Do you need a day off? Me too. Okay, not regularly, but I do have seasons where life feels especially full, and I need some extra self-care. Today’s Friday Five addresses the idea of a “wellness day”, an intentional day off to refuel.
How full is your “gas tank” right now? Not the one in your car, but rather your personal gas tank. How much energy do you have for your everyday responsibilities? Do you feel rested, have low stress, and have a high capacity to manage the unexpected challenges the day will bring? With 100% being completely full, and 0 being completely drained, what percentage do you give your “gas tank”? This is a simple way to gain helpful insight into how you are doing. If your gas tank is moving toward less than half full, it’s time to consider a “wellness day”.
What is a wellness day? It’s a day just for you where you are intentional about doing life-giving activities and pause any activities draining you. Revisit your “playlist” (see the Friday Five titled “What’s on Your Playlist?”) and consider what you might like to include on your day off. Here are 5 things to consider when creating a “wellness day”:
1. Consider scheduling a wellness day at least quarterly. I am a big believer in the importance of being proactive when it comes to mental health. Don’t wait for the gas tank to get to empty before trying to refuel. It’s a lot harder to refuel when one is completely depleted.
2. Some seasons of life make the idea of taking a day off really challenging. Parenting young children, caring for an unwell family member, or extra work responsibilities, make scheduling time for oneself especially difficult. Figure out how to make it happen anyway. Your health and well-being need to be a priority so ask for help.
3. Consider turning off your phone, email, social media, and anything else that is distracting and draining you. Beneficial as all of these can be, they are also addictive. Your brain needs a break.
4. Plan a location that provides an environment of rest and restoration. Getting outdoors for a portion of the day has huge health benefits for our mental health (Weir, 2020). If your home has others in it or is a distraction because there are always things to get done at home, consider going somewhere else. Fortunately, with Covid restrictions lifted, we have more options than we did a year ago. If you are still avoiding public spaces, do you have a friend or family member willing to share their home with you?
5. Make your day intentional rather than passive. By this I mean do things that allow for rest and reflection rather than numbing and avoidance. While Netflix binging has its place, a wellness day should not involve escapism. Watch a show, sure, but don’t make a day of it. Keep the day balanced with a variety of life-giving activities. Including some exercise/movement, journaling/reflection, music, nature, and fun can be helpful. Most importantly, your self-care day is YOUR day and should reflect YOU.
Taking care of your mental health is important. Be proactive. Don’t wait until you are sick to take a day off to care for yourself. I realize that this is counter-cultural. Employers will likely cringe at the idea of their staff taking a wellness day. Yet the reality is that waiting until someone is sick and forced to take time off ends up costing workplaces significantly more in the long run. Let’s start to change our cultural narrative to one of proactive mental health. We all could use a little more rest and fun in our lives.
