Balancing between work, school, the kids and everything else that accompanies those responsibilities- it can be really hard to find time to just RELAX! With my planner, I try to block time out for myself like scheduling time for meditation and breathing exercises. In today’s world of there is an app for everything, I have a habit tracker on my phone, a meditation sequence on my watch, and supposedly time blocked on my planner…..

Some days go better than others, and I take that time for myself wherever I can. But then there are days when even glancing at my planner feels overwhelming- where I just want to sit and do absolutely nothing – to be a rotting vegetable.

There are so many demands placed on us externally – kids, work, teachers, friends, relatives and even society. We try to achieve it all by organizing, planning and putting internal demands on ourselves. And there are days where it’s just TOO much! To many checklists, to many papers to sign, to many emails to read and respond, and to many missed phone calls. These are the days where I just want to throw my hands in the air, collapse on the couch and say “SCREW IT!”

And you know what… that is absolutely, completely, perfectly, 100% acceptable! DO IT!!! Take time to watch that movie you never got around to watching. Order food for delivery three days in a row. Eat leftovers – shoot eat cereal for dinner every night one week. Binge watch that TV show you have been wanting to watch. Sit down in pajamas, unkept hair, and a blanket, and just sit there. Refuse to shower for a day…. Or two. Go outside, and just breathe in the fresh air …. Or don’t. Play games on your phone until your battery dies, ignoring everything else. Whatever you need to get back to YOUR happy place.

Because at the end of the day – that is what matters. You being happy! Being calm, smiling and setting a positive tone impacts the people around you – and spreads! The opposite is also true – think of that scene in Despicable Me 2, where Gru is so happy because of his love interest – he goes around spreading joy to everyone. Only to find out they will not be working together, and goes back to everyone being, well, despicable again.

Remember this the next time you feel like you have snapped at someone more than once, or just feel exhausted and angry for no real explainable reason. That means you need to take time for yourself – to include taking time off from your own high expectations.

How will you take time off to relax, and get back to your happy place?