Do you ever have one of those days where you wake up, think about your day ahead at work and start to feel like taking a 75 percent pay cut and loss of benefits to work at Borders/The Gap/McDonalds/fill-in-the-blank might very well be a fair trade off? If you don’t, pat yourself on the back.
Today was one of those days for me thanks to the sheer amount of work I knew I would have to get done and the hours which it would require, not to mention the annoyance of dealing with some of the people I had to deal with. Cannot quit job, economy is bad … cannot quit job, economy is bad.
I call days like that decompression days, meaning I have to do some serious decompressing when I eventually do get home from work to preserve my sanity and to be able to function like a normal human being. Some days, that requires languishing on the couch in front of the tube. Other days, it requires Pepperidge Farm Goldfish.
And then there are the really bad days like today … when it requires dancing in the middle of my living room by myself to goofy 70s and 80s pop music and looking like such an idiot while doing it that my dog gets disgusted and leaves the room.
So, for a little social time activity I ask, what’s the silliest or weirdest or saddest thing you do to decompress after a rough day?
I will dance and/or sing aloud to whatever type of music strikes my fancy at the moment. It’s either that or explode/break down.
On a particularily bad day I’ll usually just open a bottle of wine and turn off by zoning out at the tv.
But as I party on Thursday nights (it’s a kickball thing) and need a serious unwind from the week by Friday I typically stay in Friday nights and call them my Detox nights, even though it more often detoxing from life and not from alcohol.
I do the dancing thing too! Usually to something really cheesy, like “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing.” And sometimes I’ll sing along, with the hairbrush microphone.
Tip: For maximum decompression, dance while you’re standing on the furniture (couch, coffee table, etc.). I don’t know what it is about being up off the floor, but it definitely adds something. It’s like your own stage.
I created a podcast, because yesterday, man, I was angry after work, but I refuse to blog about it. Also, I sometimes dance, and sometimes just get myself worked up over everything and have an awesome, cathartic cry.
I am having a million days in a row of that feeling. cannot quit job, economy is bad. I feel sad a lot, and it sucks. So I truly feel bad that you feel this way too.
Goldfish Crackers help me too. Usually I like to run off a bad day but lately I’m too bummed to even do that. I think I will take a hike this weekend.
I usually spend a solid hour narrating my dogs’ consciousnesses (too many esses?).
You disgusted your dog! That’s hilarious.
I also like to dance around like an idiot to decompress, but you already knew that. Trashy celebrity gossip helps too.
Tope Model decompression…seriously ANTM, CNTM, AusNTM, BNTM any will do and i know when they’re all on
Dancing and singing loud is always a good one. And celeb gossip, as Courtney said. Watching a movie I’ve seen so many times I don’t have to think about it.
I do the same thing!!
Plus sing way too loudly and offkey.
I must be really boring, because laying on the couch in front of Friends reruns with a glass of wine sounds like heaven after those days.
Stuffing my face with dark chocolate or Baked Doritos while guzzling wine usually helps me. And dancing. 🙂
trashy reality tv, viewings of 24(jack bauer’s life is usually more stressful than mine), crosswords, and reduced fat cheez-its.
i worked a preschool this summer, and we all did a dance on friday called “the friday dance.” i welcome you to try it. it involves jumping around chanting “it’s friday, it’s friday, it’s friday.” really therapeutic.
Turn on the radio, open up the windows and sunroof (assuming the weather is preferable) and blast some “Motownphilly” while singing/drive-dancing. Or, usually a bottle of wine works.