The two weeks leading up to February school vacation were a little rough. I felt really drained and exhausted. Everyone around me was sick (including my husband) and I knew that if break didn’t happen soon, I would be sick too. I managed (thanks to doubling my probiotics for a few days) to avoid most of the cold that was brewing in my system. Thank goodness. Honestly, I did not do much over vacation by some standards, but I am happy with what I was able to accomplish. I found the perfect balance between rest and productivity.  

Thankfully, I did not have to leave the house. With the power of Instacart’s grocery delivery service every meal was home-cooked: corned beef brisket, fontina stuffed meatballs with sauce, steak with mashed potatoes, and rice pilaf to name a few of the week’s meal options. We even indulged in treats such as homemade strawberry shortcake and espresso martinis.

My husband had to work last week, but we were able to take advantage of the long weekend and binge-watch shows together on Netflix and even play some Pokémon Shield (I beat my first gym challenge). Since he was up for work, I also kept a consistent schedule and properly fueled my body with breakfast each morning…something I often skip due to time constraints.

In terms of productivity, from the comfort of my couch I had time to conduct research on trauma for a day-long professional development workshop to be presented later this year. I had time to read through books and thoughtfully design my training. The topic is creating a trauma-sensitive classroom and the importance of a safe space for students. I also worked on an upcoming presentation and journaled. I even found time to reflect on my business; Dr. MC’s Self-Care Cabaret and have some ideas in the works for how to take things to the next level. Wish me luck. Additionally, house chores got taken care of, the house got cleaned and paperwork for our taxes were gathered. I mean, I did not just sleep all day, but I would be lying if I said I did not take a nap or two.  

The most important thing is that I gave myself permission to rest. I did not beat myself up for not shoehorning a million additional errands and activities into the week. I was okay with not exercising. I was okay with staying in comfy clothes (i.e. sweatpants and my sleep shirt) all day and no makeup. It is what I needed. I listened to my body and now I feel ready to get to back to work and crush all my goals. There was a time where I would not have allowed myself such a vacation, but I recognize the importance of rest and practicing self-care.

Were you able to rest last week? What did you do?

If you had a week with no obligations, what would you do?

Comment below and let me know.

Best,

Dr. MC