Why I Spent My Self-Care Day Home

I took a self-care day today and it went well. I started off my day with a mental list of all the elaborate things I was going to accomplish, such as go out for brunch, visit some of my favorite retailers, and take a three-mile walk through one of my routine trails, and suddenly I found myself exhausted.

After some thought, I decided to stay in, cook up a batch of homemade potato soup, and catch up on some cleaning. Sounds boring, right? Funny thing is, it was relaxing. I didn’t have to dress for one occasion or another, or switch shoes to go from flats to walking sneakers. All I did was sit at home and enjoy the day. Did I mention there was a nap included somewhere in there?

I’m constantly reading online about the number of people suffering from mental health issues. It’s sad, honestly. And I know that a lot of it has to do with the fact that the average person is taking on way too much to just settle down enough to listen – to themselves, to their surroundings, to those trying to share something with them. It’s created a crisis and everyone from teens to men are having a tough time adjusting mentally.

It doesn’t help that the average person walks around with some sort of digital device attached to their nose, as they switch from one app to the next to keep up with the world. I have had to remind myself to detach from my smartphone to take a break from the constant streaming of information I expose myself to on a daily basis. This constant  stimulation tends to bring me down after a while, and it’s at this point when I decide to just drop my electronics and focus on my natural surroundings.

My decision to stay home and do the mundane was actually therapeutic. It took me back to my youth, before the internet and the four different internet-linked electronics in my possession right now. I was able to focus on what I was doing, instead of what everyone else in the world was thinking or discussing. It gave me an opportunity to listen to my deepest thoughts and decipher whether there is anything that needs addressing within me. May sound corny to some, but this process has helped me cope with an ever-changing world that doesn’t stop to pay attention to the details of one’s life. In the end, I was the better person for making such a sudden switch in plans. By the end of the day, I felt more relaxed and ready to take on another day.