Guilt-Free Relaxing

This one seems to have the right idea.

My day went like this: wake up, have Starbucks brought to me, eat Jack-in-the-Box tacos, watch "Morning Glory," take nap, eat Chinese takeout, do laundry, write. Hope your day was as rough as mine. The "extra hour" that Daylight Savings brought really let me feel like I had a chance to relax today. Or, maybe I just made the extra effort to walk away from my laptop and phone. I caught up on my DVR; I read magazines that had begun to pile up; I just lounged. It was fantastic.

I was starting to wonder if I forgot how to relax. Where it had been so easy to be lazy in earlier years, now I tend to get a nervous tic like there is something I am forgetting to do and that is why I have extra time. How awful is that?! I fill nearly every minute of my day to get something done. I have to schedule time to do the things I enjoy. And I have to schedule them after I have done the things on my to-do list or they I won't be able to give it my full attention. Pretty pathetic really. 

I'm better under pressure and better with a lot on my plate, but I'm beginning to realize that it doesn't seem that balanced. I work my ass off and then squeeze in 20, 30 minutes to read or watch bad tv or just do something just for me before I feel guilty like there is something else I should be doing. How many of you feel this way? Please tell me I am not the only crazy-wired nutcase who forgot what it's like to relax and not feel guilty. 

For my own sanity (and the sanity of those around me), I am going to make a better effort to slow down, to find a better balance. Any tips?

50/50 Challenge update: "About Time" Movie #65; Nine Inches by Tom Perrotta Book #21.