The Art Of The Duvet Day
5 Tips on how to take time just for you!
Pre-motherhood a duvet day meant sitting in my pjs catching up on documentaries, eating toasties, scrolling through Pinterest and feeling 100% zen. Since motherhood, I might treat myself to a takeaway, feeling exhausted and waking up dying of thirst in the morning. Not the same thing. Worlds apart.
A month ago I was at the bottom of my energy pool; no time, no energy, no freedom to do anything apart from run my business and look after my daughter. I knew I had to try and replenish myself because I feared I would burn out if I didn't. I read a great article in Psychologies magazine that led me straight to The Art of the Duvet Day. It was like it was meant to be.
Today is World Mental Health Day and it is our duty to nurture our mental health much like our obsession with our physical health. As parents, we all know that it comes with the job description... "be willing to feel guilt ridden 90% of the time for no reason what so ever." The reality of this won't ever change, but perhaps the way we treat ourselves in response to it can, and perhaps (dare I say it) we may enjoy it.
The Art of the Duvet Day
- Thrive
What do you need to feel good? A foot massage? A spa day? A cinema trip? Whatever it is that makes you connect with who you are and what you are, then that needs to be priority. We all thrive off of different things and our energy comes from different sources; whether that is on our own or from a group of people. Take time to think about yourself and how you can replenish your energy and then pursue it. You will thank yourself for it!
2. Schedule
It would be amazing to take time everyday to spend on ourselves, and we should, but in the rush and drama of everyday life this may be a little too optimistic at first, but then why the hell not?! We'd tell our children to do the same thing wouldn't we? Schedule time in to your calendar, file under "Queen time". Read that book, call that friend, have that bath. You're priority.
3. Replenish
Looking after yourself isn't indulgent, it's essential. Replenish yourself. I read that taking a break from your responsibilities is the responsible thing to do. It might be tricky to arrange ME TIME everyday and possibly less appealing but it could have a deep and profound effect on your day to day living. Imagine if, in our bid to help the planet, we didn't do the recycling every day and just did it once per month, perhaps our efforts would fail.
4. Nurture
It has become the absolute norm to start any conversation with the words "I've just been so busy..." This relentless drive to be busy, work hard, fail to stop, has led to an unprecedented rise in mental health issues. We need to nurture each other but most importantly, ourselves.
5. Stop
What would we tell our friend if she was feeling burnt out, low, disconnected? We'd treat them to a night out, a phone call, a bottle wine and a hug. Schedule it in, put it in the diary; stick it under "Queen Time."
