I just took a nap.

I was feeling a bit whiny and tired,

So I laid down.

Even as I let my body rest on the couch I was telling Jay how I’d be fine and didn’t really need one. Yet when I allowed my head to rest on that pillow my entire being let go and sunk into the support of the cushions and invitation of a moment.

It’s amazing to me how a short break and a snooze can breathe new life into my day.

I’ll readily admit, there have been times I’ve gotten up for my day, accomplished a few things, and then taken a quick ten-minute refresher before I’ve even hit lunch. And there have also been those times I’ve taken a second nap in the middle of the afternoon just so I can keep going.

Some days, when I’m out and about on errands and appointments, I find myself wishing I could steal those few moments. It’s as though I’ve planned too much for the day and would serve my body and mind better if I had broken my to-do’s up a little and granted the opportunity to rest and recoup.

I don’t take naps every day. I don’t need them.

Often I go through days a full bore accomplishing this or that, being a productive human on this planet we call Earth. I LOVE the feel of moving through my day and as I wind down in the evening seeing what I’ve made progress on. The projects don’t need to be big, some days are filled with what my sister-in-law calls “productive piddling”. It’s the little things I need to get done and yet they somehow all pile up on the side because they’re not as important as this or that. And then one day you just decide to play with putting things in their places and buttoning up the ship and when the day is done you feel miraculously lighter and so good.

I’ve found that a nap on a rough day can really turn things around.

As I slog through a particularly weighty day I may not be clear-headed and think I need to push through. I’ll have a list of things to accomplish, meetings to attend, people to work with and my brain will be focused on getting through this so I can “deal with” the next.

These are the days I most need a nap.

The harder I push the more tired I become and the less able I am to clearly think through the next issue to come. And while I may need a nap, I’ll somehow believe I need to keep pushing because there’s too much to do and just not enough time. I talk myself out of the one item of self-care which would truly lighten my day and the tasks at hand.

While that sugary sweet may give me a boost for the moment, I’ll need another one to keep me going as I attempt to avoid careening face-first into my desk like a toddler in a highchair with mac and cheese past their nap time.

I realize naps are my booster. And while I advocate strongly for people to love them as much as I do, I recognize not everyone wants to or enjoys them.

What DO you enjoy?

What revitalizes you on a rough day?

What piece of self-care can you employ to make things smoother and clearer?

Do you know? Have you already walked this path and experimented to find your booster?

Or are you just now learning to grant yourself permission?

While a bike ride may terrify me, it could be the perfect brain clearer for you.
Maybe it’s a walk around a block to get the blood moving and air into your lungs.
How about a ten-minute meditation or a glass of water and standing in the sun?

I pray we can all clear a little of our own fog and offer a bit of sunshine to help those around us lift the fog too. Maybe if we all lift together the overall energy our world is experiencing can be lightened a bit and more people will see the beautiful sun shining down and saying hello.