Let's learn some Japanese.
★気分転換★
A change of pace/mood/environment.
I stress... a lot. Like to the point were I get sick and end up screwing up my hormonal track and get into this horrid depressed state of mind that's terribly negative and makes me miss home like crazy and I wanna quit my job and give up on everything I've worked for.
Lately, this has been happening a lot more recently for reasons I don't really want to discuss.
My love life is going perfectly well, we argue semi-often because of my mood to go in a horrid turn for the worst at really bad times. But I am lucky that Ryosuke has pretty much gotten used to this and supports me and loves me either way.
I spoke with a woman who is like a mother figure and she told me that to be honest, there was nothing to be done about my situation and that it was basically 'しょうがない' (shou ga nai) which means that it can't be helped. I knew that there probably wouldn't be much she or I could do but, at least a bit of confirmation was helpful.
She did tell me what I would need was a bit of 気分転換 which means a change of pace/mood.
In a country where people can take sick leave specifically related to clinical depression, I feel like this is something most Japanese people not only understand completely, but seriously endorse and this is a good hint at why there is usually at least one national holiday during every month (except June and August, which I heard in the month of August they were trying to add in a day). I must admit, I am lucky to work in a public school as I get all of these holiday days off (but of course with no pay). This also explains why most Japanese really take advantage of these and go out and crowd up the tourist spots. There is a real need to get out of your daily routine and change things up every so often so as not to become a complete nut as I have been.
I am a bit to blame for this, as I try to avoid actually leaving too far because I can't handle crowds and lines and I would rather save up my money (since I plan to move into a nice big apartment which will need all new appliances) and recluse in my house most of the time.
My change of pace/mood/environment provided by Ryosuke★
Either way, Ryosuke understood my need to get the heck out of our town and go adventure a bit on our mutual day off (Showa Day) so he took me into the mountains!
I'd just found a really yummy black forest ham type ham in the nearby grocery store and decided it would be the perfect time to have a picnic! But the place we decided on wasn't really a place to lay out a blue sheet and relax in the grass, so the bench nearby had to do.
It was a beautiful view on a day that could have been clearer, but probably best it wasn't or I'd be a lobster today.
We had a simple sandwich picnic/lunch and due to my overheating decided to move on to another location. This time, super confused, we picked a place we both had never been to but always saw a sign for and finally took the trip up the mountain! To 名犬牧場, or PUPPY FARM!
It's a puppy mill or something wild, it's literally a big open space where people can bring their dogs (for a small entry fee, same as children and adults pay a bit more) and there are plenty of other dogs that you can see and pet and even take for walks or give treats! They also have a separate area for puppies to buy/adopt which were born there!
There were a bit too many children roughly holding the dogs which upset me a bit, and a woman who was training a dog to fetch a frisbee was a bit rough so we decided the next time we go will be when we finally plan to get a puppy of our own! It was still a really nice time to play with dogs which made me really, really happy and I must say I do honestly feel like I was able to be more positive today as a result!
Any time you feel too stressed or over worked or even just a bit down.
Take the time to change up your pace/mood/environment.
Thanks for reading!
