Today is Monday, April 4th and I took the day off. Truth be told I NEEDED a day off. My job has been stressful lately. I’ve been worried about job security for the last 10 months, I am navigating a new manager, and management style. With all of this going on I remind myself to pause and separate myself from work. It is important to take PTO to prevent burnout or heal from it. Moral of the story, use your PTO! I thought it would be fun to take you with me through my day as I unwind, reset and give myself some much-needed self-care.
Morning
With the day off, I didn’t set an alarm and woke up naturally around 8/8:30. I’m trying to break myself from the habit of instantly scrolling on Instagram or Facebook first thing in the morning as it’s not the best way to start the day. I fell into the Instagram trap this morning until I saw a post from Verona Sustainability. I left Instagram and started reading the nfo on Verona Sustainability’s site. I spot-read their monthly agenda learning about what they were discussing in meetings. I watched the first video on the page which included environmental consultant Wayne DeFeo, who gave helpful information about what can and can’t be recycled. Spoiler alert, the rumor about removing lids from recycled items is true! If you have 8 minutes or care about recycling I recommend watching it. I watched the second video on the homepage regarding NJ municipalities Team Up On Clean Energy which detailed more about what leaders in our area are doing to leverage our community to help with sustainability. I also read the blog post about green living tips for all. By this time it was time to get moving!
This morning I had a screen calling interview with a company. Before the meeting, I read more about the company on its website, re-read the job description, and pulled up my resume to speak about my experience. Obviously, I know what is on my resume but I find it helpful as a point of reference especially because 9/10 times that’s what they’re looking at as I speak. Overall the interview went well but I need to brush up on the types of tools utilized in the influencer world. Hopefully, it was enough to get me by for the recruiter, I’ve got my fingers crossed for a second round. After the interview, I took my dog Tux out for a walk. Since I wasn’t punching any clocks we walked the neighborhood covering a little over a mile. While walking I listened to a podcast I heard recommended on a panel called Everything Happens with Kate Bowler. The episode was called Why Your Creativity Matters and featured Liz Gilbert, the author of Eat, Pray, Love. This was my first time trying this podcast but I’m a fan!
Afternoon
I didn’t have an exact plan for the day but I knew I wanted to incorporate self-care. Massages are on the expensive side of self-care but I wanted to indulge. A friend recommended a massage place in my town called Pompton Spa. I didn’t book an appointment but I figured it would be ok since it was a Monday. I was lucky but I recommend booking ahead of time in case they are busy. I asked for a 1-hour massage which was a full body. As a Jersey Girl, I’m susceptible to the fast-paced lifestyle of this area and it does a number on my body both physically and mentally. The environment of laying in a dark room and listening to relaxing music is so different from my day-to-day. It forced me to quiet my mind and slow down. I need to do that more often. Only having a handful of massages I sometimes tense up when you’re supposed to go with it or squirm from my ticklish places. It’s all part of the experience and my masseuse was great at reading my responses and making adjustments. Overall I had a great experience and came out feeling mentally and physically refreshed.
That catches me up to where I am now. Sitting in a Starbucks working on my blog. I enjoy coming to coffee shops for a change of environment. I put my headphones in and zone into whatever I’m working on. Plus I love trying new coffee drinks; Iced salted honey latte, matcha green tea, Italian rainbow cookie latte, yum! While I opted for the chain restaurant today there are so many mom-and-pop coffee shops in my area that I love to support.
Evening
My plan for the evening is to do a workout and cook dinner. I might also take a bath and read the book I started for my book club, In Someone Else’s Shoes. All in all I’m happy with how my day shaped out. I feel relaxed and glad I got to spend some time today doing things I enjoy. Leave a comment if you try any of my recommendations or if you like this style blog! Thanks for reading.
jerseygirlinacraftyworld.com 