I give my cat a lot of flack for not doing anything, but some days, I think he has the right idea.

Understand, I'm not advocating a lifetime of sleeping eighteen hours a day and refusing to contribute to the household in any way but being cute, but...there are days it has its appeal.

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe he has a whole secret life that I'm not privy to, like Perry in Phineas and Ferb. But I'm not ready to believe that until I find a cat-sized fedora lying around. And, today, I'm taking a bit of inspiration from him.

It can happen to all of us, being exhausted from the week or just a few stressful days in a row. For those of us prone to anxiety and/or depression, it's even more common. Finally, a day off, in which to accomplish everything that's been neglected while we've worked, and...nothing. But, every now and then, that's actually not a problem. It's taken me a long time to accept that.

Now, it's easy to confuse self-care with the symptoms of depression, particularly when your depression manifests in an apathetic sort of way. Refusing to get out of bed for a few days and neglecting all household tasks and responsibilities can definitely be a problem, and it's usually not “taking care of yourself” at that point, it's just depression. But one day of screw it, I refuse to adult? Particularly if you've been stressed? Totally forgivable, and sometimes a boon to your mental health. Pressing that “reset” button and getting some extra sleep and not stressing about errands can leave you a lot more able to face whatever comes in the days after.

In the past, if I slept until noon on my day off, then decided to put off grocery shopping in favor of delivery, I'd have felt bad about “wasting” my day. But I'm working 24 hours in the next two days and I already know we're going to be short-staffed and emotions are likely to be running high. So why not brace myself for it by getting extra sleep and treating myself a little? I can afford to eat out because I just got paid, so I'm not creating more stress for later by doing so – the dark side of treating oneself too often. I'm staying hydrated and eating, so it's not neglecting my body. What harm comes from taking the day off and refusing to get out of my pajamas? Well, I didn't put up the curtain rods today. They'll wait.

And if you see that person you know on Facebook, who never seems to let a single day go to waste and is constantly humble-bragging about their accomplishments? Don't let it make you feel bad. I guarantee you there's been at least one time where they were eating Chinese food in their pajamas at two pm. They just didn't make a post about that.