Have you ever had one of those days? Not necessarily a bad day, just one in which you don’t feel like yourself? Earlier this week, I was in that place – the day started off great, but quickly, inexplicably, it went off track – I could blame Daylight Savings Time catching up with me, or the rainy weather – but the truth is some days are just like that. I came home from work and crashed – not only physically, but emotionally too. I ate a dinner of leftovers, not the healthier option available, but good old carbs and comfort food, and I barely moved at all – no evening exercise, no anything. I sat.
There was so much to do and I did nothing. I thought of my habit tracker, my accountability tool for healthy choices, which I am doing pretty well with most days, but that day I felt defeated – “Why did I want to track my habits anyway? What does it matter? “Who do I think I am?” Doubt flooded in.
I decided to embrace a low key night, my only one this week due to after school activities. While my energy level didn’t improve and my mood only slightly so, I chose to cuddle with my kids. We watched a show on television together (no phones in sight) and talked about the day. Then I read them one of our favorite childhood stories and we all went to bed early, letting the sound of the rain lull us to sleep.
While I didn’t get much accomplished, that time filled me in a way that I desperately needed. I am grateful for the awareness that some days are just “off,” but that’s okay – I paid attention and I embraced the downtime – I didn’t scroll mindlessly on my social media feed. I awoke the next morning with a fresh sense of hope, a renewed spirit. Somehow, my inner self knew I was craving a night to just be, to allow myself to regroup.
Life is a balance; accountability is a must, but so is listening to your body, mind and spirit. The irony is that I felt much more productive after that day. I absolutely want to live my best life and take care of myself – this requires me to eat healthy and be active. They key is this – if you get off track, like I did, and you are feeling defeated – let it in, experience it, embrace it. And then, wake up the next morning and let it go, let it flow through you, don’t stay stuck in it, move forward.
Life can be hard. But I believe that waking up to a new day before me is a gift and I will treat it as such. I have goals to work towards, a family to care for, a life worth living to its fullest.
Just in case you needed the reminder, here it is – it’s okay to have one of those days – embrace it and then, with your head held high and no regrets, move forward.
