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Forget seek. I just want to hide. I really, really just want to hide. No need to seek me out. I will be okay. I just need to disappear for a bit.

Have you ever sat in your car after turning it off and not gotten out? Did you let the quiet sound of car cooling and silence envelop you? It’s sort of magical, until your family realizes you are out there and bum-rushes the vehicle forcing you to begrudgingly get out.

As we navigate the noise of working from home and distance learning with our kiddos, the drone of electronic devices is deafening, the chaos all-consuming, and the need for privacy imperative. Sometimes I take out the trash, just to take in a minute of peace. (Of course the dog always joins me, but at least he’s usually glad to see me and never asks anything but for a belly rub.)

So here it is. Your Intentergy challenge for today. Put some energy into finding a positive place to hide (if and when you need it). I’m not telling anyone to move off the grid or build a bomb shelter sealed in with concrete and dynamite, but allow yourself one area of absence.

This morning I could feel the walls squeezing in on me and the calls of “Mom” from three separate home-based classrooms quickening my heartrate. My ability to multitask was diminished. The power to prioritize and execute the simplest of tasks was stymied, but I couldn’t hide from the online lessons or paying the bills before the mailman came. I had to remain present. The notion that kept me from losing my cool was the knowledge that after I served the frozen pizzas (I would some how get baked and served to my kids during the allotted lunch time), I would get a recess of my own. A chance to hide was going to happen.

After my lunch break walk (where even the dog left me alone), I was a new woman. Not new-car-smell new, but I wasn’t a total junker anymore. I found a way to hide from being hounded and gave my kids a break from my seeking to keep them on task. It was a win-win in the no seek and all hide game.

If you don’t feel like a recess is in your sights, reach out to someone for assistance. Maybe there is a relative, co-worker, or neighbor who could use a break too. Give each other the opportunity to disappear for a bit, and you could both find yourselves with more positive energy and outlook.

Forget the seek thing. I just want to hide. If you do too, it’s okay. We all could use a break sometime. Remember hiding to recharge is not running away; it’s living to fight another day.

By: Melanie A. Peters

P.S. Make sure everyone knows the rules of your hiding game before you play. Kids tend to really freak out when they think they are abandoned.

P.P.S. I may have forgotten to tell my kids I was going for a walk. Oops.