Monday, March 24, 2008

Treating Yourself Like a Human Being

Somewhere in the hustle and bustle of making Pesach we women lose track of an important idea; we are human beings. The human body is not made to be working at full strength 24/7. Trying to push ourselves beyond physical endurance results in some very cranky, very tired women.

Remember those to do lists I talked about? It's important to schedule some down time for yourself on those lists. Yes, schedule, because otherwise you'll forget to take it. One friend who normally takes showers only schedules herself a bath for every day, not for cleansing purposes but for relaxing purposes. She buys herself a fragrant bath oil and gives herself a treat. Another friend gets a book she has been dying to read and schedules reading time every day. Another goes out a few times a week and indulges in one of those sinfully rich and delicious flavored cappuccinos and drinks it in the store, at a table she doesn't have to clean. I have my own "secret" vice for the weeks of Pesach. Some of the manicure salons in the area also offer chair massages at $1.00 per minute. Given what Pesach costs me in time, energy and money I gladly add this in to my expenses. A ten minute massage irons out the kinks that Pesach making puts there and leaves me feeling as if I can accomplish anything.

Another friend has a wonderful gift she gives herself. She knows she is going to be up late at night no matter how organized she is. She schedules herself for a half hour nap every day, even if she has to take it from 6:00 to 6:30 at night when her husband is home. That little amount of sleep gives her the extra energy she needs to keep going.

What ever you choose to do, treat yourself as if you were actually a human being. Your body will thank you. So will your mind. And so will your family.

11 comments:

SaraK said...

I agree. If you don't take care of yourself first, you can't take care of anyone else. Those chair massages are great and so worth the small expense!

Anonymous said...

Good post, but hey, I think men should also treat themselves like human beings, and the point is valid year-round, not only during the Pesach season.

More and better sleep, whether in form of naps, power naps, or just longer hours from night into morning, are at the top of my list here.

Idea for future post - sleep deprivation in the Orthodox world of today (esp. in large urban centers and compared with previous generations), its manifold effects, the roles of coffee and daf yomi, and what can be done about it.

ProfK said...

D,
You are of course right that men are human beings as well and the idea of the posting should be valid the whole year around. However, making Pesach still falls mostly squarely on the shoulders of women, and because of the time constraints and the amount of work to be squeezed into that time, we often arrive at yom tov looking and feeling like shmates. A little TLC during the Pesach making process goes a long way.

I doubt that there is a woman out there who has not either seen it happen or have it happen to them that they arrive at the first seder and find themselves falling asleep somewhere around karpas or not remembering the next day whether they actually made it to the seder or not.

Will take the suggestions for future posts under consideration, but first I have wallpaper to wash.

Anonymous said...

You forgot to add in sitting down with a cup of coffee and catching up on some blog reading.

Orthonomics said...

I've got to say, I can handle the cleaning, but I think I need a personal secretary. The little bit of paid work I do just seems to be out of control right now.

Anonymous said...

I'd seen the local nail place advertise that they do chair massages but never figured they would be worth much. I read your post earlier today and spur of the moment decided that I'd try one. On boy were you right! This is definetely going to be my treat for making pesach. Even better then chocolate.

Bas~Melech said...

If I started working with no breaks right now, I could go on for at least two weeks without sleeping and still not have gotten ahead. And I'm NOT making Pesach! I've basically decided that since I'm never going to make it anyway, I may as well take time for chilling along the way. Which is why I'm here. But it's still a depressing state to be in. :-(

Only 3 months left until the end of the endless semester...






THREE MONTHS?!?!?! nooooo....
L-rd, give me strength, sedate my students, and send my demon-professor on a very long vacation!
(and can we call off May this year?)

Anonymous said...

Better than chocolate?!!!! This I have to try. Do you suppose it would be ok if I had both?

Anonymous said...

I don't have regular cleaning help but my way of treating myself like a human being is to hire some for help with preparing for Pesach. Makes a big difference in how stressed I feel.

Anonymous said...

That last week or so before Pesach is totally crazy for me. Lots of company from the family and I have little kids. I treat myself to sending the laundry out to be done at the laundromat. They wash, dry and fold. They have the bigger washers so they can wash all the comforters and blankets in less time then it takes me. And I don't stay up half the night doing it. I discovered this a few years ago when the washer broke that week before Pesach. Best thing that could have happened to me.

Anonymous said...

Bas Melech, I'll call off May for you if we can also include April. Maybe we should just add in June for good measure. I remember vaguely learning that the old calendar was only 9 or 10 months anyway.