How to Actually De-stress and Have a Relaxing Weekend

You can’t wait to get home from work on Friday, spend the next few days de-stressing, and returning to work with new energy.

But before you know it, Monday morning shows up (again), and you feel exactly the same as you did on Friday—if not worse. How are you supposed to have a relaxing weekend in two short days?

We’ve put together this guide to give you a few tips that’ll help you take a real break and recharge for the next work week, so let’s get started!

Don’t Let Yourself Oversleep!

For some people, this is the most exciting part of the weekend. You can turn off your alarm, ignore the sunlight, and snooze to your heart’s content.

While sleeping in for an extra hour or two can feel refreshing, don’t let yourself stay in bed for too long. At the end of the day, you’ll end up feeling like you didn’t get a chance to do anything or that you’ve wasted your weekend, which can be disheartening. You may also end up messing up your sleeping schedule for the rest of the week—something that can leave you more tired during the workdays.

Limit yourself to only a short amount of sleep-in time. This will give you more time to actually relax.

Stop Working… Really Stop

About 34% of the population continues to work over the weekend. This might help you catch up on tasks, but it doesn’t give you much of a break. Working over the weekend, even if you just do a few small jobs, can leave you feeling burned out or exhausted come Monday.

So make sure you actually stop working.

This means you need to log out of your email. Shut down your computer. You can even turn off your notifications if you have to.

Unless you’re dealing with a time-sensitive emergency, the work will still be there next week. Putting it away for a few days gives you a chance to recharge so you can be more productive later.

Set Your Electronic Devices Aside

It’s easy to get sucked into the rabbit hole of social media. You might mean to check a few updates and end up scrolling through posts for hours without realizing how much time has passed.

Give yourself some time away from your phone, tablet, or TV. Instead, go outside to enjoy the weather, try something you haven’t done before, catch up with friends, start a new hobby, etc.

This doesn’t mean you can’t use your devices at all during the weekend, but give yourself some time to get away from the screen (after all, you probably spend most of your work week at a computer).

Plan out the Weekend in Advance

Do you always end up sitting in front of the TV with nothing to do over the weekend? This might be relaxing for a while, but it can also leave you feeling restless and bored.

Spend some time during the week thinking of a few things you’d like to do in your free time. Then come up with a plan for your weekend so you know what you’re doing and when you’re doing it. Scheduling your Saturday and Sunday can even give you the chance to do something out of the ordinary, such as taking a quick getaway in a beautiful cabin rental.

…But Don’t Be Too Rigid

Overbooking yourself can be the opposite of relaxing. Trying to squeeze too many activities into two days can make you feel exhausted and overwhelmed.

Always leave some time in your weekend schedule for doing nothing. This can give you a chance to sit back and breathe without worrying about other obligations.

Give Yourself Some “You” Time

Don’t focus too much of your weekend on social gatherings or out-of-the-house adventures. Make sure you have enough time left over for you.

During this time, do something that makes you feel happy and refreshed. You can partake in one of your favorite hobbies, practice self-care, meditate, or whatever makes you feel relaxed.

This is one of the most important parts of your weekend. Even if you do something exciting and fun, if you don’t take this time for yourself, you might not feel recharged and relaxed by Sunday evening.

Schedule Your Household Chores During the Week

Between work, taking care of the kids, and other responsibilities, it’s hard to find time for household chores during the week. However, do your best to take care of these things before the weekend. Doing the laundry, mowing the lawn, or grocery shopping is hardly an exciting way to spend your day.

If you want to get the most out of your weekend, don’t push off all your chores for Saturday and Sunday. This won’t leave you much time for a break, much less getting out of the house and doing something exciting.

How to De-Stress During a Relaxing Weekend

Looking forward to the weekend doesn’t mean much if you continue to use that time for catching up on work and complete household chores. If you want to have a relaxing weekend, get rid of unhelpful distractions and plan out something fun to do instead.

And don’t forget to leave time for yourself. If you don’t have this time, you might feel just as overwhelmed and burned out as you did when you clocked out of work Friday afternoon.

Want to learn some other helpful stress-relief tips?

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