My husband treated me to being “queen for a day” this past Sunday. It was our therapist’s suggestion, but Bryan loved the idea and ran with it. So on Sunday, I did whatever I wanted all. day. long. Correction: I did whatever I wanted while complying with my COVID-19 quarantine. Yes, I’m still under quarantine due to Bryan recently having COVID, so I couldn’t truly do whatever I wanted, but I was grateful for a day free from responsibilities. I knew exactly what “queen for a day” meant when our therapist recommended it. Back in 2018, I concocted a plan to make my mom “queen for a day” to celebrate her 70th birthday. My whole family was vacationing together in Cape May at the time, and we spent the day waiting on my mom while she planned our day and did whatever she wanted.

COVID Quarantine + Bipolar = Queen for a Day

Bryan bestowed on me this “queen for a day” honor because it was exactly what I needed. Taking care of my husband and daughter during his COVID isolation was incredibly taxing, physically and mentally. It would be for anyone, but having bipolar made the extra stress a little more overwhelming, I would think. It’s still going on to some extent since my daughter and I are stuck in quarantine until next weekend. Trust me, no one is meant to work from home full-time and take part in Zoom meetings while a 4-year-old runs around the house unsupervised.

My Child Brings Unimaginable Joy to my Life; However, Taking Care of her 24/7 Is Exhausting AF

Taking care of my daughter 24/7 for 10 days without my husband able to share the load was next to impossible. I simply needed a mental health day, as my mom calls them.

How I Spent my Day

Bryan moved a TV from downstairs into our bedroom the day before my “day,” since I knew I’d hide in there most of Sunday. How did I spend my day? I did whatever I wanted at any given moment. I ate a donut for breakfast. I watched a lot of post-election coverage on CNN, something I never allow myself to do. I also watched Southern Charm and nearly all of The Queen’s Gambit. I ordered lunch from Taco Bell via DoorDash and ended up having enough food leftover for dinner. I didn’t put on pants or a bra all day until I went for a long walk in my beautiful neighborhood. I even jogged a little because I felt like it. I didn’t have any responsibilities when it came to my family or our household. My only responsibility was for myself and what I wanted to do in each moment. It was exactly what I needed.

We All Deserve Mental Health Days

We as parents and spouses deserve these days with no responsibilities. So often, the majority of the workload and mental load is skewed toward moms, but dads need this time off as well. We need to become comfortable telling our spouses when we need a mental health day. I have given Bryan a day off here and there when he needed it. I would imagine that single parents need that time away more than anyone, so if you can enlist a family member, a friend, or even paid help to make it happen, by all means. We all deserve these mental health days, and if you have a mental health issue like bipolar, depression, anxiety, or anything at all, they are vital, in my opinion.

Do you and your spouse ever give each other a day (or more) off from any responsibilities? Tell me how you make it work in the Comments!