You should still use the Powerball system though, if for no reason other than its kickass name.