A Sober Chick’s Guide to Partying

It’s Memorial Day, and I’m not on a boat with a Bud Light in hand, on my way to a beach barbecue or having an “epic time” with friends.

I’m at home in cutoff shorts and a ratty tank top, cozied up on my couch with my laptop, tapping into the quiet energy that a holiday morning brings – in fact, I think everyone’s still sleeping.

I’m a wild one.

I’m so wild, that last night I went to bed around 11:00 pm, after a pot of tea and a chapter from a new book (which happens to be Daring Greatly by Brené Brown, because vulnerability is my jam).

I’m so wild, that I woke up at 6:00 am and did some journaling, creative idea-storming and reflecting, followed by an early morning grocery store trip (the roads were totally deserted a.k.a. the quiet before the storm).

I’m so wild, that the subtle ritual of opening my doors when I wake up and soaking in the sounds of birds and insects exhilarates me. I’m so wild, that my first full bellied breath of the day gives me life (ahhh, the little things). I’m so wild, that tip toeing around barefoot to a soft instrumental playlist at sunrise gives me shivers.

I’m so wild, that my Memorial Day FOMO is totally a thing of the past.

This, my friends, is a sober chick’s guide to spending a holiday.

Grounding is the new partying.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating a life of meditating on a mountaintop by yourself, cutting off all social contact or sucking the fun out of life. I’m simply promoting an alternative to the overstimulation that a day like today brings.

I’ll paint a picture for you. This weekend I met up with some friends at a local outdoor festival. There was music, there was laughter, there was sunshine. Life was great. I’ll tell you what there also was. Fried food, floods of people, loud music, so-much-beer, volleyball, cornhole, pull up contests, muscled out security guards, more fried food, more beer, boats, garbage, raffles, salespeople, street surveyors, free swag, more people, even more beer.

An introvert's worst fucking nightmare. For me, the event was like fun time overkill. When did fun become so sloppy and excessive? Anyway, I survived the day, even managing to escape the scene beer spill free and without having a panic attack (winning?).

Ya know, it’s not that I don’t love holidays, big events or crowds – I’m not the grinch. It’s just that after years of getting caught up in party mentality, I prefer to chill the heck out on days like today. Sober, grounded, satisfied.

Here are my top 10 ways to ground on a party holiday.

1. Wake up early. It will feel like the world is sleeping and yours for the tackling!

2. Prep snacks. Grocery shop before the holiday and stock up on healthy goodness.

3. Go carless. Avoid traffic, soak in some sunshine and take your bike or blades out for a spin.

4. Have a you-day. Slip into comfy clothes, crank up the jams and bask in domestic bliss.

5. Tackle a home project. Organize your closet, work in your garden or dig into a DIY experiment.

6. Don’t plan anything. See where the day takes you without the pressure or FOMO.

7. Exercise gratitude. Shift your mindset from anxiety to appreciation.

8. Create something. Write, make art or work on something you love.

9. Be the observer. Notice the hustle and energy of the day and take a moment to pause.

10. Tune inward. Journal, make a cup of cacao, meditate, and reset your nervous system.

As anticlimactic as chilling out on a party holiday sounds, I assure you, you'll have the time of your life.