My Weekend Wellbeing Rituals (And Why You Should Have Some Too!)
I don't know about you but I love the weekend! For me, it's the time when I'll ditch the daily grind for the things I wanna do (and I've certainly been doing that this year!). In my new role at work as a Wellbeing Champion and during some recent wellbeing training it got me thinking about all of the things I do for my own wellbeing and how good I feel by doing it. There are tons of fantastic ideas out there for what you can do for your wellbeing, but not all of them are going to be for you.
Wellbeing has been described by the New Economics Foundation as "how people feel and how they function, both on a personal and a social level, and how they evaluate their lives as a whole".
We all know that the daily grind can take its toll on us and sometimes we are unaware of how the pressures of our careers or family life affect our wellbeing on a day to day basis. It wasn't until my anxiety became unbearable back in 2018 that I started to think maybe I wasn't paying attention to what my body and mind wanted to do which was take more time to do the things that will make me feel more positive.
I know I don't benefit from the same wellbeing tactics as some people and that's ok because it's important to find out what works for you. I've used the apps recommended to me time and time again, the various breathing or reflection techniques but not all of them have had an effect. Not everyone has the hours in the day to do everything they'd like to do and don't know how to begin making time for themselves away from their job or life commitments. It's not easy. But what is important is knowing that there is always time to have even an hour to do something for the good of your wellbeing and mental health.
My rituals are still a work in process - what works for me right now may not work in 3 or 4 months time but right now they feel good so I want to share them! I have a regular wellbeing routine that I do before I go to sleep but I step up the pace a little at the weekend when I commit at least my Saturday to these little rituals. So below are my weekend well-being rituals (and why you should have some too!).
HOUSEWORK FRIDAY NIGHT
It's always a crazy Friday night affair at my house when I come in from work and decide to get a G&T and stuck into the housework! I always try to get 85% of the clothes washing done, the kitchen cleaned (including the floor) and most of the living room organised. This means that when I wake up on Saturday I am not greeted with an overwhelming amount of stuff to do!
Read more: 5 Easy Ways to Practice Self-Care.
LET YOUR BODY WAKE NATURALLY
If I have plans on Saturday, I allow them to be after lunch, therefore, no alarms are set and my body can wake up when it naturally wants to. Plus, if I really want to have a lie in - I can and not feel guilty about it.
GO OUTDOORS
Once I've finished any other jobs I've got to do around the house or any emails I need to reply to - I love getting outdoors and at 12pm on a Saturday I am always at my local kennels. I love being able to walk the dogs in the countryside and do something good at the same time. I'm pretty surprised that since starting this in December, I haven't brought a dog home! I've even managed to encourage a few friends and family of mine to do this during their weekend too!
Read more: The 6 Books I've Read So Far in 2019!
READ A FEW CHAPTERS
I believe there's nothing better than spending your Saturday with a cup of tea and a few chapters of a book. I don't tend to pick up my phone during this time and I definitely get through a book quicker by doing this!
I also really enjoy reading issues of the Happiful Magazine - a fantastic magazine that discusses Wellbeing and Mental Health. You can read the issues for free online and I love trawling through the issues to find interesting topics!
I also really enjoy reading issues of the Happiful Magazine - a fantastic magazine that discusses Wellbeing and Mental Health. You can read the issues for free online and I love trawling through the issues to find interesting topics!
WATCH/LISTEN TO SOMETHING
There's so much good stuff on Netflix right now and so Saturdays are great for watching a few episodes of the series I'm currently binge watching or a film! We're watching The Umbrella Academy and finishing off Sabrina the Teenage Witch at the moment if you're looking for recommendations! I also really enjoy using the weekends to listen to some of my favourite music - most of the time this involves me having an hour dedicated to musicals and singing my heart out!
MAKE PLANS
Sometimes during the weekend I really love putting a coffee/shopping date into my diary. It breaks up my day a little and enables me to have human interaction (which is just as important as having time on your own!)
EAT GOOD FOOD
I friggin' love the weekend for food! I always take the time to make breakfast and at the moment all I want to eat is an egg sandwich or pancakes. I don't have the time to make those during the week so I love the luxury of more time at the weekends!
SHARE THE GOOD THINGS
The weekend is the perfect time to share some gratitude and reflect on the good things from the week. Whether you write them down for yourself or share them through social media - it's a very good thing to do!
HAVE AN AFTERNOON NAP IF YOU WANT TO!
I'm always game for an afternoon nap if I require it - get snuggled up on the sofa with a blanket and allow your body the time to rest if it needs it!
MAKE YOUR LIVING ROOM FEEL COSY
I love lighting the candles, popping a fresh bunch of flowers on the coffee table and dimming the lights as the evening draws in.
FINISH YOUR WEEKEND OFF WITH A PAMPER!
We all know that weekends never feel long enough before Monday returns and we're back to work so there's no better way to finish off the weekend in style is with a roast dinner and a pamper. I love putting something on my laptop or grabbing my book, filling the bath with bubbles, lighting some candles and doing my skincare routine. I'll always make sure my bag is packed for work too so that by the time I get into bed after my bubble bath I feel more than ready to take on a new week!
We all know that weekends never feel long enough before Monday returns and we're back to work so there's no better way to finish off the weekend in style is with a roast dinner and a pamper. I love putting something on my laptop or grabbing my book, filling the bath with bubbles, lighting some candles and doing my skincare routine. I'll always make sure my bag is packed for work too so that by the time I get into bed after my bubble bath I feel more than ready to take on a new week!
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I really hope this post has given you some food for thought about how you can apply well-being rituals to your weekend. I'm already looking forward to all of the weekends ahead spent doing all of these rituals, let me know if you have any rituals for your wellbeing in the comments below.
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