I’ve recently given myself permission to have mental health Tuesdays. Since the weather has become cooler, I have a morning fire and coffee outside. Catch up with friends through video calls. Play with my kids after 3 when they’re both home. I work enough to stay above water but put most things off until later in the week even if it means longer days or some time on the weekend.
I give myself permission to not cold-call voters today. A friend who (like many of us) is deeply disturbed by RBG's death has been sending hounding emails peer-pressuring people to do it. I signed up to attend a training session last night, which quickly confirmed that this is not the way for me to be most effective. Instead, I'm volunteering with the Biden campaign, working the polls on Election Day, and getting trained to text voters this weekend, rather than cold calling. I am fighting a fever, very sleep-deprived, and do not have the energy to fake political persuasion of strangers right now.
This reminds me of the advice you hear at the start of an airplane ride: "please put your mask on before helping others." It can feel conflicting to chose to step away from the tragic news for the sake of protecting your mental health, but sometimes that is precisely what is needed. On that note, I've given myself permission to create physical space for myself by spending some time away from New York City and in rural Vermont, where I can take long walks and see trees and breathe. While I felt guilty at first for "abandoning" the city for a period of time, in the end, it is what I needed to keep my mental health in check, and I'm so glad I listened to myself!
I’m giving myself permission to stray from routine, to work when my mind and body are ready to work and to take it easy when they’re not so in sync.
I’ve recently given myself permission to have mental health Tuesdays. Since the weather has become cooler, I have a morning fire and coffee outside. Catch up with friends through video calls. Play with my kids after 3 when they’re both home. I work enough to stay above water but put most things off until later in the week even if it means longer days or some time on the weekend.
I give myself permission to not cold-call voters today. A friend who (like many of us) is deeply disturbed by RBG's death has been sending hounding emails peer-pressuring people to do it. I signed up to attend a training session last night, which quickly confirmed that this is not the way for me to be most effective. Instead, I'm volunteering with the Biden campaign, working the polls on Election Day, and getting trained to text voters this weekend, rather than cold calling. I am fighting a fever, very sleep-deprived, and do not have the energy to fake political persuasion of strangers right now.
I give myself permission to have slow mornings.
This reminds me of the advice you hear at the start of an airplane ride: "please put your mask on before helping others." It can feel conflicting to chose to step away from the tragic news for the sake of protecting your mental health, but sometimes that is precisely what is needed. On that note, I've given myself permission to create physical space for myself by spending some time away from New York City and in rural Vermont, where I can take long walks and see trees and breathe. While I felt guilty at first for "abandoning" the city for a period of time, in the end, it is what I needed to keep my mental health in check, and I'm so glad I listened to myself!