I know this does not make me special, but boy do I love the weekend. It’s the perfect time to do all the things I’ve been wanting to do, or none of them at all. The weekend is often 100% up to me, where I can put down work and external obligations and do the things that really fulfill me. I can relax.
The weird thing about relaxation is that it is kind of abstract. It doesn’t look the same for everybody, and for a long time I wasn’t sure what it even looked like for me. I started to ask myself, “What activities make me feel the most loved by myself?” and “What activities make me feel the most present?” The least relaxing thing to me is anxiety, and I think that goes for pretty much everybody. So, on the weekends, I work hard to separate myself from as much of that as possible, and practicing being more present is one of the best antidotes for me personally. Sometimes it’s a book I can’t stop thinking about, or a new tv show that I’m speeding through a little too quickly. Regardless of how I choose to spend my weekend, self-care is the staple that has to stay consistent.
Just because it is the weekend doesn’t mean that my good habits get days off. Maybe I’ll go easy on the workout, or my partner and I will order out our favorite dinner – but taking good care of myself is the seed for my true relaxation. I like to start my weekend off well with some simple but effective self-care, like a morning routine. I get rid of the morning breath and brush my teeth. Into the skincare. Sometimes I’ll make coffee if I’m feeling wild. Then I try to do one task each weekend that I know I really love (like some that were mentioned before). It’s just important to me that I don’t let the weekend throw my healthy habits out the window, it makes Monday even more daunting.
Obviously, your weekend doesn’t have to look like mine at all. Maybe you use the weekends to go out on a hike, a long run, an adventure. Maybe to shop around town, hit up that restaurant you and your partner keep talking about, going to the theater (when we can do that again), taking a weekend getaway, or a staycation outside of your same four walls. Whatever it is, I think the goal is intentionality. Focusing on the things that really uplift your spirit in the ways that it deserves. Don’t be afraid to get curious with yourself and learn more about the things that really help you recenter and recoup from the week prior, and prepare you for the week to come.
