The weekend is supposed to be the time to play, exercise, be social and have fun. Unfortunately, most of us end up catching up on work, doing chores, answering emails and preparing important projects. Needless to say, this kind of behavior does not lead to a relaxed, recharged and rejuvenated you on Monday morning.
It seems like it is the new reality of modern life that we put our nose to the grindstone 24/7, even though there is plenty of evidence that a weekend of leisure and meaningful pursuits outside of work is hugely important to live a happy, healthy and fulfilled life.
Instead of having a work-life balance, we now live in a work-life fusion, that only leads to loss of energy and productivity, constant exhaustion and a build-up of frustration and dissatisfaction. We tend to push ourselves beyond our limit constantly and the culture of overwork and over dependence on technology almost leads to giving the word leisure a bad rap.
However, setting time aside for restoration isn’t just good for your health, it also helps us to be more productive and creative. Here are our TOP 10 tips to reclaim your weekend and increase your sense of well-being.
#1 Schedule ‘Me Time’
Me time has a different meaning for everyone, but regardless of whether that’s going to the gym, getting a massage, cooking or relaxing with a book, make sure that you get in some me time on the weekend. Whatever it may be, it is hugely important that you do something nice for yourself. Give yourself permission to take a day of and you will be surprised how you will find inspiration and motivation when you do absolutely nothing.
#2 Be Adventurous
Most of us wake up on Monday morning and wonder where the time went. Time seems to fly by too quickly, but it is possible to change our sense of time passing. Make sure that your weekend is filled with new experiences because if you expose yourself to new situations and go to different environments, experience new challenges or try new hobbies, time slows down, you live more in the present moment and you can savor the time you spend doing something you love.
#3 Change Your Mindset
Don’t focus on the fact that you are incredibly busy. Instead, switch gears and remind yourself that you have the power to make time for what is most important to you. Whether that’s connecting with family and friends, enjoying some alone time, working out or enjoying a day in the park, prioritize what you want and do it. Some of you may think that this is an un-winnable battle. But you deserve time for yourself, so don’t feel guilty about it, but know that it’s hugely important for your health, well-being and happiness.
#4 Revive Sunday Teatime
We oftentimes start to feel anxious on Sunday evening and anticipate the stress of the work week that is coming our way. Introduce enjoyable and relaxing rituals at the end of Sunday that help you stave off the Monday blues. Bake a cake and enjoy tea time with a good book or open a bottle of wine and sip a glass with relaxing music in the bathtub. Whatever relaxing activity you choose, make sure that Sunday evenings are calm and serene.
#5 Have a Pre-Weekend Workout
Those of us who have incredibly heavy workloads or perfectionist tendencies may suffer from leisure sickness on the weekends, which may result in muscle pain, headaches and fatigue. The perfect solution is to go to the gym on Friday evening or take a long walk home from work. Physical activity helps us to make the physiological – and with that also the psychological – transition from work to rest.
#6 Change the Scenery
If you want to reclaim your weekends, don’t let them become a monotonous routine. Challenge yourself with new intellectual or physical activities that make every weekend different from the last. Rent a car and go to a new place a few hours away from home. We tend to overlook the attractions that are within reach, but exploring new places is a great opportunity to discover new things. And if that’s too much, simply explore a new neighborhood in your city, go to a new coffee shop or restaurant or simply take a different route to work every day.
#7 Don’t Sleep the Day Away
Even though it may be tempting, sleeping the day away robs you of valuable time to get out there and make the best of your weekend. Besides, sleeping all day will only interfere with your sleep schedule during the rest of the week. Instead of sleeping the day away, take a short power nap during the day so you can still enjoy everything the weekend has to offer.
#8 Detox Digitally
This may be challenging for you, but being constantly connected to our smart phones and the internet only spreads our attention thin and saps our energy at a time when we are trying to relax and recharge. Make it a point to take a digital detox over the weekend and turn off your phone and laptop at least for a few hours. If this sounds impossible to you, start with small amounts of time and work your way up to one full day of being phone free.
#9 Enjoy a Quiet Night In
There may be the expectation that we have to socialize on Friday nights. But sometimes making the conscious, positive choice to stay in and enjoy some alone time can have enormous benefits for our body and mind. Positive solitude can give us a sense of inner peace and makes us feel like we are in control of our lives rather than continuing that rat race of running from one appointment to the next on the weekends.
#10 Outsource What You Hate
Sure, when the weekend comes around, we oftentimes find ourselves running all those awful errands, doing laundry and cleaning the house. But that might not be the best use of our time, especially when we have to skimp on sleep, family and friends and workout time. Find someone who enjoys those dreaded chores and pay someone else to do what you hate. And if you don’t want to pay money, barter chores. Maybe you love to cook, but don’t like going grocery shopping. Find someone who loves to shop, but hates to cook. Outsource as much of the things you don’t enjoy, so you can do more of the ones you do enjoy.
For a lot of people, the weekend is the time to get caught up on everything they didn’t have time to do during the week. However, it is hugely important to make downtime a priority and use the weekend to decompress, recharge and re-energize in order to stay healthy, happy, productive and creative.
FIND WORK-LIFE BALANCE AND MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR WEEKEND
Joschi & Monika
#BoldNaked
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