Aargh! I’m drowning in work stuff, kid stuff, writing stuff…and now my brain has said its HAD ENOUGH!
Sound familiar? Or am I the only over-achiever wannabe in the room? I want to be the best Mom, wife, daughter, employee, writer I can be. Until I run down with exhaustion. Not good.
So I’m adopting a concept I’ve used with my kids and have heard of others doing. I take a “Mental Health Day”. As a planner, mine have an agenda, of course. They must involve some combination of the following:
1. No work.
That means no day job (if I have PTO, sometimes even if I don’t), but sometimes I schedule it for those oh-too-few Monday holidays. It also means no writing, typing, research, blogging, etc. Yes, writing is fun, but its work for the brain – which needs rest and recuperation.
2. Have fun.
No dishes or laundry. Only activities that I enjoy and refill my depleted energy and enthusiasm. Mine include: reading, watching movies, and scrapbooking.
3. Take a nap.
My perfect day includes an uninterrupted nap. That’s just me. You might have a different heavenly activity, but I love to snuggle down into a fuzzy blanket mid-afternoon and drift away for a while.
I don't get to indulge in them nearly often enough, but I think days whose sole purpose is to renew and refresh your brain are very important. Those are my 3 must-haves for a perfect Mental Health Day. What are yours?
Sound familiar? Or am I the only over-achiever wannabe in the room? I want to be the best Mom, wife, daughter, employee, writer I can be. Until I run down with exhaustion. Not good.
So I’m adopting a concept I’ve used with my kids and have heard of others doing. I take a “Mental Health Day”. As a planner, mine have an agenda, of course. They must involve some combination of the following:
1. No work.
That means no day job (if I have PTO, sometimes even if I don’t), but sometimes I schedule it for those oh-too-few Monday holidays. It also means no writing, typing, research, blogging, etc. Yes, writing is fun, but its work for the brain – which needs rest and recuperation.
2. Have fun.
No dishes or laundry. Only activities that I enjoy and refill my depleted energy and enthusiasm. Mine include: reading, watching movies, and scrapbooking.
3. Take a nap.
My perfect day includes an uninterrupted nap. That’s just me. You might have a different heavenly activity, but I love to snuggle down into a fuzzy blanket mid-afternoon and drift away for a while.
I don't get to indulge in them nearly often enough, but I think days whose sole purpose is to renew and refresh your brain are very important. Those are my 3 must-haves for a perfect Mental Health Day. What are yours?
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From My Family to Yours[/caption]
As an author, I'm on a slow learning curve when it comes to social media (blogging, Twitter, Facebook, etc) and how to use it to connect with readers, fellow authors, and industry professionals (and I truly mean connect, not bombard with promotional posts). I'm not the best at it, but I'm truly trying to figure some aspects of it out. I'm an introvert, but also enjoy social interaction. The perfectionist in me wants to do it RIGHT (or at least, not embarrass myself in public).
In my search to learn all I can, I've been reading a blog by Kristen Lamb that is absolutely invaluable in this area and many other aspects of a writer's journey. The post I'm sharing with you today is about rest. If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you might have seen that this is a problem area for me. I want to rest, but then I feel guilty about resting because I should be DOING something during that time. But Kristen discusses what I've long suspected and struggle to absorb: sometimes stopping to rest means farther progress in the long run.
Check it out!
http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2012/10/12/add-word-count-why-dead-bodies-are-good-for-the-living/
Dani
From My Family to Yours[/caption]
As an author, I'm on a slow learning curve when it comes to social media (blogging, Twitter, Facebook, etc) and how to use it to connect with readers, fellow authors, and industry professionals (and I truly mean connect, not bombard with promotional posts). I'm not the best at it, but I'm truly trying to figure some aspects of it out. I'm an introvert, but also enjoy social interaction. The perfectionist in me wants to do it RIGHT (or at least, not embarrass myself in public).
In my search to learn all I can, I've been reading a blog by Kristen Lamb that is absolutely invaluable in this area and many other aspects of a writer's journey. The post I'm sharing with you today is about rest. If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you might have seen that this is a problem area for me. I want to rest, but then I feel guilty about resting because I should be DOING something during that time. But Kristen discusses what I've long suspected and struggle to absorb: sometimes stopping to rest means farther progress in the long run.
Check it out!
http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2012/10/12/add-word-count-why-dead-bodies-are-good-for-the-living/
Dani