Not too long ago a dear friend of mine, Heba, shared on social media about needing a selfish day. I asked her about the concept of a selfish day, and she revealed that it was based on the research of Dr. Ben Lynch as a means of self care. Picture this a whole day where you do NOTHING you don't want to do. You can ignore texts and emails, you can say no. You can eat what you want and do what you want. A beautiful, blissful day of pure and utter selfishness.
Ordinarily, I would never subscribe to anything that even carried a slight connotation of selfishness. This, however, sounded both amazing and intriguing, and I wanted to try it!! I wanted to see for myself the emotional and mental benefits that could come out of this 24 hour self-care challenge.
So, I tried it. First, I didn't set the alarm so I could sleep however late I wanted. However, I woke up to pet poop and my daughter requesting assistance in dealing with said pet poop. Believe me, I wanted to say no. After all, it was my selfish day, my first one ever, but of course, I didn't. I cleaned up pet poop, all while looking upward and saying, "Well played, Lord."
I didn't write off the day as a total loss. I selfishly chose where we ate dinner (and yes, we went out, because this selfish girl was not cooking). I did not clean. I ignored the overflowing laundry basket (honestly those two were hard because knowing something needs done or cleaned really stresses me out). I took a nap. I watched Netflix.
How did it go? Honestly, I felt good. I felt relaxed. And the next day, I felt recharged and rejuvenated. No one was mad or annoyed with me. Overall, I would give it a ten. In fact, the experience brought me back to the one time 5 years ago I took a two day "me-cation" to Dallas. I booked a nice hotel and did and ate everything i wanted for two days. At first, it felt weird. Like I was betraying my own obligations, but once I adjusted it was incredible. My batteries were recharged and I honestly felt the effects for months! My plan is another "me-cation" this summer. Nothing big 2 days in another town or city, where it is about me and taking care of me and making me happy. I highly encourage you to try it.
If a "me-cation" is too much initially, take a selfish hour or afternoon. Really commit to it. Do nothing you do not want to do!! I promise you you will feel recharged and ready to tackle the world.
I would love to hear about your experiences! Please try this and share the outcome with me!! And always stay happy my friends!!
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