Taympers! Pagod na ako!

If you’re a 90s kid who grew up happily in the Philippines, you probably said that line several times during play time decades ago. I should know because I’m one proud 90s kid.

Whether we’re playing tagu-taguan or patintero, the magic word “Taympers”, together with the legendary T hand sign, gave us the super power to be exempted from being tagged by playmates… even just for a few minutes.

It gave us a temporary immunity from defeat because our playmates acknowledged our need for rest and water break. Though often, I must admit that I used it as a childhood strategy to prolong the moment of not becoming “taya”.

Nowadays, it feels like I am in need of that innocent but very honest “Taympers”!

“Hi Gwen, can we move the deadline to tomorrow? Sorry urgent lang.”

“Mare, kumusta? Yung business proposal ko na pag isipan mo na ba?”

“Mommy Gwen, please be informed that your daughter’s mid term exam is scheduled this Monday.”

“Your September statement for your credit card ending in 0471 is due on October 8”

When various demands for my attention, resources, and energy begin to overwhelm me, I wish that I can still say “Taympers”.  I wish I can say that to gain even just a temporary immunity from pressure, deadlines, anxiety, problems, and other adulting concerns.

And as they say…be careful what you wish for. Because I wished for “time out”, my body seemed to cooperate to make my wish come true. Last Saturday, I was required by my OB to be on bed rest because I experienced spotting, which is common during the 1^st trimester of pregnancy but dangerous if taken for granted.

While it’s not the kind of break that I was expecting, being on bed rest gave me the literal “time out” I’ve been yearning for. When I was forced by my health condition to not get out of bed and not stress myself too much, I had a valid excuse for people to exempt me from playing the game.

But to my surprise, my mind and body found it hard to embrace the “rest” I was badly craving.

As adults, we were made to believe that in order to succeed in a competitive world, we have to keep moving. HUSTLE is a big word that seems to motivate many of us. Hustle. Plan. Move it. Work for your dreams. Pursue your passion. We can’t stop here. We can’t stop now.

That was how I trained my mind  for the past years.  I have to do a lot. I have to do more. I have to do things all at the same time. It felt like there was a pressure within me to be always in sync with the hustle and bustle of everyone’s busy life. It felt like being busy should be part of the system…or else it would feel like I’m doing less in life.

And so I tried to do a lot, tried to give as many YESes as I can, tried to please everyone, tried to set and achieve as many goals, tried to push my limit.

While there’s surely nothing wrong with such mindset, it can be exhausting in the long run, especially if we don’t take the necessary time offs to catch our breath, to pause for water break, and to rest so we can recharge our battery.

I used to think that I can’t afford to press the pause button if I want to succeed being a mother, running a household, working as a freelancer, growing a business, taking care of a family, and pursuing my passion. But being on mandatory bed rest for a couple of days made me realize that I am no superwoman. I am human with limited strength.

Rest, break, taympers is necessary for me to thrive and become more effective in carrying out my different roles in life. 

How about you? Do you also feel tired and overwhelmed sometimes? May the innocence of your childhood remind you to acknowledge your need for a break. Go tell your adult playmates, “You can’t tag me just yet! I’m still on time first mode!”