How to Relax on a Weekend

The week is filled with chores, work, hectic scheduling, and of course obligations of various kinds. More often than not the devices designed to save time and work are creating more of the same by allowing almost immediate access to the individual and employers, family members, and of course the schools more than happily take advantage of this convenience. The weekend provides two days to recharge but if you are not careful, even these two days threaten to get swallowed up in the planning and setup for the next five or-in some cases-they may be taken up by the overflow of the previous five! Here are some simple yet vital steps that help you to relax on a weekend-and yes, singing is a vital part of it!

Things You'll Need

• Commitment to put your cell phone on "vibrate"
• Calendar

Instructions

Relax on a Weekend

1. Commit your schedule to relaxing. Just like you put your child's ballet recital and your boss' meeting on the calendar, relaxing also needs to be scheduled or it most likely fails to happen. Block out a chunk of time and do not double book yourself!

2. Exercise your power to say "no." Although many a hard worker and dedicated friend feels awkward about saying "no" when asked to help a friend move, a teacher put together a classroom, or an overworked boss to prepare for the big meeting, if the request to do so falls into the scheduled block of relaxation time, you must exercise your "no." Make yourself available before or after your scheduled relaxation time, but not during the block of time!

3. Reconnect with your family. Relaxing on weekends means spending time with your family, especially the kids. This is not the time for homework and getting the costume for the recital ready, but instead it is a time to not have to do anything! Play games, lounge in your backyard pool, dust off your guitar and sing together, or just do a crossword puzzle with your older ones.

4. Remember that pets are family, too! Do not shortchange your dog, but instead pack the family in the car for a drive just so that Fluffy can let its ears flap in the breeze. Even if the drive takes little more than an hour, your family pet is sure to appreciate the extra attention it might have lacked during the workweek.

5. Reconnect with yourself. Take some time away from everyone and plan a quiet morning on the golf course, a lonely hike up a trail, or just a drive in the car by yourself. Pop in your favorite CD, sing along to the tunes, listen to a favorite radio show, or just enjoy the peace and quiet.

6. Relax your body along with your mind. The previous steps focused on relaxing your mind but do not forget to also relax your body on the weekend! There are several exercises you might follow, but the hands down best is vigorous exertion followed by structured breathing exercises and a long hot shower or bath. You can almost feel your muscle groups relaxing one at a time as you do this!

Tips & Warnings

• The cell phone is the enemy of relaxation. Unless you are an on-call doctor, lawyer, law enforcement professional or clergyman, turn off your cell phone completely. There is nothing that comes your way this weekend that could not wait until Monday morning.

• Singing is a great exercise in the relaxation of the mind as well as the body. Those who believe that their portion of the choir is the frog section still can enjoy singing in the privacy of a car or shower!

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Take a peek at the LessonsForLiving.com website where you may find some amazing resources for relaxing you mind and body.