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:
- 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!
- 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.
- 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!)
- 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.
- Watch a DVD… There are so many good movies around. It’s usually not too difficult to find something that suits my mood.
- 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!
- 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!