The difference between my yesterday and today is like night and day. The dishes are done. Laundry is clean, folded, and put away. I ate a healthy lunch. I did my strength exercises, balance exercises, and went for a walk with Miss J. Miss J and I are both showered and in clean clothes. I have already edited all of my pictures from this past week and shared with family and friends on social media for my usual “picture Thursday.” I caught up on the spiritual readings I have neglected the past few days. I am so energized and refreshed! All of this is thanks to a few “mental health days.”
I was introduced to mental health days when I was a senior year in high school. My best friend was worn out. She let me know she wouldn’t​ be at school that day because she was taking a mental health day. She wasn’t sick, per say, but she was not feeling as mentally well as she could be. Her mom encouraged this practice of taking off for mental health days, and she was a teacher, so who was I to say anything?
Since I learned if these so-called “mental health days,” I started taking them as well. The rules (for mine) are:
1) limit them to times that I truly feel they are needed
2) do only as much as is necessary on those days
So, in other words, I am granting myself a break from responsibility. When I was in school, I took the day off–from sports, work, whatever else I had going on.
Now, I cannot really take the day off as a Momma. My mental health days look different. I allow responsibilities such as exercise, dishes, and laundry to slip. I say my prayers, take care of Miss J, and watch TV. Or sleep. Or whatever else will help rejuvenate me.
I spent the first half of this week taking mental health days. The days allowed me to refocus. After a break, it is so much easier to feel joyful during what some may consider tedious tasks.
For the past 7 years, I have been allowing myself mental health days. I have learned just how legitimate they are. As your body needs rest when you are getting ill, your mind needs rest when it is exhausted of it’s joy. To quote Proverbs:
“A joyful heart is good medicine.”
-Proverbs 17:22
Good medicine it is indeed!
Until next time…Look for the joy in your pandemonium!
Joy + Pandemonium 