Know Your Place at Home

An Entry by E.

Your space at home matters. Furniture placement and decor matter. Knowing what relaxes and rejuvenates you and using this information when setting up your space is one way to truly feel relaxed at home. When A. and I realized we wanted our bedroom to feel like an inn, we began to understand what we needed to relax. We took a minimalist approach- just a bed, two night stands, and two plants. There were several items on the walls, but all kept with the theme of a naturally romantic setting. There was only one window and the room was small. I did not see this as a drawback, rather a cozy space for fall and winter. We managed to keep our clothing and shoes in a closet outside of the bedroom. The room had a purpose and we loved the room.

Recently we began thinking about installing our window air conditioner and both wished we had two windows so we could enjoy fresh air on nights when the AC is unnecessary. And so began a remix of our furniture and bedroom. We decided to move into the guest room, which is bigger and houses two windows. The paint on the walls is a vibrant mango color, and the room is south facing, which brings a great deal more sun. We moved our bed and two night stands from our old room, added a desk from the craft room, and kept the chest that was in the guest room. We moved the two plants from our bedroom and kept the one plant that was in the guest room. The only expense we incurred was new curtains, and they make all the difference!

While we moved into this room to meet the need of having both AC and fresh air, I was clear in what I wanted from the room and worked with what we had to create it. I wanted a cottage feel for the summer. Turns out we created more of a Caribbean villa feel, but I love that too. I love our new room and am excited to spend time in it. The change was easy, really. We poked around our home to find items that would support the feel we were going for and this permitted us to purchase curtains (less than $40 total). It was a cheap make-over, yet we created a space to welcome spring and summer. Surely we’ll mix it up again in the fall, but for now, we’re transitioning into that lovely warm time of year!

Well Days

An entry by A.

Today started out normal. I went to work, mildly irritated that my time of the month had just started. It’s been a slow week at work – I’m in-between some projects and my office mate, with whom I do much conversing during the work day, is out. Yesterday I was the only one in the office after 3:30. In short, it’s been sort of a “non week.”

I was doing my best to focus on work (ok, maybe it was actually schoolwork, but whatever), when waves of hotness and pain hit me like a ton of bricks. I had become lazy and forgotten that my body requires a steady stream of ibuprofen to prepare for these lovely days each month. Oops. I slouched there, fanning myself, waiting for the drugs to kick in. My body was too stubborn. A co-worker came by and suggested I go home.

I went home. Straight to bed. My cat joined me. I drifted in and out of sleep for a while, enjoying being in my bed in the middle of the day, which I think is the quietest time to be there when you live on a college campus. It was bliss (once the pain subsided).

I had a lovely afternoon – got some schoolwork done and talked to a dear friend who lives in the UK – it is nearly impossible to catch her during the week because of the time difference. It felt like a weekend day to myself.

I think it is important to use “sick days” as “well days” as much as possible. This is something even I struggle with ethically, but I do it. I recently called in sick but felt completely fine – just needed a mental health day. I think we all do. If you are lucky enough to have work that affords you sick time, take it. I think the trick is finding opportunity and snatching it. Taking a “well day” during a not-so-stressful week is probably the best way to go to minimize the guilt factor. Some justify it as “taking time that is owed to you” if you have a certain amount of “sick days,” but I don’t quite agree. I see sick days as there more of a back-up plan than a sure-thing. Yet, I still think once in a while a crazy “24-hour bug” could hit you on a Monday and it wouldn’t hurt anyone. And you get a 3-day weekend.

“Well days” are great. They are unplanned, unexpected, and indulgent. Convince yourself you deserve them. You do.

An Entry by E.

As a child, my mother always gave my brother and I one “mental health day” per school year. This was a day we’d use to skip school. No questions asked. Didn’t have to be sick, no one had to die, we just woke up and said, today’s my mental health day. I’m staying home today. My mother is a very very wise woman. And, even though all her extra energy and need to constantly clean, makes me nervous, I think it was her appreciation of taking time for ourselves that has instilled an ethic of self care and indulgence in me. For that I am forever thankful.

And it is perhaps because my mother was the first to introduce me to “mental health days” aka call in sick if you are depressed, tired, stressed, not pregnant (oh wait I have a whole other blog to address that…), that I am far more liberal on my use of sick days. I am not saying that I call out all the time. Far from it, and when I am sick, A. has to convince me not to go in, and I usually do go in for at least a half day. I am sure this has to do with what A. wrote about taking well days during a slow week. It is easier to plan to be out because you finished all your work the day before, or when your deadlines linger in the outfield, than it is to wake, ill, and abruptly call in. I find the time I most need a well day is when I am just starting to fight something, and my body wants to melt into my bed, snuggled by two cats. The other days, the days I am really sick, those are not fun. There is nothing relaxing about true illness, so I do savor those sick days that also serve to renew my body and soul.

I give everyone permission to take at least one well day in the next year. Go ahead and do it, your workplace will go on!

A Joint Venture

An Entry Authored by E & A:

Self proclaimed relaxation queens, we decided we needed to start documenting how to travel right, regularly work relaxation into your every day, and in general how to have a good time. After countless friends commenting that we really make the most of our personal time, we realized we have a talent for enjoying all our moments outside of our scheduled lives. Some may call us lazy, but we think it’s fine to sit around as needed, and indulge from time to time. We also quickly realized that scheduling too many activities while visiting a new place only leaves us grumpy and tired.

So, we created this blog to share our wisdom of relaxing travel and indulging in the everyday. We hope to share stories from our trips, near and far, as well as prioritizing relaxation. This blog will also provide a forum for questions about places we’ve visited and ways to make the ordinary extraordinary. We lived in Vacation Land, aka Maine (and A grew up there), and have some Maine travel tips. E grew up on Cape Cod (lower cape) and still spends every summer there. Currently we reside in Western Massachusetts, where we enjoy lots of great restaurants, live music, and nature walks. Aruba is our favorite Caribbean beach destination (and we have some opinions about which beach to stay on).

Our future posts will likely outline our excursions, but we always welcome questions via the comment section or through email at: relaxyourlife (at) gmail (dot) com