By Patti Joubert
On the third day, God said take a mental health day. Great advice! Life gets hectic. School, work, family, it all sometimes becomes overwhelming. Everyone needs to slow down and take a day off, a break from “the noise.” Whether a few hours, a day, or a few days having down time for mental health is important.
Make time for YOU. Schedule yourself in; give yourself an appointment with you because You Matter. Peace of mind is worth more than you realize.
In 2020, the Pandemic taught the world more than a geography lesson on where Wuhan is in China or the value of keeping a bit of extra toilet paper stocked up.(ok this one is really important and I still have a 30-pack hidden in the laundry room. As God is my witness I am never running out again.) We learned
as a collective group how fragile mental health can be and how much we need to protect it. We also learned how much we value travel, day trips, picnics, movies, school and playgrounds. Because when they were all suddenly gone, the mental health of the country suffered.
So now in 2022 what does one do to take time for mental health? Well, that depends on how much time you can take, where you live, and how much you can spend. Here is just a small list of some of the things I have done. Add to the list of things you would do. The point should be that it should be something you
enjoy, something for YOU, something that does not involve chores or work. No taking a day off from work to do chores at home. That is not a mental health day.
Do a puzzle, or start a hobby.
Go get a pedicure or manicure
Go to the beach, lake, park, on a hike
Curl up in a comfortable place with a good book
Take a long bubble bath
Plan a weekend trip to a resort, or beach, or the lake
Girls or guys weekend
*Day at the Amusement Park-this is my personal favorite. It is very destressing to ride roller coasters for a while. Just leave the outside world at the front gate.
Plan a “real vacation” this depends truly on the mental state of all those involved trust me on this one. Oh the stories I could tell…….Just be sure everyone is up for an extended time of togetherness if it is a family vacation. Otherwise, plan away and have fun! There’s just a small amount of ideas. Personally, I have always been a huge proponent of yearly vacations. Some years we couldn’t afford to go far so we went camping. Other years we cruised, or went to Disney. The key is priorities. Our family chooses a yearly vacation over other things. So we save our money and forego other activities during the year. It’s just a choice. You might prefer a few weekends a year, or several day trips. But the key is take time for You. Stay within your means and budget because overspending will only cause another problem. But, move, get fresh air, go somewhere. No staying
home to binge watch Tiger King! We all saw that in 2020. Carol Baskin did it.
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