Adding a Mental Health Day to Your Green Living Plan

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(c) photo copyright Carrie Boyko 2010

Kicking Back for a Mental Health Day

A few days ago, I posted about the miracles of finding old friends through Facebook--without lots of long distance phone calls, hiring private investigators, or hitting the road in your car. Facebook has become a way of life for many of us, and I can count myself as part of that population. I didn't expect that to happen when I wandered onto their site a year or so ago. I thought it would simply be a family thing. That's how it started.


This past weekend, after a very long couple of months, I found myself needing a mental health day. You know what I mean--some down time to veg a bit.


After checking my email that morning, I planned to make a day of it--a lazy day. It was glorious. I started out with a quick note on my Facebook wall, stating that I was taking a Mental Health Day. I figured that would leave my In-box empty and my day free. Boy, was I wrong! Apparently, I hit a note with more than a few of my friends, who must also have needed a similar day off. Here's what transpired:


My Facebook page displayed my entry, which read something like this:

Mental health morning: 1 Starbucks + Snuggle with the pups in bed + Yoga = 1 more relaxed me. What's next? Should I do yardwork or read a good book?

You may be wondering how this could possibly be related to living green. My logic may elude you, but here goes:

• After hubby left for an early morning 'green' event of his own, I invited the dogs into bed for a snuggle. Research shows that petting a dog lowers heart rate, improves mental health and is relaxing. No better way to start my day.
• Starbucks is a short walk from my house. I took the dogs on a nice walk and enjoyed one of their healthier choices.
• The pups watched while I did a bit of Yoga with a DVD, further relaxing me.
• I snuck in a quick clean up job in the garage, to allow me to get my bike out for another fun outing later. 
• After a few minutes of poking around in my garden, frozen and wilted from our record-breaking coldest winter ever, I decided to take the advice of all my Facebook friends, so...
• I started reading THE OMNIVORE'S DILEMNA, by Michael Pollan.

During a break, I noticed that my Facebook page was still open. When I leaned over the laptop to sign out, I couldn't help but notice the barrage of comments on my mental health day posting. Most everyone had commented with their own version of "choose the book, not the yardwork." One friend even suggested a book I had already read. That felt good. 

My mental health day is now wrapping up and I'm feeling pretty relaxed. In between reading sessions, I enjoyed lunch out with hubby and a short, afternoon cat nap. Oh, sorry pups; I meant a doggie doze. 

Sometimes trying to live greener takes effort, but not today. Today, relaxation made the day go effortlessly smooth. Try it sometime. I can't loan you my dog, but here's a yoga DVD for you to start with:

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