In this busy time of the year, and with major ongoing life changes happening, it’s become increasingly important for me to have some serious downtime on a regular basis. By serious, though, I’m really referring to quality, not so much to quantity. I find that so long as it’s quality rest, I can get by with one full day off per week. More is better, if I can swing it, but a solid day of quiet downtime is fairly necessary for me to continue to function at a reasonable level.
Since I teach on Monday, Sundays are usually devoted to work prep, although I try to keep them as low-key as possible. Fridays are usually devoted to errands and anything that needs to get done. This leaves Saturdays as my day off, and I’ve been trying to make the most of them, and to get into some restful habits that will be easy to keep up.
On Sundays, I usually don’t go out, unless it’s for a bike ride or a walk. I don’t shop or run any errands. I don’t turn on my email, read the news, or check social media. In fact, my only media use on Saturdays is listening to music or watching a movie, or occasionally drafting a blog post if the mood to write strikes me. Instead, I do quiet things like read, bake, cook, nap, sew, or knit.
Today, I slept in a bit longer than usual, then got up and went for a long bike ride – I’m trying to spend as much time enjoying the last of the nice weather outside while I can. I came home, made some lunch, and spent some time tidying and then reading on the couch, which also just happens to be where I dozed off for a bit later in the afternoon. When I got up again, I started the process of making sauerkraut and a ginger beer starter. With that finished, I made pizza and a berry smoothie for dinner, and ate while watching The Lord of The Rings.
It’s hardly exciting, but hardly exciting is exactly what I need. Having a day off with little contact with outside world and quiet, restful pursuits is vital to my well-being. At the end of these days, I feel rejuvenated in a way that no other activity or approach has managed. This may not be possible every weekend, but as much as possible I’ll be keeping my Saturdays quiet, low key, and restful so I can continue to do the other things in my life that are so important to me.
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