Relaxation

In Creating Happiness, Recent Posts by Barbara Jacoby

This summer, I decided to do something a little different with my vacation time.  Rather than taking a week or two weeks off at one time, I have been taking off a number of Fridays so that I can have a nice, long weekend.  On those Fridays, I may go to some place near by, or go shopping or choose to do nothing at all or whatever else I might conceive.  The only requirement is that I do no work of any kind and that I spend the time relaxing in any way that I choose.  And what a difference this has made for my personal and mental well-being.

This has been beneficial to me in a number of ways.  I like the 4-day work week and the anticipation of that extra day off.  And after a 3-day weekend, I am so much more refreshed when I return to work on Monday and seem to be able to sail through the week so much easier.  And in these times when many of us may not want to spend money on travel and a vacation that we really don’t feel like we can afford, that doesn’t mean that we can’t still treat ourselves to relaxation and rejuvenation time.

If you choose this option for your vacation time, there are lots of things to do that cost you absolutely nothing.  As an example, you can go to your neighborhood park and just play or take the kids and a picnic lunch for all to enjoy.  Depending upon where you live, you most likely have some sort of outdoor spot close by.  It may be the beach or the mountains or a trail to hike or a park to play tennis or a school to play basketball or baseball or some place where it is quiet and peaceful where you can sit back and read a book or just enjoy your surroundings.

If you have a little money that you can spend on yourself, you can go to a local spa or salon and treat yourself to some pampering.  This can range anywhere from an entire spa day or a massage or a facial to getting a new hair style at a local salon to a manicure and/or pedicure or something new that you find at the local boutique.  And if you don’t want to go anywhere or spend any money, you can always just allow yourself to sleep in late, have a leisurely day of doing nothing or reading or doing a favorite hobby and pampering yourself with a nice relaxing bubble bath and a facial while you listen to your favorite music, burn some candles and maybe even have a glass of wine while doing so.

Your options are endless.  The most important thing is that you do some special things just for yourself.  You deserve it.  And I promise you that you will feel relaxed and the stress of the rest of the week will be long gone.  In fact, I have decided that I might save some vacation time for myself should I decided to take a week or so for whatever reason but all of the rest of my vacation time will be taken in increments of single days in which I will take the time for myself for rest and relaxation throughout the entire year. 

Should you choose to try this for yourself, I know that you will quickly understand the benefits to yourself and will want to do it more often.  And if you take on this experiment, I would love it if you would share your experience with me and let me know whether you would do it again.  In the interim, as this is the last day of my 3-day weekend, I will run for now so that I can take care of a few things before I head back to the office tomorrow.  Hope that you had a wonderful weekend, too. 

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