Table of Contents
Introduction: Wellness Weekend
Most of us can hardly find time to relax during the week. We’re too busy to navigate through our jam-packed schedule to be able to pause for a second to take a deep breath, let alone having a rest. And then suddenly it’s the weekend, but work fatigue, exhaustion and tiredness make us unable to relax even when given a chance. But for some reason instead of giving ourselves well-deserved break, we just keep going, pushing, striving, creating, producing and trying to prove our value.
Nothing really changes in our approach until we’re getting dangerously close to burning out. But even then most of us still can hardly find time to relax. Why? Well, maybe because shifting out of autopilot mode it’s not the easiest thing to do. Especially if you don’t even realize that you are on autopilot. But there is a hidden cost of living on autopilot that most people don’t want to hear about - health problems, depression, hopelessness and non-existent social life. That’s too high a price that no one should ever pay.
To keep moving forward with your career is extremely important but it shouldn’t be at the expense of your health, wellbeing and peace of mind. Your health should always be your No 1 priority. If it hasn’t been till now it’s definitely time to change this. That’s why today we’re focusing on planning a wellness weekend! So prepare yourself for 10 ideas (no cleaning!) for the ultimate staycation and relaxing weekend!
1. Be Present
It often happens that we live in a psychological time in total detachment from the present moment. We spend so much time and energy on thinking about what has happened or what is yet to come. We overthink about our past and worry about the future instead of focusing on what’s is happening right now. But if you think about it, there is no past, not future. All we have in now. The past is just a memory and the future is only a promise… but in a good way. So don’t worry!
„Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” So stop for a while, take a deep breath and just be present. Get rid of excessive worry and drop the needless expectations. Accept this perfectly imperfect experience without labelling as „goo” or „bad”. Savour every delicious, mind-blowing second of the present moment. Focus on the present moment and start building foundations for your future self. Use the time to your advantage but be present. Learn from the past and plan for the future but avoid overthinking, overanalyzing and obsessive worrying because it takes away the joys of life. Staying present will help you to regain mental clarity and redirect your focus on what’s truly important.
2. Take Advantage Of the Healing Powers Of Sunlight
Have you ever noticed how good even a 5-minute of sunbath makes you feel? I am sure you have! It happens because the ultraviolet radiation in the sun triggers the release of serotonin along with endorphins in your brain. So if you’re looking for an easy (an extremely economical) way to increase your happy hormones levels naturally you can simply soak up the sun!
Exposure to sunlight has many health benefits backed by science. First of all, sunlight helps to regulate the production of melatonin - a hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle and maintain the circadian rhythms of the body. Second, ultraviolet rays in the sun are naturally antiseptic - a substance that stops or slows down the growth of microorganisms. Third, sun exposure helps your skin to produce Vitamin D which is crucial for bone health and strong immune system. Another amazing health benefit of sun exposure is that sunlight eases mild depression. Conversely, “Sunlight deprivation can cause a condition called seasonal affective disorder (SAD).”
So as you can see, there are many different health effects of sunlight exposure. However, if you want to take advantage of healing powers of sunlight you need to protect yourself from UV radiation and avoid overexposure to the sunlight.
3. Try Some New Experience
Most of us are extremely busy during the week trying to keep up with our to-do lists, jam-packed schedules and job-related duties. In such circumstances, finding time and energy for anything other than work is almost impossible. And even if we had some free time for trying new things we would be probably too tired. But life isn’t all about achievements and work. There is more to life than work… and this “more” is extremely exciting!
There is no doubt that people who are career-oriented are more likely to achieve success but if it happens at the expense of their personal life it always leads to burnout. To prevent that you need a healthy and solid work-life balance. As for me, I have this one rule: keep one day a week to yourself and you will be more satisfied with your life. This “one day” is usually Saturday.
Saturday is my time for being more adventurous in my activities. That’s why I usually spend this one day a week trying out new things, engaging with a unique experience, trying new foods, trying new hobby and learning new skills. In other words, Saturday is dedicated to expanding my experience and broaden my horizons. This approach helps me to breaks up the routine of life, increase my overall satisfaction, expand my perspective on life and of course, boost my happy hormones. So if you’re interested in leading a more satisfying and exciting life I highly recommend you to boost your adventurous side and try new experiences. It doesn’t have to be something incredibly spectacular but it should be something that will expose yourself to new ideas.
The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination".
