For a long time I felt like I would blink and yet another weekend had whizzed by. It was frustrating to see so much possibility on Friday, yet come Monday rarely feel anything that resembled refreshed.
I knew there had to be a way to both get things done and feel restored by my weekends, so I spent some time observing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to figure out what makes a weekend refreshing. This is what I learned:
1. A refreshing weekend can be busy or lazy. It’s not so much the quantity of items on your agenda as much as it is having a clear vision of the commitments and tasks ahead of you. When I took time Thursday evening or Friday morning to check in with my husband and map out the non-negotiables, I would feel less frustrated throughout the weekend and on Monday.
2. It helps to stay in the present moment. I often found myself spending too much time carrying the weight of the future with me. While yes there were specific preparation tasks I could complete, what was most beneficial was acknowledging the upcoming activities and returning to the present. You want to avoid mentally living in the future to make time feel a little slower.
3. Self-care can always be a priority. Identifying and addressing your own needs, even in very small ways, can dramatically impact your outlook on the weekend and leave you feeling fulfilled by life. While not every weekend has space for hours of scrapbooking, the self-care actions I take Friday through Sunday makes everything feel more possible throughout the week. These can be as simple as committing to less time on my phone and going to sleep earlier.
4. Writing it down decreases stress. While it’s a great first step to have good intentions for your weekend, when I transferred ideas from my head to paper I also released any mental weight from my list. Simple, practical planning decreases stress and increases your ability to feel relaxed and creative, even on the most full days.
Weekends are supposed to be a time to pause, rest, and reset for another week. By approaching your weekends with more intention and purpose, you can stop feeling run over by yours. And when you start feeling in control of your time and your well-being, you have the prerequisites for finding time to scrapbook.
What is one simple action you can take to make your next weekend more refreshing?
I love this post! Working 40+hour job, I LIVE for the weekends! But I always feel like I’m trying to accomplish so much and often feel overwhelmed. I’m excited to give this a try. Thank you, as always.