A Napper’s Manifesto
Why I’m giving myself the permission to nap.
I love taking naps, but I’ve always been ashamed to admit it. Before I struggled daily with grief, I napped only occasionally and mostly on weekends.
In the five years since my daughter died, I’ve taken a nap almost every day. I work from home and I’m grateful for this luxury. But I’m also embarrassed about my daily napping habit. It feels self-indulgent and lazy to give in to this temptation.
I think I’ve been looking at it the wrong way though. My naps help me in many ways and it’s time I stopped hiding them.
There are good reasons I take naps. They don’t interfere with my work, they help me function, and they rarely last more than an hour.
I’ve decided that napping is a habit I need to embrace, even celebrate, because it keeps me functioning. It has become a healthy way for me to recharge my mind and body. Here’s my napper’s manifesto.
Napping helps me get through the long, lonely days (especially when I’m really sad.)
I’m an extremely early riser even on weekends or summer days that don’t require scraping my teenager out of bed at the crack of dawn.
I wake up naturally between 5:30 and 6:00 am in spring and summer and between…
