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Oh me too me too!! I didn’t arrive at it the same way, but in a lesson of self-sustainability, I was able to make this past Sunday an X-day (see http://www.willduncan.org/x-day.htmlhttp://www.willduncan.org/x-day.html) where I had zero commitments AND the apartment to myself. I made a loose schedule of what I wanted the day to look like, told my closest people I would be completely unavailable that day (and they were all okay!), then shut off all screens and devices for the entire day. I watched the sun rise – it was dark when I woke up so I watched the whole sky change light, I wrote, read from actual books (thanks, Kigo), went to Bi-Rite Market where I allowed myself to be in awe of produce, did five loads of laundry as if that was my silent monastery task, etc. I made a cup of tea a half hour thing to do. It wasn’t all bliss – it got a bit scratchy, but in a good way. It made me look at some things I’ve been avoiding.
I’m starting to appreciate the nuance between a self-soothe and a self-care. They can look deceptively similar but one numbs me out while the other allows me to tune out the world for a moment while also replenishing me.
I can’t believe what a difference that one day made. And how even though I was grocery shopping and doing laundry, they didn’t feel like chores but something enjoyable (like weeding a garden?). Going forward, I am blocking out “X” times in my calendar on a weekly basis, even if I can only afford an hour or two. And if my girlfriend is home, I’m putting in earplugs for both our sakes.