Let's take a duvet day.

We all need more rest.

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

I think Michael Nobbs introduced me to the concept of a "duvet day," where you literally stay in bed and do as little as possible in order to fully rest. (He's an excellent resource for people with energy limitations who want to live a creative life. I highly recommend his work.) I love a good duvet day! On duvet days, which are often Sundays, I make simple meals. I don't schedule anything, and I don't clean anything (except the dishes). I may or may not watch TV, but I stay in bed most of the day. I rest, truly rest. Sometimes I read all day. I wallow in restorative idleness. It's both blissful and a little bit necessary.

I don't talk about it here very often, but I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, also called ME/CFS. (If you're unfamiliar with the illness, it's a post-viral condition similar to Long Covid.) I was initially diagnosed in the 1990s, so I've dealt with energy limitation my entire adult life. Sometimes I'm exhausted for no reason, and sometimes I have brain fog. I have to constantly balance my energy expenditures against recuperative periods so I don't overexert myself and have a setback. I live in a permanent state of self-evaluation. If I want to participate in X activity, I may have to give up Y and schedule extra rest to prevent a crash.

I'm better than I was a decade ago, but my energy still isn't normal. It's just better than it used to be. Don't get me wrong: I am highly functional for someone with this illness. I mean, I'm able to do live theatre again! You know I'm doing okay. My life looks relatively normal from the outside, and I'm incredibly grateful to be as well as I am. But it took years of experimentation and vigilance to get to this point.

Regular duvet days may partly be why I function as well as I do.

Folks with normal energy can also benefit from this practice. You don't have to do a full day like I do. Taking a few hours to do nothing can be a mini vacation. For those who insist you can't do this, I want you to ask yourself, "Why can't I take a few hours to do nothing? Is my life so fast-paced and overwhelming that a three-hour break will destroy everything?" I understand if child care is a concern or if you're working on a deadline, but most of us can take an afternoon to ourselves now and again. (And if you truly can't, you may want to re-examine some fundamental aspects of your life.)

Not everyone has two full days off a week, particularly those of us who work multiple jobs or jobs with odd schedules. I get that. Even those who work a more traditional Monday through Friday schedule can fill our weekends with obligations or household tasks. But the more pressed for time you are, the more you need a real break. Especially during stressful periods, letting a few household tasks slide so you can genuinely rest makes everything else easier to cope with. Take a full day or an afternoon off -- or if you can't, snatch a few restful, task-free hours here and there.

It can make a huge difference in your quality of life.

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