May 12, 2023

Hello Rick and Maria,

Welcome to Day 02 of Bijou's Be Well Bundle video series!

"The time to relax is when you don't have time for it." - Sydney J. Harris

“Take rest; A field that has rested, gives bountiful crop.” – Ovid

We live in a fast-paced world these days. We have more information than we need or want at our fingertips. We often wear “busy” as a badge of honor and we have become accustomed to instant gratification. Technology and ideas meant to make our lives easier can sometimes come at a cost, the cost of our peace of mind, patience, and connection.

As a society, we are overwhelmed and over stimulated and that kind of stress takes a toll on us mentally, physically, and emotionally.

We have all heard it. When we are filled up with pressures and stress of life, the people around us might say, "You need to relax."

Obviously, that is easier said than done. Of course we should all relax more, but the question is, how and when? Well, it is hard to write an exact answer, but we have consulted Bijou on this very problem and he suggests the following pathways to be able to relax:

Pause. Take a deep breath. Before you take on a new task just simply stop and breathe.
Do nothing. Then perhaps for another moment, do nothing. Try not to stress about the how and when at this point. Just soak in the nothingness and all that it has to offer.
Start small. Channel your inner Zentangle artist and approach your busy life 'one stroke at a time'. Think about taking just a few minutes of your day to pause and do nothing, or do something that comforts and nurtures your soul.
Take time. It is easy to say, we do not have time. Most of us do not have much extra. But just know that the few minutes you take today to take care of you is an investment in how you will perform and live tomorrow.

So, we warmly invite you to try to relax today. Perhaps you tangle along with us, or maybe just watching the video feels good for you, or maybe you are still in the do nothing step ... and that is fine too.

Bijou's Be Well Bundle - Day 02

The videos in the Bijou's Be Well Bundle series will be released every day through May 31, 2023. You can view all of the videos in this series here (after their release).

Tangle Step-Out: printemps

Blog: Blank Spaces

During the series, we will focus on one of Bijou's wise Bijouisms each day. In the archives of the Zentangle blogs, we have many thoughts and stories about these philosophies. We will be sharing some of them during this series.