More Refreshing Weekends: Rest vs. Stress
BRIDGETTE W. GOTTWALD, LPC, NCC
Are you super busy and have had a stressful week? Utterly burnt out and really happy to see the weekend finally approach? You’re not alone there! In 2020, it seems that we are often pushing ourselves beyond our limits. The secret to more refreshing weekends is actually the exact opposite of what you’d expect because too much rest can actually add to your stress and harm our psychological states.
Humble Bragging vs. Being Busy
These days, the main topic of social conversations seems to be about how busy, exhausted, stressful, and crazy our lives are. Brené Brown shares that “it takes a lot of courage to say yes to rest and play in a culture where exhaustion is seen as a status symbol.” It turns out that being “crazy busy” is a great armor and a way to numb things. A shocking fact, backed by research is that Americans actually have more leisure time than our previous generations. Perhaps the over the top complaining about how busy we are is just a humble brag?
Quality vs. Quantity
So, we’re all just bragging and have an adequate amount of leisure time that we can make use of however we want? Doesn’t feel like that, does it? If that’s the case, why are so many Americans feeling constantly overwhelmed and burnt out? Psychologist Tony Crabbe points out that the issue here isn’t quantity, it’s quality of how we are spending our time.
Making Use of Our Leisure Time
Ancient wisdom and modern psychology both point out that it can be maladaptive to do nothing in order to unwind and engage in leisure. With relaxation, re-charging, and leisure, “the more you put into it, the more you get out of it.” In order to get the most out of our leisure time, instead of melting into the couch and binging on Netflix, we need to engage in “active hobbies” that “absorb all of our attention.” Spending time doing these hobbies has a way of re-charging us and reducing our exhaustion levels. It takes us away from the busy world, thoughts of work, demands, and causes us to use different parts of our brains. Engaging in these activities will “do more to preserve your zest for Monday’s challenges than complete vegetation.” Below are some examples:
· Schedule active ‘anchor events’ each weekend to make sure you end up refreshed come Sunday
· Exercise
· Engage in an active hobby (ex: hiking or mountain biking)
· Hands-on parenting
· Volunteering
· Exploring new neighborhoods
· Trying out new restaurants
· Weekend trips
Slowing Down Time
Engaging in more effortful ways to spend your leisure time also has the ability to make time appear as if it is slowing down, which gives you more time to smell the roses and appreciate the little things in life. Seeking out newness gives you the ability to avoid your day turning into an “indistinguishable memory mush.” Life tends to fly by with routine whereas if you were to have a weekend getaway, it will seem to pass much slower than a weekend at home. Although there is a caveat, these exciting new activities will de-stress and refresh you, but when you are actually engaged in them, that’s when you will start to lose track of time.
So, instead of being a vegetable this weekend or sticking to the normal routine, give yourself some stimulation by engaging in new experiences and adventures. As you do this, the overwhelming feelings of stress will quickly flow out of your mind.
Reference:
Stillman, J., (2019). The Secret to More Refreshing Weekends Is the Exact Opposite of What You’d Expect. Retrieved from: https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-secret-to-more-refreshing-weekends-is-the-opposite-of-what-you-d-expect?utm_source=pocket-newtab