So often in our busy lives, we push and we push, forgetting to listen to ourselves and our bodies. Many of us think we need a really good reason or be very sick to take a day off. Sometimes the best thing you can do is to acknowledge when you just need some quiet time to honor yourself… a Mental Health Day.
Between work, the kids, social obligations, trying to keep up with everything, family obligations, and living up to everyone’s expectations…it can become overwhelming. We rush the kids to school.Quick meals occur because there is no time. We fight to meet deadlines at work. Always on the run for a networking event or social obligation…When exactly is there personal time? When is there time to go within?
When is there time just for you?…no phones, no spouse, no kids, no television…just the quiet. I have written often about honoring yourself on the outside by enhancing the body with clothes that make you feel good and flatter. I have also spoken about the necessity in accenting the outside positively. However, those exterior accents will be loosely placed veneers if there is not time taken to beautify the inside…that means ‘inner work’.
Inner Work allows us to change self-limiting beliefs we hold about ourselves. Inner Work is cleaning up the dark build-up that occurs from criticism, self-abuse, negative self-talk, and the ego. For the outside to truly reflect how fabulous we feel, it has to brightly shine from deep within, otherwise it is simply a patched on veneer.
I urge you to honor yourself with a mental health day. Get everyone out of the house. Find a nice comfortable spot inside or outside where you can just sit. Stop the busyness!!!
Close your eyes, get comfortable, and just breathe. Breathe deeply. Focus on your breath and try not to think of anything other than the inhalation and exhalation. (Most human beings breathe into their chests which is the incorrect way to breathe. We only get approximately 10% oxygen to our brains in that manner. The breath should be deep enough to expand our abdomens so that the entire body benefits. This type of breathing also assists in eliminating stress which can manifest into dis-ease.)
Take notice of your body, the feelings in your body, and your heartbeat. Discover yourself through your breath. Spend some time in that state trying to relax. Imagine yourself breathing into every part of your body, ultimately relaxing it.
Another important aspect of your Mental Health Day should be to journal. Journaling assists in releasing beliefs that are self-limiting. If you are feeling guilt over not going to work or anger at someone, write it out of your body. Journal for at least 30 minutes so that you may transmute and release those feelings. Negatively held feelings can ultimately manifest into sickness and ill-health.
Now spend the day in silence. Allow yourself to take notice of the sounds that normally get covered up by speaking, television, radios, phones, etc… Notice the natural sounds that we take for granted. Let this be a day of peace for you where the world disappears and it is all about YOU.
Remember who you truly are. Acknowledge all of the powerful things you have done in your life. Be accepting of the things you consider mistakes and be kind to yourself. Acknowledge that you are starring in your own movie. Everything that has occurred in your life, positive or negative, has been part of your story. Is it time for a new story? Is it time to add in some new characters. Perhaps a different stage set is in order. Answer the whims of your silent self. Acknowledge your dreams and your fantasies and ask…Why not? If not now, when?
You are your own writer, director, and actor. If there is something in your life you do not like, change it. It is your right to live your movie the way you want not how others expect it to be. Only a mental health day can give you back your identity…and your dreams!!!
GIVE YOURSELF THE GIFT OF YOU!!!
Until the next…Fashion Emergency!!!
Warmest regards,
Simran Singh