4. Get Creative
Your inner child is eagerly waiting for a weekend creativity boost. You cannot disappoint them, right? Besides, what a better way to spend a day off work than by engaging in fun, exciting and creative activities that will make you feel like a kid again? Not to mention that weekend creativity boost will help you to reset, relax and reboot for the week ahead! So use your day off work to strengthen your creative muscle! And to help you with that here are 15 ways to make your creativity sparkle:
Simple Ways To Enhance Your Creativity
- Create a Vision Board to create an emotional connection to your future self.
- Use Osborn’s checklist
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- 10 questions to unlock your creative potential here
- Make homemade natural, organic and non-toxic skincare here
- DIY birthday presents for your family and friends
- Unplug and just do nothing for a while
- Cultivate Il dolce far niente
- Use the Six Thinking Hats Technique
- Exercise to boost your mental performance
- Try new, healthy meal recipes
- Get started with creative writing
- Start a side hustle
- Fuel your passion
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5. Go On A Solo Date
When was the last time you took yourself on a date? Bet you can’t even remember. It’s funny how most of us would spend a lot of time, money and effort to plan and organize a perfect date night to impress that special someone, whilst we completely forget to nurture our self-relationship. That’s insane! Especially when you realize that the most important person to please is yourself. I’m not saying to neglect the people who are important in your life, obviously not, the ones who truly love you will always be there for you. But the truth is there is only one person you will spend your whole life with, and that is yourself. That’s why you should start treating yourself like someone you love.
Developing a strong, positive and healthy relationship with yourself might take some time, but it’s worth the effort. Why is it so important? Well, because the relationship you create with yourself determines everything in your life. It is not only crucial for your own health and wellbeing but it also sets the tone for every other relationship you have. That is why, if you want to take good care of others you should start taking care of yourself. And what better way to do that if not by creating a new tradition of dating yourself? In other words, it’s time to show yourself a bit more self-love by taking yourself on a fun, captivating, and enjoyable solo date!
6. Create A Spa-Like Experience At Home
Is there any better way to release stress and calm your anxious mind than by taking a relaxing shower or a warm bath? I highly doubt it. To be honest, just thinking about taking an aromatic bath with essential oils and peaceful music makes me feel relax. It’s probably the less expensive and the most rewarding (at the same time) to calm down and relax. No wait, eating my favourite dessert is probably cheaper but considering that I usually eat my dessert while taking a hot bath is a part of the price.
Anyways, if you’re looking for an inexpensive and quite easy way to relax just turn your bathroom into a soothing sanctuary and dive into a wonderful evening of relaxation and guilt-free indulgence. Use your creative potential and set the scene. Create your private spa and wash your tensions and anxieties away in the privacy of your home. Trust me relaxing essential oils, soft and relaxing music, scented soap and fluffy towel can work miracles! And if you look for a faster, easier and definitely less costly alternative to a hot bubble bath I highly recommend putting Epsom salt in a foot bath… it’s a very relaxing, quite fun and extremely satisfying experience!
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7. Rediscover Yourself
We live in an incredibly busy and chaotic world trying to balance extreme busyness with a little bit of inner peace. But how can you find a sense of inner peace if you hardly find time to breathe? The answer is quite simple: you can’t. You cannot find stillness and peace when you’re too busy to stop.
Modern life seems to be a never-ending sprint where every moment of pause is unwelcome, to say the least. People rush around because jam-packed schedule needs to be maintained, tight deadlines need to be met and various duties and responsibilities need to be performed immediately or ideally yesterday. Because who’s got time to wait? Well, no one. Patience doesn’t seem much of a virtue today. Life moves at the speed of light and we’re trying to keep up with it.
There’s never a moment’s peace around here. Everything and everyone else is a top priority except for you. So maybe it’s time to slow down a bit, take a deep breath, redirect your focus away from obsessing about your career, to getting to know yourself better? Because if you want to live a more fulfilling and meaningful life you need to reflect on yourself and discover who you really are. Finding your true self will help you choose the right direction in life. And to help you with that here are 10 self-discovery question to ask yourself this weekend:
Self-Discovery Questions Worksheet
8. Get Cultured
When was the last time you visited a museum or an art gallery? I know it’s an odd question to ask during the Coronavirus pandemic when all the cultural institutions such as museums, archives, galleries, libraries, theatres and heritage sites are temporarily closed. I get it.
