I did something crazy the other day.
I scheduled a day off in the middle of the week. It was my personal Mental Health Day.
Here’s what happened. My wife and I went for a drive out of town, had a nice lunch together, went for a massage, then had a pleasant, relaxing walk through a beautiful wooded area.
It was glorious.
You Can Make Big Adjustments to Your Wheel in a Day
My book, the Promise Wheel, is all about finding balance. I write about adjusting the different parts of your life, such as work, physical health, hobbies, and spiritual health, so that these domains are in sync with each other.
Although I’ve spent many years thinking and writing about balanced living, the truth is that finding personal balance is an ongoing journey. I’m still discovering and experimenting with new ways to bring my life into balance and alignment.
Scheduling a day off from work and my day-to-day responsibilities (my in-laws watched our kids) and spending it with my wife reminded me how I could quickly and effectively address multiple areas of my life and take significant steps toward personal balance—all in one day.
There are a few lessons and takeaways from that day. I’ll share two of them in this post, and next week I’ll share another three.
Lessons Learned
1. It takes a few attempts to discover what makes you feel balanced. Many of my life areas have been in sync for the last few months. I’m exercising regularly, paying more attention to my diet, spending more time with my family, actively engaging in hobbies, and developing a meditation habit.
However, there are still many things about living a balanced life that I’m discovering.
On my mental health day, I re-discovered the joy of just doing the simple things in life. But, I also learned that it’s something I need to be intentional and proactive about. That is, I actually have to schedule a time to do these simple things.
2. Going somewhere different can foster creativity. Walking around in a different setting, I had more creative thoughts than I usually do at home. The walk reminded me of how one’s environment can influence and shape one’s thinking.
After my walk, I noticed that sitting in a chair facing an open field helped stimulate my thinking – which adjusted the Mind domain in PROMISE. As a result, I felt mentally stimulated and relaxed simultaneously.
Summary
I don’t typically take a lot of vacation days in a year. But whenever I do, I am reminded just how much it relaxes my body, mind, and spirit.
Vacations are great. But, you don’t have to go very far, spend a lot of money, or schedule a lot of time off to appreciate what they can do for you: they help you to reset, relax and reconnect with yourself and those you care about.
I hope this post reminds you of the importance of taking a personal mental health day, and the value of doing the simple things on such a day.
Richard
If you enjoyed this post, then pick up my new book, The Promise Wheel: Psychology For Growth and a Balanced Life. I provide dozens of strategies and insights on how to improve your health, relationships, and career so that you can achieve personal balance, feel less stressed, and have fun again.