Spend a Day Being Busy Doing Nothing

I’m almost positive none of you are strangers to the hustle of every day life. Unless you’ve been graciously blessed with millions of dollars (unlike myself) and don’t have to work for a living, it becomes too easy to get caught up in schedules, routines, and everything business. Most of the time we’re oblivious to the fact that our lives are happening right now, every second of every day and if we don’t stop to breathe we’re going to miss out on a lot. The other day I realized I was being sucked into this dangerous abyss when I found myself scheduling a phone call. I was sitting at work texting with a friend and we literally went through our calendars, deciphering schedules and picking a day and time to sit down and have an actual conversation. The only word I can think of to describe the feeling I had when I realized what we were doing is ‘sad’. Our relationships, the one we have with ourselves, and the ones we have with others are one of the most important things in life and we shouldn’t have to schedule time for them. I know you’re thinking “Okay, but I’m a full time student” or “I have a full time job, there are some of us with responsibilities” and I’m right there with you. I am a full time student, I have a full time job and my (rare) days off are typically spent running errands, baby-sitting my more than worth it God daughter, catching up on two weeks worth of laundry or (rarely) cleaning something. In my opinion, these are all excuses. Never be too busy for yourself, for your family, for your God, or for your friends. One of my all time favorite things to do is to have a “mental health day” I’ve been doing it since I was in high school and it’s basically a day when I (spontaneously) decide that I’m not going to do anything other than the things that make me happy. No school, no work, no homework, no leaving the house if I don’t feel like it. Usually I spend these days laying around in my pajamas watching movies (or my best friend, Oprah) and eating the types of food that should only be seen on my guilty pleasure list. I may venture out to get a pedicure or see a movie but typically I stay in and build up the energy I’m going to need to get me through the months until my next mental health day. Take a mental health day. Work on yourself, and work on your relationships with others. Remember how important balance is to our lives, and practice it.  

“Happiness is not a matter of intensity, but balance, order, rhythm and harmony.”

            -Thomas Merton

“I’ve learned that you can’t have everything and do everything at the same time.”

            -Oprah Winfrey