When my kids were little, we had a family tradition of Abracadabra Days. They were each entitled to one day in the fall semester and one in the spring to wake up and declare that they would take the day off from school. Maybe they needed more sleep. Maybe they wanted to go shopping. Maybe they had just a few chapters left in a book they wanted to finish. Maybe they needed a day to catch up on school work. Maybe they wanted to go skiing. Maybe just because. No questions asked.
In that spirit, I am giving myself permission to declare today an Abracadabra Day from Five on Friday to make room for some combination of activities below and refuel my mental health reserves. Click on the links to read previous Five on Fridays about the mental health benefits of each:
1. Sleep
2. Read
3. Laugh
4. Play
I talk with family members, patients, friends, colleagues, and business leaders (really anyone who will listen) about how important protecting and promoting mental health is to our overall health. Today I am trying to practice what I preach! Hope you will, too.
