How to Unwind and Recharge this Weekend

The Holidays are coming, it’s time to step up your self-care game.

Because if you’re anything like me, you’ll soon be cleaning, food shopping, running around, cooking, calling everyone in the family, scheduling things and probably stressing a little too. You know, just a bit.

So, this weekend, take a little time for yourself. Even if it’s just fifteen minutes you spend by yourself, enjoying a cup of our favorite tea. Even if you have to lock yourself in a closet away from your kids, for a few minutes.

Now is the time to unwind and recharge before the Holiday madness begins.

GUIDED MEDITATION

If you’ve never tried meditating, guided meditation is a great place to start. While doing things like having a mini movie marathon or reading a book is a great way to relax, meditation is the ultimate tool that will help you calm your nerves and gently ease into deep relaxation. You can find a ton of great guided meditations on YouTube– they work best when you listen to them through headphones.

STEP AWAY FROM THE DIGITAL WORLD

This one is tough to do, because we’re surrounded by technology- which means that it’s that much more important to do, once in a while. About four years ago, during Hurricane Sandy, we lost power for almost a week. It was a vey stressful and devastating time, but at the time, we had no internet or TV so we didn’t really know how bad things were. We slept in the basement, burned some candles and put the fire place on, we bundled up and played Monopoly and Scrabble every single night while snacking on grilled cheese sandwiches (it was one of the few things we could “cook”, since we had to empty the fridge). No phones, no TV, no computers, no tablets. I thought I wouldn’t survive without my phone and it was difficult at first, but you know what? We had so much fun. I know it’s a strange thing to say, but I almost felt slightly disappointed when the power finally came back on.

Even if it’s something as simple as playing basketball in the park for twenty minutes and leaving your phone at home, or going for a walk- it’s so important to take that time to disconnect. You’d be surprised at how good it can feel.

EAT SOME GOOD FOOD

No, I don’t mean visiting your favorite place to eat. I mean getting in the kitchen and cooking a marvelous meal for one. Or two, or three. Grab your friends and play a home-version of Chopped. This winter my sister and one of my friends are planning to get together once a month in my place, so that I can teach them to cook some of my favorite recipes. Every single time we get together and I cook, they always have a ton of questions about the food I make so I thought hey, how about we all get together once a month and have some at-home cooking lessons? It’s definitely something that we’re all looking forward to this winter and it’s a great way to share some laughs and spend some quality time together.

MOVE

When was the last time you put on some music and danced around the house until you were out of breath? When was the last time you went for a run, or jumped on your bed like you did when you were a little kid?

COZY UP

I have this ritual that I do when I have a bad day, and it’s a great way to unwind during your weekends, too. If I’m feeling stressed out or had a particularly tough day at work, I throw my favorite PJs in the dryer so they’re nice and warm, burn my favorite candle, put on a few episodes of my favorite sitcom and just cuddle up on the couch for a while. Self-care is something that I struggled with for a long time, mainly because I hate NOT being productive. I love working, I love staying busy, whether it be writing a brief or cleaning the house. I can’t stand being still, when I know I could be getting something done. It’s almost as if I sometimes feel like I don’t deserve to slow down, or take a midday nap on a Saturday. I did notice though, that once you start being kind to yourself, and allow yourself to nap, or to indulge a little when you’re feeling down, it helps you get out of that funk, faster.

How are you planning to unwind this weekend?