I needed to reset my life, and here's how I did it.

I've been thinking of new ideas for committing to my at-home career, and after staying up most nights, drinking one monster drink after another, and feeling extremely bloated, I decided to give myself a few days off.

These last few days have truly been a lot more calming. I engage in sexual consciousness, journaled, organized my space, and enjoyed my favorite foods before going back into my work routine. If you came across this, and you're feeling a bit overworked, I hope the tips I share, and my personal experience inspires you to take a few days off, to rest, to clean, and to plan for what's to come.

Listening to my body

We all have moments where our body or mind is telling us something. While planning ideas on what to write next, or focusing my ideas on what to write for my podcast, I heard a calm but firm sentence that repeated constantly throughout the day.

"Take a day off," it said repeatedly. I am steadily making progress on Vocal, but not enough progress so it's a full-time hustle that pays well monthly, so of course, my first instinct was to ignore it, because I still need to accomplish this goal. Then I remember: one of the reasons why I wanted to work from home in the first place was because I wanted to have a flexible schedule and be my own boss. How could I enjoy it and give myself a break, when I'm working myself the same way my managers used to when I used to work at restaurants or grocery stores. I let go of the guilt that I wasn't making as much as I wanted and instead took a nice, hot shower, put on my PJs, and watched "Girl From Nowhere" on Netflix.

What is your body telling you to do today? If it wants a break, try taking a few days off from work, to just be. You deserve to be on the couch.

Time to Tidy your Space

Now, this is something I find joy in doing. I love to clean! It honestly sparks joy cleaning my space because after it's done, it looks nice and I can finally relax my mind. It's always a must for me to have my room clean and organized. That way, I can think.

I remember reading in an article from O magazine that when your space is clean, so is your mind. I always made it a priority to have the room cleaned first but realizing that reset days exist, I decided to make that the first thing on my reset routine. I also like to do laundry and change the covers of my bed to give a more refreshed look to my room. If you ever feel bored while cleaning, I recommend putting on a podcast or a playlist designed for cleaning your room! I like listening to Lo-Fi or The Beatles while cleaning my room and doing laundry. A podcast I also like to listen to is "Therapy for Black Girls." Click here to check out the website for the podcast!

Now I would be lying to you if I said it took me a few hours to clean my room. Try a few days! I had to completely declutter my closet, and throw away a lot of used liner papers, magazines and even took time to go deep into my laundry basket and organize my clothes to wash.

Eat Your Favorite Food & Meal Prepping

Now I've been plant-based for a good few weeks. I researched and started to include dairy and meat substitutes, and even eat more fruits and veggies. But I was craving pizza! The pizza sounded amazing and one of my good friends ordered it for me. It tasted so good! Bite after bite, slice after slice, I grew more and more hungry. It has been a good minute since I had a cheat day! I used to look at cheat days as something so I could lose weight, but I now look at it as a day where I have no restrictions. I don't restrict my cravings on days that I am focusing on eating healthier because that's a toxic diet culture habit. I just eat it. Of course, there is a discipline in the enjoyment of snacking on something that I enjoy, like instead of eating a whole box of cookies, I eat only 4 with a warm milk tea, that way I can have some more later. I decided that on my reset days, I can be more laid-back with my food decisions and instead eat what I enjoy.

I also like the schedule of different days on what I eat for breakfast and lunch during the week. Instead of standing in front of my pantry, wondering what I should eat next, I can look at my schedule of 3 different breakfast options for that day. For example, for Monday, I have blueberry oatmeal, with almond milk, raisins, and peanut butter, toast with jam and an iced coffee, or some scrambled eggs with toast. I can pick one of the three options, and get started on making it! It also is more exciting to do this, it feels like a game.

Calling a friend or Family Member

It's always good to check up on your friends and ask how they're doing. The same goes for family. Especially during the time of the pandemic, we need to keep our relationships close with our friends. Can't go out on a girl's date, instead plan a virtual date online and treating them to lunch! Plan a group date with friends online while playing among us! With the internet, you can do a plethora of things with friends online. Connecting with family members and letting them know how you're doing, is fantastic!

I took time to connect with some of my friends from high school to ask how they're doing! I'm happy to get in touch with them and see how they're doing with work and the people that they are romantically involved with.

It takes just that one phone call or text to let people know that they are appreciated. On your reset day, connect with a friend or a family member and let them know you love and miss them. Ask how they're doing.

It's Time to Move Our Bodies!

I try my best to work out every single morning before the sun comes up. I wake up very early to try to fit all the important things into my early morning routine. But over the course of the last few weeks, I've been struggling to get up early to exercise.

While I was taking a break, I focused on my body and allowed myself to sweat. An article from Heathline.com, says the benefits of working out can make you feel happier, can increase your energy levels, and can help with your sleep quality. This is great, especially if you're feeling a bit burned out from your work schedule. Try to add 15-30 of working out during your break from work, and I promise you'll feel better.

Have sex ( yes, even if you're single)

If you're single like me, you're probably thinking of skipping this step, but trust me, it's for the singles too! You can have sex with yourself. Masturbation and release is a very healthy response to the brain and has a lot of health benefits according to BetterHealth.Gov. I took time and made a sexual space for myself after a shower, then gave love to myself. The escalation of my orgasms was honestly liberating!

Dipsea is a great app to listen to erotic stories. You can choose options of listening to lesbian, polyamorous, or straight relationships. You can even pick the intensity of the audio as well! I used it for a few days and was so turned on by the sexual energies between the partners. Highly recommend.

For people who are in sexual relationships or are in a relationship in general, try experimenting. Add some candles, sounds, or even try new positions with your partner on your day off. It's rewarding to physically and sexually connect with someone on your rest day, and will leave you feeling rejuvenated.

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Thank you so much for reading this story! Please show your love by liking and sharing this with a friend who needs a break!

My podcast is coming out this August! Please follow me on @selflovenchill.

Also, follow me @lafrankiesha! Again Thank you for reading my content! To read my story on how to love yourself single, click here.