I believe in the hustle. Work harder while you’re young and enjoy your life later on. I’ve worked for as long as I can remember so maybe that’s why I’ve been deemed a workaholic; it’s better than the alternative.
Even for a workaholic, 7 days a week can start wearing on you. Constantly saying no to going out with friends, barely having anytime to take a vacation or even a little weekend trip- life starts passing you by and you don’t even realize it.
Last week my mother had to call me to have a conversation because, although I live at home still, I work so much that I’m never there. She asked me when the last time I went out and had fun was. Sadly, I had no idea what so ever. I couldn’t remember the last time I had dinner with my best friend, had a girls day with my mom or even just had some me time. I had been so caught up in making money that I wasn’t enjoying anything. My weekend job was stressing me out to the point of tears and between the commute north for my Monday- Friday job and south for the weekend, I was exhausted.
Leave it to Dr. Mom to give you the perfect medicine for losing your mind.
She told me I needed to take a ‘Me day’. Turn off everything, not talk to anyone for a while and just relax. The thought of giving up extra weekend cash was frightening, but It was either that or lose my mind all together.
This past Saturday, I got my shift covered and planned a day all to myself. Well, let me tell you…
IT WAS GLORIOUS.
I did some awesome sh*t like….
Listened to an entire album.
When was the last time you just let music play? I’m slightly obsessed with Carrie Underwood and haven’t had the time to listen to her newest album- or any album for that matter- so I turned on Spotify, put in my ear buds and let her sing to me for over an hour. There’s something about closing your eyes and listening music that gives you a release. You don’t have to worry about driving, running or whatever you’re usually doing while playing your tunes; you just listen. Music heals the soul when you actually let yourself hear what the song is saying.
Ignored social media for an entire day.
I didn’t post that I was taking a me day. I didn’t Snapchat that I was laying on the beach at 10:30 relaxing all by myself. I went incognito. I lied on the beach, closed my eyes and just soaked in the sun while my music played in the background. There was no surfing, no scrolling, no liking and no sharing. I didn’t care about what the rest of the world was doing or if the rest of the world knew what I was doing. I just drifted away in the summer air.
Went to lunch by myself – (Ahhh, solitude.)
People have this fear of being alone in a public place. Unless it’s Starbucks with a Mac in front of you, many would never dream of going somewhere and eating alone. Well, I did. Not only did I survive, I didn’t pretend to be on the phone or scroll through Instagram obsessively to avoid eye contact with those around me.
I ate my lunch on the boardwalk surrounded by people and just took in my surroundings. People watching is very therapeutic. Families walked by with their little kids screaming with excitement about it being summer time and I couldn’t help but to smile and day dream about how beautiful it will be when I have my own little family. Some walked by with all different delicious foods, which triggered my mental note taking of new places I had to try.
Sometimes you just have to stop and breathe, which was what sitting alone was finally allowing me to do.
Called my grandmother.
On the walk back to my car, instead of sending a text to my friends or finding out what I had missed in my isolation of the cyber world, I called my grandmother. We get so caught up in our everyday lives that suddenly it becomes okay to go weeks or even months without hearing the voice of the people you love the most. My grandmother is a huge part of my life and one of my biggest inspirations, so when I realized on my walk back how much I actually missed her, I gave her a call just to tell her I loved her. It wasn’t a long conversation, just enough to let her know I was thinking about her.
Taking a ‘Me’ day + no distractions = freedom at it’s finest…
At the end of the day my mother called me asking how my day was. All I could do was thank her for knowing exactly what I needed, the same way she has for the past 25 years.
After my day of self reflection, I decided to shorten my work week. I’ve chopped my seven day work week down to six. I know that doesn’t sound like much of a difference, but for someone who can’t remember their last day off, to have something to look forward to each week is a big deal.
Life is short, and if you find yourself in the shoes of a workaholic, I suggest you take a ‘Me Day’ for yourself. Disconnect from the world, go to your happy place. Get out and breathe the fresh air. These things are so important to our mental, emotional and physical health. When you allow yourself to think freely, you start enjoying being who you are. You remember to call the people who miss you most and you realize, hard work is good, but living your life is just as important.
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Jennie DeFeo Barbarino
Stephanie, I Love You ! They say at one point in Life there comes a Role reversal between a Parent and their Child… This Article was the start of mine, you are now my Inspiration ! <3 Thank you !
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