However, I don’t know if you know this, but many cultural institutions and organizations that have been forced to closed due to COVID-19 outbreak are now offering the opportunity to visit them virtually. Isn’t that great?! In other words, you can take a virtual museum and gallery tour of some of the world’s greatest collections from the comfort of your couch.
Now, with that being said, are you ready to virtually explore the world’s greatest attractions and become more cultured without leaving your house? If your answer is yes, check out the best virtual museum and art gallery tours here, here here or here.
9. Get Inspired
Inspiration is everywhere. Literally everywhere. To find it you just need to be open-minded, curious and ready for the new challenges. Or you just need to take a shower… Well, in my case anyway. Because for some reason I usually get my best ideas in the shower. So basically, when I feel stuck, unmotivated and uninspired, all I have to do to let my inspiration flow again is to take a shower. Luckily I work from home. Just imagine that, if I worked from the office…
But before you consider this odd, I must add that most of my friends when asked about their main source of inspiration they indicate shower. So, it’s not just me. However, if you think about it, a shower is the perfect environment to gain inspiration for many different reasons. First of all, it provides a truly relaxing experience. Second, it releases dopamine, which after a full day of engaging in low-dopamine activities aka work, it’s incredibly rewarding. And finally, taking a shower helps to clear your mind and make space for creativity. So as you can see, a shower is an unquestionable source of inspiration. But of course, it is not the only one.
There are many different ways to find inspirations such as podcasts, TED talks, travel, books, movies, famous quotes, friends, music, meditation, culinary experience, nature or even crosswords. It all depends on your taste for adventure. If you’re open to inspiration you will find it everywhere… when you least expect it. That’s why you should always carry a notebook (your commonplace book) and a pen to be prepared to write down all the phenomenal ideas that come to you. Your task for this weekend is to be present and open to new experiences and different sources of inspiration!
10. Improve Your Social Life
The weekend is a perfect moment to improve your social health that during the week usually suffers due to various work-related responsibilities. And I don’t mean texting your friends or family members to ask them how they feel but to plan some fun activities that will bring you closer together. I am aware, of course, that we are in the middle of a coronavirus pandemic and I’m not encouraging you to break social distancing rules because that would be irresponsible. However, we should not forget about those social activities that are still fun but safe to engage with without risking your or someone else’s health. Furthermore, staying socially connected while social distancing is extremely important for good health and well-being.
As human beings, we are social creatures and even a pandemic cannot change this. We need each other for psychological survival. That’s why even a staunch introvert needs community to maintain emotional balance. So maybe we should call this new phenomenon “physical distancing” instead of “social distancing”? Such naming would be much less depressing, don’t you think?
Anyways, staying connected to your loved ones is incredibly important and highly beneficial to your health and wellbeing. That’s why you should not give that up even or especially during these very difficult times. Spending quality time with family and friends is not only a great way to build strong relationships but also a wonderful opportunity to create unforgettable memories. Besides, there is a range of joyful social activities that don’t break social distancing rules such as going on a hike, going on a bike trip, having a picnic, attending a class or event virtually or even making a video chat with friends or family members. So as you can see you can stay connected without breaking social distancing rules! Heads up high, we will go through this together!
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Stay positive
Be Mindful
And
Perform A Wellness Weekend Challange!
xo Kate
4 thoughts on “Wellness Weekend Challenge: 10 Ways To Reset, Relax And Reboot.”
Howdy! I just woud like to give you a huge thumbs up foor your great info you’ve got here on this post. I’ll be coming back to your site for more soon. is there a special schedule for posting?
Hi! THANK you so much for your feedback, I truly appreciate it! Glad to know this post was of use! I’m currently writing a post on self-care activities for extremely busy, it should be posted in the next two days. And I hope you like it! Talking about my schedule for posting: usually, I’m posting 3 posts per week. This week I’m focusing on increasing productivity levels and healthy work-life balance. Having said that, I hope you’re doing well. Have a wonderful and peaceful week! Take care. 😃😉
Thanks for pointing out that engage with a unique experience to broaden our horizons and expose ourselves to new ideas. My husband and I will be taking a one-week vacation in August to relax and unwind. I guess we should also look for bourbon tours that can help us learn more about the bourbon production process so we can take our minds off work problems.
Hi Hailey!! Thank you for your positive feedback! I must say that bourbon tours sound exciting! What a great idea to spend the days off! I wish you a great vacation, rest a lot and have lots of fun! 😃😉