How Do You Spend a Day Off?
When you have time off from your daily grind, whether it be for only a few hours, or an entire day or two, or more, how do you spend your time? Do you like to relax, and watch movies? Or do you like to get out into the fresh air? Relaxing and recharging are absolutely essential in order to be our best and most productive. Taking time off is important for our mental and physical health.
For me, my favorite way to spend a day off is to simply relax, destress, and unwind. Upon waking, I speak positivity into the day, as I do every day. I begin with a few affirmations such as the following:
Today is going to be a great day.
I am going to have a wonderful day.
Today will be amazing.
Something positive will happen today.
Once I complete my affirmations, I typically grab my journal that I keep next to my bed and write down what I am grateful for. Having an attitude of gratitude really does go a long way. How can we expect to obtain more if we are not even grateful for what we already have? Admittedly, I do not always feel like writing in my journal, but I force myself, and once complete, I am usually glad that I did.
I then proceed to do some in bed and out of bed stretching to loosen my muscles. That always feels so good. I’ll then do a few yoga poses. Very few, since I haven’t done yoga in many years, although I am trying to get back into it. But I plan to take it slow and keep at it, knowing that I will get to where I want to be. After that I make my bed, which I truly believe starts my day off right and has a calming effect. I love being able to return to a made bed. I have noticed that when I am making my bed, I do not think of anything. I simply focus on making my bed. The same is true when I care for my plant babies, especially when I re-pot them.
After stretching, off to the kitchen I go. Sometimes I will make a smoothie. Other times I will have coffee, with my favorite Starbucks creamer, which is White Chocolate Mocha. It is so good! My go to smoothie recipe is spinach, banana (which is my favorite fruit), blueberries, honey, ginger powder (or ashwagandha powder), some sea moss gel, and water. So delicious. Every now and I then I experiment with other fruit such as strawberries and mango, but I always find myself going back to my favorite. I also love eggs, so of course I usually make some sort of omelet with spinach, mushrooms, and American cheese.
Depending on the weather, I like to go for a brief walk, just to get the blood circulating and get some Vitamin D. I then brush my teeth, wash my face, and take a nice hot shower. I enjoy listening to hip hop in particular when I am in the shower, and often find myself dancing. Once again, getting the blood pumping, and increasing my energy. If I am taking a relaxing bubble bath instead, I will typically listen to meditation or spa music to relax even more.
I then take some time to brainstorm some blog article ideas, as well as podcast episode ideas. I also look at my vision board, which I create every year, to see my goals, and then do some more brainstorming on how to get to my goals. By the way, check out my blog post entitled “Vision Boards: by clicking here. One of my goals for example is to write a screenplay, which I have already started. I will set up weekly task, where I must complete five new pages of my screenplay by the next week, and so on. This helps me get focused and stay on task.
I also enjoy researching what is going on in and around my neighborhood, so if something interesting is happening that day, such as an art exhibit, I will attend. I love visiting art exhibits, museums, bookstores, and more. I also enjoy going to coffee shops at time and reading.
Other than that, I simply take it easy the rest of the day. I will find a good movie or do some reading. I may even take a nap at some point, depending on how I feel. Many of us are on go mode all day every day, so we need time to simply relax, unwind, and do nothing. Even if you choose to stay in bed all day, that is perfectly fine. As long as you are happy, and relaxed, that is all that matters. So, how do you spend a day off?
