When we look at personal wellbeing, it’s not only important to look after our minds and bodies, but it’s also vital that we schedule some happiness into our lives. I know that sounds quite business-like but, if you don’t clear some time in the calendar for making yourself happy – either through relaxation, lively activities or unique experiences – you’ll probably never get around to it.
And when that happens, you can go through a whole year just working and taking care of family life and then wonder where the time went. For most of us in full-time employment, we’ve got about 140 days off each year when you add up weekends, bank holidays and statutory holiday entitlement. That’s a good amount of time to use having fun!
So, now that we’re halfway through the year, what should you do with your days off? Let’s make a change so that we don’t reach the 31st of December without having any exciting experiences to look back on. Here are some reasons why experience days can bring you joy and why you should incorporate them into your year:
Something to look forward to
I’ve found that having some dates in the diary with activities that I know I’ll enjoy helps me to feel more optimistic about the future. Having tickets for a show at the weekend or a Sunday day trip planned gives you something to look forward to every week.
This helps to keep you motivated in your job and your daily life as you inch closer to that special date. I try to have something in the diary every weekend – a theatre show, a day out with friends, a night away – to help me feel thoroughly uplifted during my days off.
A great way to do this is by booking activities in advance that you can participate in. You can even ask friends and family to treat you to tickets or vouchers for experience gifts DC whenever it’s a special occasion, Christmas or your birthday. That way, you’ll be able to use your experience vouchers for fun days out and exciting activities throughout the year without having to splash the cash.
Enjoying actual downtime
Even when we’ve got those days off – weekends, vacations, national holidays – it doesn’t always mean that we switch off and relax during that time. In fact, we’re more likely to start a new task such as DIY or home admin when we’ve got spare time, rather than taking time out for ourselves. Plus
Sure, sometimes you need to be able to do those important tasks outside of your working hours BUT a whole weekend can easily fly as you work through your to-do list, making you feel even less rested than during the working week. Or, if you decide to ‘do nothing’ the hours can blur into one long scrolling session on your phone.
So, still do the tasks you need to do or have a social media catch-up – but only on one day of the weekend. Then give yourself the other day off for some real downtime. It doesn’t have to be an expensive activity that takes up your attention during that day, it could be as simple as relaxing in the garden (that you mowed the day before!) with a book.
As long as you’ve got a date in the calendar to use as a downtime day, you’ll hopefully keep that promise to yourself and find time to relax with your friends and family, or just by yourself. It’s so important to recharge our batteries before going straight back to work and a busy weekend of ‘musts’ and ‘shoulds’ just makes us feel even more exhausted!
Experiencing new things
Personally, I find it so exciting to learn something new whenever I can, so I like to use my time off to have new experiences and visit new places. It could be travelling somewhere exciting on holiday or even just going on a Saturday day trip to check out a nearby town that I’ve never visited before.
New experiences like this can keep your brain active while you study maps to discover a new destination or try to learn some words in a different language. It’s great to have new information and experiences going into your brain and creating new neural pathways throughout your life.
You don’t even have to leave your house to expand your horizons and knowledge. You could participate in a virtual workshop on Zoom to learn a new skill, such as knitting, you could attend a live stream comedy gig, or you could borrow a book from the library to discover a new topic or read the old classics.
Not only is it healthy for your brain to have the chance to recharge and to learn something new, but it’s also fun to share the fun things you’ve done with your friends, colleagues and family when you chat with them – your experiences might inspire them to try something new, too.
So, what do you think? Will you mark a few days in your calendar for new experiences or the chance to learn something new? What do you want to make sure you fit into your time off between now and the end of the year? I hope this article has inspired you to make the most of your downtime and I’d love to hear your plans in the comments below.
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This article is a sponsored collaboration. The pink links in the content indicate a sponsored link or information source. The blog post reflects my own experience and the sponsor hasn’t had any control over my content 🙂
