When you’re a type A kind of person who enjoys having routines and tasks to complete in order to keep your active brain happy, I find it’s best that you intentionally include personal time into your calendar and stick to it as if it’s an important meeting. Instead of waiting for free time to pop up and then thinking “well now what?,” put plans in place ahead of time on your calendar to take time for yourself. Maybe the first few hours on the calendar are spent reflecting about the activities you already enjoy or some new ones you want to check out. Then plan out when you’re going to do them. An hour on Wednesday afternoon going for a hike at whatever trail, 2 hours Saturday evening watching your favorite TV show, 1 hour Friday night joining your friend for an event you’ve never heard of before. Be specific and be intentional with your time. I think you’ll find that it helps your brain to still be in that “go get it!” mentality when you’re actively and purposefully setting aside time for yourself to break up with monotony and relax your brain. It’s not only good for your overall physical health, but it will help you avoid burnout and allow you to become happier and more productive with the time you do spend at work.
That’s what I’d suggest you start working on. Start today by putting an hour block on your upcoming calendar to sit down and intentionally plan out when you will take time for yourself and what you might want to do. Then hold yourself accountable for relaxing and taking care of yourself just as you would a job responsibility.
How old is this cousin? Maybe they don’t know how to deal with difficult information yet