We all know these days the ones that are dreary, prolonged, and unproductive. It’s a slump that holds many of us hostage and convinced that our minds just aren’t of any use on that day. These days drag by and sometimes we do too.

When we reflect on the past, the triggers in our memory tend to surround our best or worst days. The others in between are like a shadow in our memory. They are rarely ever given much ponder and reflection. But are they as insignificant as we may think?

Although these days may never stand out in comparison to others, they can be transformed into useful days. Here are three reasons to dig deeper into what may seem like a mere unproductive day:

A Time to Reflect

Slow days give us the privilege to let our minds wander. This may or may not be a place of comfort, depending on the direction you’ve trained your thoughts to run. However, our thoughts aren’t something we should run away from. More often than not, they signal to us areas in our lives we need to pay attention to.

On these days it’s important to take a moment to evaluate where you are in your life and where you desire to be. Sometimes we forget that not only is our past the best teacher we have but also a record of our greatest accomplishments. There are successes to celebrate and these days give us a moment to pause and reflect on the various strides we’ve made and encouragement that there is still more to come.

A Time to Rest

Your health is just as important as your most productive day. The body is not a machine that we can overuse and think it would forgive us time and time again. With an on the go work culture, we have somehow been wired to think that if we’re not constantly occupied we are wasting time.

Slow days are a blessing to our bodies. They give us time to practice mindful self-care. This is allowing yourself to be at peace with who you are and eliminating any guilt surrounding your body taking a rest.

Learning to see slow days as a time to spoil your body with the rest it deserves is a habit that should be implemented. So take that nap, hydrate and feed your body with the right foods and nourishment that busy days can sometimes snatch away.

A Time to Refocus

On the days you find your schedule empty, your day-offs, and those in between that don’t demand your full surrender are the perfect ones for planning your days to come. This is the time to be intentional about the way forward.

There is always room for improvement in the various aspects of our lives. Taking the time to actively make a plan moving forward is something that should be practised. It’s a time to eliminate goals that you’ve outgrown and refocus your energy towards those that are now calling you.

Comparison has been said to be the thief of joy. In the times you find yourself making meaningless comparisons to the other person, strive to compete with your past self. Sometimes our productivity is diminished not based on who we are but where we place our time and energy. So invest the resources within towards something worth it, your goals.

You probably won’t remember the details about each day in your life. Some fly past as uneventful, but it’s time to value those days when they appear.

They call on us not to give ourselves up to others around us or the various tasks we busy ourselves with, but to surrender to our inner selves. Take the time to reflect, rest and refocus, your body and mind will thank you.