A Day for the Soul

Dear friends,

today I’m treating myself to a day all to myself—a day with no major obligations, a day to indulge in all sorts of nice things… a day for the soul, basically. Since it’s raining (a blessing for nature), I’m spending it in the living room. Let me tell you what that looks like for me.

Of course, that includes doing my favorite activity—knitting. Beautiful music, a candle, a slice of cake, and a hot cocoa to go with it. Hmmm… pure bliss.

Normally I’d have quite a bit to do, but I’ve simply treated myself to this day, and it feels absolutely wonderful. It’s recharging my batteries so I can hit the ground running again tomorrow.



Of course, I didn’t create this thread just for myself—I want to inspire you to do the same.

What would be part of a “day for the soul” for you? How would you spend it? Tell us about it… You’ll be making yourself—and all of us here—happy, and bringing a little light into what might otherwise be a gloomy day.

Monika, you’re doing exactly the right thing, and your cake looks absolutely delicious.
We could use days like this more often.

For me, it would look pretty similar. In any case, something sweet is a must—whether it’s a piece of chocolate or cake, maybe a cappuccino, and definitely some music. Maybe even a little neck or foot massage to relieve the stress of the workday. That would do me—and my soul—a world of good.

Since we still have a bathtub, I’d also take a relaxing bath.

Dear Andrea,

That sounds really relaxing and wonderful for you, too. My partner treated himself to a bath today as well. I took the time to knit today and actually managed to let all my chores slide. I only had to reheat some food because there was still enough left over from yesterday.

I’m now looking forward to more ideas from you all about what a day for the soul might look like for you. Maybe there’s something in there for me, too—something I haven’t even thought of yet.

Warm regards from Monika

That all sounds really, really good. I’d do the same. I also find a warm foot bath very relaxing. And a nice scent—either in a diffuser or rubbed in with a great lotion. Painting my nails relaxes me, too. Knitting or crocheting while listening to an audiobook. And using the Shiatsu massage pillow from my neck down to my feet—that’s also very relaxing. And yessss, cake and hot cocoa—count me in. ♡
Sometimes I look at old photos, too. 

Yes, you have to have a day like that every now and then—there’s just no other way!
Now that it’s summer, I’ve occasionally spiced it up with a walk, punctuated by an ice cream sundae.

That sounds really nice....
I envy you for being able to treat yourselves to a day like that and “admire” your “calm”....
I myself am way too “restless”—I couldn’t do that at all.... Whether it’s a whole day or just a few hours… I end up feeling so guilty because I’m not doing “anything.” And then I can’t relax, so I end up doing some housework anyway.
Maybe if you share more here, I’ll be able to make it work for me—without feeling guilty....

I don’t have “days for the soul” — I have “moments for the soul.”
Whenever I get to watch nature outside.

Moments for the soul.... that sounds really nice....
I’m going to “steal” that idea to start with.
I had a moment like that today while walking my dog in the woods. Just the “natural” sounds, a little wind in the trees, a few birds....

That felt really good...
Thanks, Marlen, for bringing that to my attention.

Wow, your ideas are amazing! Yes, I’ll definitely include a foot bath next time. A nice scent and—oh yes—looking at photos, too—I’ll keep that in mind.

Thanks for your inspiration. I’d love to hear more of it. :))

Steffi, that guilty conscience has always haunted me, too. Today I sent it on vacation and told myself that, after all, I’m the one who decides how to live my life. Since I didn’t take any vacation this year, I’m going to split it up into “feel-good days.” I’ve never managed to do that at home before… but it’s really just a decision. Give those “soul moments” a try… that’s truly a great start. Consciously enjoy them, and treat yourself to a little more of them every day.

 Since my husband and I get to enjoy retirement—and we tell ourselves, “Sure, we’re retired, BUT we have time and really only do what suits us”—we actually don’t need this kind of “soul time” at all. We rarely get up before 9 a.m.; then we let the day start veeeery slowly and see what we end up doing :-)
We had enough stress and rushing around during our working lives—now we’re indulging in idleness :-)

Love, Inge

Your “moments for the soul” and days sound sooo great—just reading about them is relaxing!
For me, a day like that would start with sleeping in, since we have to get up at 4:45 a.m. six days a week. Then I’d have a hearty breakfast (we’re on WW right now, so we don’t get to have those really delicious things) and take a nice hot shower. Next up would be crocheting, and I’d also love to read a book again….
But unfortunately, reality looks a little different.

Exactly—sleeping in when you have the day off. I can finally catch up on that now.
Because for the past few days, I’ve been struggling with a cold that I need to let run its course first.
Have breakfast in peace, and see how I feel before doing some crocheting.
Or I’ll just sit out on the balcony in the sun.

Then relax thoroughly

Sleeping in is also wonderful for me. Getting up at 4:45 a.m. like Nadeleule would be nothing for me. We get up at 6:00 a.m. every day—unfortunately, on Sundays too. For me, pure relaxation is going on a mountain hike with my friend. On Sundays, I often go on a trike tour with my sweetheart. For us, those are like vacation days and a way to recharge for everyday life. Unfortunately, it only works until September now, because later it gets too cold for riding.
Then I enjoy doing needlework at home again. I also often have a little candle burning in my craft room.
I think it’s great how you take a break; time for yourself is very important.
I really can’t imagine living without needlework as a hobby.
I’ve been hooked on needlework since I was four years old.

I like to take it easy on the patio. Lying on the lounge chair, the radio playing some nice music, and I have a book I want to read in one sitting.
Add to that pasta for lunch, ice cream with whipped cream in the afternoon, a nap on the lounge chair… and just like that, the day is over.
In the evening, I let my knitting needles clatter away in a relaxed way… and just like that, the day is perfect.

Sleeping in was our biggest wish, too. When we stopped working, we held a festive ceremony with champagne and candlelight to toss our alarm clock into the trash can!
We’re retirees now and take it easy, but there’s always—or almost always—some kind of hassle, and the days without it are the truly special ones for the soul.
And if things were really bad beforehand, on days like that we even ignore the phone—let the world come to an end without us.

Oh, it’s so nice to read through your replies. It all feels really great to me. We’re retired now, too, but we still work freelance on an hourly basis. The best part is that we can set our own schedule. Sleeping in—that’s what we enjoy most.

I’m familiar with getting up early, even at 4 a.m. When I was young, I delivered newspapers in the mornings for a few years. They all had to be delivered by 6 a.m. Then I was home when my son woke up—and our daycare child arrived. I’d nap along with the two little ones when they took their naps.

Later, at my husband’s massage practice, we also had to get up early and were on our feet until evening. That’s why we enjoy it all the more today that those days are over.

Even as retirees, there’s always something to do—the garden, housework, bookkeeping, tidying up, cooking, and so on. On my day for the soul, I only do what makes me feel good. That might very well include some gardening… but only when I feel like it, not because I have to. That’s a big difference.

Thank you so much for your fantastic ideas and contributions here. And of course, I’m looking forward to many more of you who have the courage to write here. It just feels good to pop in here every now and then and get ideas for a day like this—a day for the soul.

Warm regards from Monika

Being able to sleep… well, that’s a challenge these days with all the menopause symptoms. I can’t take an afternoon nap—unfortunately, I don’t have that gift.