Rest Day Bucket List: 6 Activities Your Mind and Body Will Thank You For
We all need a break from work now and then. The best way to take a breather is by enjoying some downtime during your rest days. So clock out on time on your last workday of the week, and be excited to do any of the rest day activities we’ve prepared below. These activities will surely give you the rest and recreation you are craving for. More than this, there are also numerous benefits to a well-spent rest day—things your mind and body will surely thank you for.
Mark all your days off in the calendar and vow to make these days solely for your wellness. We hope that the ideas below make your rest days more exciting, colourful, and relieving for your mind and body.
A time with Mother Nature
Mother Nature is enchanting in many ways, and you’ll be in awe to know that your mind and body can reap a lot of benefits just by surrounding yourself with flowers, plants, and trees. Studies have found that by exposing yourself to nature, your mind gets its much-needed break, affecting memory retention, increased concentration, and brightened mood. When you feel relaxed, the stress hormones lower, causing the pains you feel in the body to heal faster than usual.
With all these benefits, dedicate your days off to tending your garden plants and vegetables. You can consume the harvest on top of the healthy vegan protein powder you take. You can also take some time to hike, walk, or bike up and down a hill or even in a national park and witness the beauty of nature from relaxing spaces. Let the fresh air fill your lungs, and the breathtaking view refresh your eyes.
Tapping your artistic side
Let the strokes, colours, and sketches you've finished prove your rest days are well-spent by mounting them for home decoration. Aside from this output, this activity lets you forget the stresses of everyday life one colour at a time. The negative thoughts disappear as you focus on the lines, curves, and colours you add to your artwork.
Dopamine, a happy hormone, is released into your system as you work on your art, allowing you to have satisfied and motivated feelings. You also work out your brain neurons with creative thinking, decreasing the risk of dementia and other neurological problems in the long run.
These benefits will surely motivate you to try painting, DIY crafts, origami, performing arts, doodling, and just finding something creative to do on your rest days. You’ll have both your crafts and better feelings as output after the activities.
Honing an old skill and discovering new ones
Burnout at work happens when you allot almost all of your time to it and forget that you also have a life outside work. Do not reach this point and enjoy your rest days by continuing activities you are good at. Be it cooking, baking, maintaining a garden, performing arts, the list goes on, and you know it! Channel your work frustrations into something that yields beautiful results minus the stress.
If you have activities in mind that you’ve always wanted to do but just couldn’t figure out a way to start, you can sign up for online and even face-to-face classes. It can also be as simple as going online and getting inspired by video tutorials. You’ll be surprised to find these 1-minute videos can fuel your new love for cooking, arts, or more thrilling ventures.
Your workdays and loads are now more bearable than ever because you have something to look forward to on the weekends. This is because you are productive at work AND on your days off.
Giving to gain
Athletes go into a “runner’s high” state after a long run. This is the moment when they feel most relaxed, fulfilled, and in a state of euphoria. There is also such a state when you’re doing acts of charity and giving back—this is often called the “helper’s high.”
In the science of kindness, when you give, you gain happiness, a feeling of self-accomplishment, and increased social connection. The list of benefits can go physiological, too—to lowering your blood pressure and stress levels and shoving away feelings of anxiety and depression. So if you want to heal and be happy, the best thing to do is help others.
You can make this happen by doing volunteer work, affiliating yourself with charity organizations, leading a charity event, doing community service, or simply taking out some tasks from someone else’s plate and giving them some time to relax.
Attending events and socialization
Break the cycle of paperwork, spreadsheets, and facing the computer all day by adding socialization at the end of the workweek. Have some fun time in your favourite pub, sharing some cocktails and out-of-work conversations with your colleagues.
Fill your rest days with catch-ups from family and friends by inviting them into your home for lunch or dinner. Make the get-together more exciting by asking for a food potluck and preparing games and icebreakers.
You can also insert a movie marathon or sports day with family and friends! Moreover, checking out the community calendar for any events can widen your circle of friends from your neighbourhood to the whole village or community.
When you have constant connection and communication with family and friends, you have people to support you during tough times and celebrate with you in your successes.
Having a great time on your Me Time
Of course, time spent for yourself is never wasted. So on your rest days, you can also allot time solely for yourself. Have the much-deserved peace when you can reflect on the past week and set goals for the new week to come. Doing so will increase your self-awareness and mindfulness—practices known to fight depression and anxiety and improve mental health.
Also, spend time giving yourself a treat on your me-time. Indulge in a cup of coffee you brewed yourself and enjoy every bite of your comfort food. Do the things that make your heart sing like playing a musical instrument, reading novels, binge-watching on Netflix, or even online shopping! Always be delighted when you do something for yourself.
Final Thoughts
Your days off are meant to be a well-deserved time for your mind and body to rest. Do not let your work stop you from living life, and use your rest days wisely! We hope that this rest day bucket list has provided you with ideas on ways to spend your days off. Try helping others, tapping into old skills or discovering new ones, having an eventful social experience, and enjoying the simple things.
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