When I used to get stressed, I’d mindlessly search, refine results and scroll Indeed, Mediabistro and other job-search sites. It wasn’t because I was unhappy and desperately wanted a new gig; there was just something oddly soothing about looking at the search results, reading different job descriptions, and imagining what the day-to-day work would be like in that position, and how my life would be different with that change.

Lately, if I’m feeling overwhelmed by my to-do list, I find myself mindlessly scrolling Trulia or Zillow, looking at houses nearby and a thousand miles away. I’m not seriously considering buying a house by any means, but…there’s just something oddly soothing about seeing these different homes I could live in, imagining what my life would look like set against that backdrop.

It’s the grown-up version of Fantasyland; of transporting myself to another place. I’ve always been fascinated by the Butterfly Effect, and in college, I felt almost paralyzed by choice — I never wanted to say no to an opportunity and shut the door to that potential future. (In fact, I still struggle with that!) Maybe it’s my storytelling nature, but I’ve grown up imagining my future so much that my brain naturally defragments itself by playing out a bunch of potential scenarios. Almost every time, I’m happiest right where I am, and on the rare occasion I’m not, I have to ask myself two questions: (1) Am I responding this way because I want to escape whatever’s stressing me out right now? (2) What little changes can I make to get to that happier place?

That first question is crucial, especially in the moments when I’m like, “Naaate! Let’s get away from this city and move to an island and open an ice cream shop!” or envisioning some equally bizarre future. It sounds nice for a split second, until I consider the opportunity costs — and the reality that that doesn’t mean I get to sit on the beach with an ice cream cone all day, every day.

Am I the only one with a weird way of unwinding?

 

Photo: Greg Rakozy/Unsplash