Friday Feature: Some Days are Like That

I've had a very productive January, something that pleases me on many levels but, yesterday, it all inexplicably caught up to me. Last night, despite a good day, I felt grumpy and, even though I all-but fell asleep on the sofa in the family room, I could not manage to string together more than 30 consecutive minutes of sleep until after dawn. 

The other night, I was talking to my dad, who's a generally good-natured guy. I noticed that things that don't usually get to him were bugging him and I asked him if he was okay. He said he was fine, but he remarked that he's tired -- we're all tired -- and worn down from nearly a year of a life that's far from normal. It was simultaneously so obvious and so insightful and it struck a chord.

While I can typically pinpoint what's bugging me, last night, I couldn't. And my dad's explanation pretty much summed it up. On Fridays, in this space, I typically try to post something interesting or helpful but, last night, as I searched for an article, everything annoyed me. Everything somehow came back to COVID and I was sick of COVID. And politics. And a life that's far from normal.

So, I looked up funny stories and good old reliable Reader's Digest came through. If you're looking for blessedly mindless entertainment (as I was last night), check them out.

But this morning, as I was procrastinating by checking out every app on my iPad, I came across a photo someone had posted on Twitter of a little boy curled up in a chair with a blanket. His mom had posted that he was over virtual learning and she was giving him a mental health day.

Bingo.

I'd already decided that I needed an unstructured day today, so I was on the right track, yet the obvious answer still eluded me. Thanks to that mom on Twitter, I knew exactly what I needed for today's post.

My dad was right. This is a lot. And it's been a lot for almost a year. Obvious, I know, but it hits each of us on different days in different ways and the solution to it is not one-size-fits-all. We've all heard that self-care is important, especially now, but what does that mean?

Stephen Covey writes about sharpening the saw -- physically, mentally, socially, emotionally and spiritually. And, in a really accessible way, so, too, does Verywell Mind. Their post on "5 Self-Care Practices for Every Area of Your Life" is skimmable and practical -- just what the pandemic-tired mind and body needs.

kropekk_pl via Pixabay

Last night's grouchiness notwithstanding, I'm typically an incurable optimist, and I do believe there's a light at the end of this tunnel. But, on those days when we need to take a bridge to get to the tunnel, it's nice to know we're not traveling alone, and it's really nice to know there are resources to make the trip easier.

Take care of yourself. Brighter days are coming.