How to rest well on weekends

In Spain they have this lovely thing called “siesta” where all the stores close, and people take a little break from life during the hottest hour of the day. How marvelous! I read a quote a little while ago that said

“There is virtue in work, and there is virtue in rest, use both- and overlook neither.”-unknown.

Our weekends are supposed to be a time of restoration, and returning to balance, yet more often than not we feel even worse at the end of the weekend that we did at the end of our working-week. 

There’s a scene in the famous self-discovery film Eat Pray Love (based on the novel by Elizabeth Gilbert) that describes this perfectly. Luka Spaghetti passionately tells Liz that Americans do not know pleasure- they work themselves dead during the week, and spend the entire weekend in front of the TV in their pajamas! Then, by the time that Monday comes around they have to fight this self-inflicted zombie mood and try to get things done.

The point of this post is simply to help you to make the most of your weekend. As an introvert, I’ve caught myself uttering these horrible words on many Sunday evenings: “I’m not ready for this week! I’m even more tired now than I was at the start of the weekend!”. 

If you know me at all, you’d know that one of my core beliefs is that there is incredible value in knowing yourself. If you know what tires you out (empties you) and what gives you energy (fills you up), you can control how you feel at the end of a weekend. What I mean by this is that your list might look completely different from mine, but I believe that the core ideas stay the same. 

Without further ado, here is your list of things to do this weekend to leave you feeling rejuvenated and ready for whatever Monday brings!

1. Mood. Try to slow down a little more whilst you do what you need to do- light a candle, put on some music, open the windows- and breathe.

2. Eat. I mean, marvel at food- take the time to cook things that make your knees weak and allow yourself a generous helping of that.

3. Clean (yourself). Do a face mask, paint your nails, wash your hair, take a long hot shower- when you look good, you feel good.

4. Declutter. Remove all the little pieces of nonsense that you gathered through the week from your home and bags – wrappers, payment slips, etc. 

5. Rest. Make enough time for sleeping, and also resting- reading a book, being creative, or just sitting in the sunshine for a while. 

6. Love. Spend time with people (or pets) who make you feel glad to be alive, whether that’s a significant other, friends, or family.

7. Move. Exercise is a good way to get rid of the week’s frustrations and fill your body with all the feel-good hormones. Even a light walk or some gentle yoga will work.

8. Reflect. It is time for a spiritual moment of stillness, meditation, prayer or simply looking at your past week and how that went.

9. Plan. Do all that you can to make sure that next week can throw you minimum curve balls- write down due dates, goals, and even social events that you might forget of.

10. Pray. Bring any concerns that you have about the week to God and talk to Him about it. Imagine what you want to feel like at the end of the week...

Now, go and use your weekends wisely!

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