Taking a
Mental Health Day by Debra H. Goldstein
I’m tired. I’ve
spent the last few months writing blogs, giving interviews, doing podcasts, and
talking to anyone who will listen about my new Kensington cozy, One Taste Too Many. The book launched
and I’ve been thrilled and grateful for the response people have had to One Taste Too Many, but I’m tired.
Everyone
tells me it’s a good tired, but my body and brain don’t quite agree. Well, my
brain partially does, but even it’s telling me it is time for one of my
personal insanity or mental health days.
For me an
insanity or mental health day is very simple – I may or may not get out of bed;
I may or may not get dressed; I usually write checks and pay bills because I
find that to be mindless and relaxing; the TV will be turned on and off as the
day progresses, but only by using a remote control; I’ll catch up on the
magazines piled on my dresser or immerse myself in a book I’ve been meaning to
That means, I
won’t write. I won’t think about what project I might want to take on next. I
won’t worry about the fact I still can’t work Photoshop Elements well enough to
update my website. I won’t fret about numbers, due dates, Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram, or anything on my to-do list as President of the Guppy Chapter of
Sisters in Crime or the Southeast Chapter of Mystery Writers of America.
An insanity
or mental health day belongs to me. Throughout my life, I’ve learned to be
selfish about my “insanity day,” because if I fail to adhere to its rules, my batteries
won’t recharge, and I’ll continue running like a rat in a maze without ever
reaching the cheese. When I take one of these days, I wonder why I didn’t do it
sooner or why I don’t do it more often – but, I know my answer to that: too
much to do and too little time to do it.
What about
you? Do you ever take an insanity or mental health day? Do you wait too long?
What do you do to recharge yourself?