Why does anyone need to plan a day off?  Surely you just veg out and do nothing!

Well, to be totally honest with you, I find days off can be very challenging, especially when nothing has been planned out.  I have a free day in front of me and, more often than not, I get to the end of it feeling frustrated because I’ve wasted the day!  I don’t feel relaxed, satisfied or peaceful. Why is that?  Why can’t I just enjoy it?

Mostly, it’s because I can’t get over the feeling that “there’s something I should be doing”.

There’s a huge list somewhere in my head of all the things that “I should be doing” – around home or for other people.  Or the things I’d love to do “if only I had time”.  Invariably, these things pop up in my mind when I think about a day off.

I’ve found I can get past these frustrating feelings by focusing my mind on other things.  A good book that grabs me can take my mind off anything; watching the latest episode of a favourite show or catching up on news on Facebook, emails, etc. can help, but over time I’ve learnt the best way to have a day off is to plan it.

“Isn’t a day off supposed to be time where you don’t plan?” I hear you ask.  Great question and all credit to you if you can do it.  If you’re one of those people who can go with the flow and relax without any structure at all – enjoy it.  I envy you.

I know in the long run I need to work on the feelings.  To let go of them; acknowledge they’re often from the past and  I can’t always trust them.  And guess what?  I don’t want to live in the past.  I want to live in the present.  And right now, I need a day off.  So I’ll plan to do a few things that will help me to relax – things that are totally different to every other day of the week.

Here’s a few of the things I love to plan to do on my day off:

1. Enjoy a relaxing brunch out…   I love going to a local cafe and having brunch with my husband. Maybe we’ll take a book to read; or talk; or just relax and watch the world around us.  Sometimes, I just go out for a cuppa by myself and do the same!
2. Guilt-free breakfast in bed…   Make breakfast and take it back to bed and read a good book. There’s nothing like it.  I have a few favourite authors that make reading a gift.
3. Potter…   I love to do a few simple things around home. Usually, its things that have been “bugging me” – that need to be done, but I haven’t had the time!  (eg cleaning up my bedside table; getting rid of the pile of papers on the kitchen bench, etc) There’s something satisfying about achieving something on my day off.  It doesn’t have to be anything major.  Just getting a couple of things out of the way is so pleasing.  (Last week I cleaned out 2 shelves of the pantry and I felt great.  It felt so good to do something I’ve been wanting to get to for ages!  I stopped myself from doing it all though – it is a day off after all.  The next couple of shelves can wait until next week!)
4. Enjoy the outdoors…   On a hot summer’s evening, I love to take dinner down by the beach to sit and eat, or, if that’s too hard, just eat it on the back deck.
5. Watch a DVD…   There are so many good movies around.  It’s usually not too difficult to find something that suits my mood.
6. Go browsing…   Browse around a shop that interests me. I try not to have anything specific in mind, but just enjoy the diversity and creativity in the store.  I can always file away ideas for birthdays or Christmas!
7. Go for a drive …   Drive somewhere that you love.  I love driving through the nearby mountain ranges. I tend to do this if someone else is driving as I find driving tiring.  But I love being the passenger and sitting back enjoying the scenery.

What would you like to do on your next day off?  By just allowing yourself to dream about it for a few minutes you can feel like have a mini vacation in the middle of a busy day!

Enjoy your day off!

You know that moment when regardless of what’s been happening in your life, you see something beautiful, or somebody says something silly and you can’t help but smile?  It’s almost like the smile starts deep inside you and by the time it’s reached your face, there’s a lightness about your body that wasn’t there earlier.  That’s a real smile. 

My Dad had what we used to call a “wicked” smile.  You’d see it on his face and wonder what was going on in that mind of his!  It was a sign that something had caught his attention and made him want to laugh.  Sometimes it was a memory that popped back up to amuse him.

I was the brunt of one of these memories not long ago.  When my broader family gets together on Christmas day we participate in a Kris Kringle, where everyone buys a present for their same gender, wraps it up and puts it in the middle of the circle.  Now, this isn’t just an ordinary Kris Kringle – this is kamikaze!  One by one we go around the circle and each person chooses a present, opens it and decides whether to keep it or to swap it with one that someone has already opened!  Its lots of fun.

This particular year, I had bought a “chip and dip bowl”, wrapped it and put it in middle.  You know the sort of bowl…largish with a smaller bowl attached for the dip to go in.  Well, it wasn’t long before my Dad (I’m sure he started it) got the giggles, because he thought the bowl looked more like something that belonged in a hospital – a bed pan!!!  We were all in hysterics for ages – my Dad especially.  I’ve yet to live down buying that bowl and it still brings a smile, if not a good laugh at family gatherings.

There’s something so good about moments like that.  It can feel like the weight of the world leaves you for a while and you can just laugh at life, in all its silliness!

Scientists tell us that smiling actually releases endorphins and serotonin.  This is just like a natural pain-killer.  It is known to release stress, as well as raise self-esteem.  All from a smile!  Can you believe that?

There are other times when a smile appears because you see something wonderful.  For me, it’s the mountains.  I just love to look up at the mountains.  It’s like everything comes back into perspective!  I’m so small compared to the mountains.  The beauty and creativity I see refreshes me and makes me smile without my even thinking about it.

What makes you smile?  A sunrise or sunset?  Watching a baby or toddler move around and discover things? A funny movie? Being with friends…

We need to find those things and make sure they are regularly a part of our lives.

I try to smile at people I pass on my way to work.  I say try, because it is easier to do with some people than it is with others!  But more often than not, a smile is returned.  It may be tentative, even uncertain to start with, but it is a smile.  Maybe by helping someone else smile, just for a moment, we’re relieving some of the stress in their lives…let alone what we’re doing for ourselves by smiling at them.  Isn’t that worth doing?

“You’ll find that life is still worthwhile, If you just smile”

from the song Smile by Charlie Chaplin, takes on a new meaning.