The importance of taking a day off of work for yourself. Alone.

I started a full-time job in June, 2020. At the time, I still kept up with this blog. I kept up with eating normally. I stayed active with dancing. I managed to spend enough quality time working on self-care.

Fast-foreward to today. Thursday, November 12th, 2020. I am taking a day off. For myself. Alone. Well, one thing that I didn't actually plan on is having our dog Violet with me. But that is ok. She has been (mostly) chill. She does whine too much when I'm the only one around because I give her too many treats. But that's for another story.

Here is what I've done so far since I jetted out of the office yesterday at 4pm. 

• Drank coffee at nighttime 
• Watched Dave Chapelle on SNL on Hulu
• Stayed up late
• Jogged in the rain
• Walked to the grocery store while listening to a new playlist on Spotify (Stay in Bed)
• Lingered way too long in the store
• Took an artsy picture of leaves for the sake of taking a fun, nice photo
• Bought 3 DVDs at the Redbox at Harris Teeter (Tarantino, Lemmons, Salfdie Bros)
• Deleted apps that don't service me from my phone
• Write down all thoughts and complaints that need to be communicated 
• Whatever I freakin' wanted to do within each moment

Here's the thing y'all. I needed today like I need food to eat. It has been so critical to feel free. Free from devoted time, people, management, organization, obligations, necessities, news, demands, and whatever else you need to insert for yourself here. Mental health takes care. It takes time. It takes both assertiveness and calm. It is the yin and yang. 

I encourage everybody to find a way to take one whole day for yourself every now and then. You will thank yourself. Your family and friends will thank you. And then, of course, your coworkers and boss will too. Because when you come back to them you will be feel better.

So, go on! Git! Make arrangements as needed (I should give a special thanks here to my parents for watching my son, my husband for being employed and being at work, and my dog for being as chill as she can be) and TAKE A DAY OFF FOR YOURSELF. ALONE.