Monday, March 3, 2014

I Need Mental Health Days



I like routine. And lists. Most of all, I like mental health days. What are mental health days, you ask? Permit me to elaborate:

1.  A day where you do something for fun - NO RESEARCH ALLOWED! I like to wander around antique stores and malls, check out flowers at garden centers, go to craft shows, hunt for grocery bargains (or any kind of bargains for that matter), and hang out with friends.

2.  A day where you read to your heart's content - NO RESEARCH ALLOWED! My favorite authors' books have sat on a staggering TBR pile for so long that they're turning a pale shade of yellow. Here I come Julie Klassen, Jody Hedlund, Kathi Macias, Sarah Sundin, Cathy Gohlke, and many others.

3.  A day when I sleep until I naturally wake up and then spend a leisurely hour in the Word of God - NO RESEARCH ALLOWED! The spirit and the body enjoy rejuvenation.

Why do I keep stressing "NO RESEARCH ALLOWED," you ask? I need to give myself permission to live life without tacking on something writing or work related.

Writers and Readers:  What does a mental health day look like for you?

Photo Credit: Susan J. Reinhardt 

12 comments:

Unknown said...

starting my day with the Lord, than taking it one moment at a time, working on quilting or typing my blog. I do read and nap though too. :)

Linda O'Connell said...

I call these DNDs, Do Nothing Days, and I believe children need them too, so every once in a while if I see that my students are on target with their skills, we drop everything and walk a block to the park. They love it and we all need it.

Marja Verschoor-Meijers said...

Oh my... Susan, this is such a good post. I can relate :) Just doing something for fun... not for work, not to write about, no for our non profit, not for the church, not for any other reason than to just ENJOY! Yes!

Karen Lange said...

I need to take a mental health day soon, as does my husband. We're in the midst of a handful of projects and are stretched in every direction.

I hope you get to take one soon too, to finish recuperating after your illness and your Mom's latest adventure. Still praying.

Blessings,
Karen

Terri Tiffany said...

Reading what I want...not turning on the computer...daydreaming.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Susan - going to London to see something special .. the trouble is I usually gather in lots of information for yet more posts .. and I'm overwhelmed if I think about it .. so I try not to - and consider my luck that I don't need to worry about ideas ...

And now Spring is springing a good walk and acknowledging renewing life outside ..

Cheers to you - Hilary

quietspirit said...

In my last job, the phrase"Mental Health Day" meant that you have had it with certain issues and you took a day or part of a day as sick leave and stayed home. I had to take a half day one time. Another time, I was angry about the way something was handled. I was given an out but I didn't care for what was said. I took a sick day(actually a Mental Health Day)because I had a tickly throat.

Diane Estrella said...

Ugh..... I think the theme is take a day off!!!!! Mentally too, not just physically. Movies always work for me. I would go alone and just immerse myself in the drama of somebody else's life. :)

Jean Fischer said...

A day away from the house to literally go smell the roses. There's a horticultural conservatory near here, a great place to see flowers blooming during these cold winter months. In warmer weather my mental health days are spent near the lake.

Ruth Schiffmann said...

Lately, my mental health days have been spending time working on murals at church. Other days it's simply reading for pleasure, or going to the mall with my daughters.

JD said...

I read to my heart's content on my me-days. I also make coffee date plans with girlfriends, or catch up on shows that have been sitting on my DVR for weeks. I also stay in my pajamas or sweats on me-days.

Everyone needs me-days, right?

Thanks for asking! Be well.

Dena Netherton said...

Susan, I go for long walks and thank God for what I see, hear, feel. I also love antique and what-not shops. Takes my mind off roadblocks in my stories. Then, when I come back home, solutions come to mind. Weird how universal this experience is!