We talk a lot about self-care—from at-home spa treatments to create an epic “me” night to the power of embracing your inner child through play, the list goes on. Today I’m taking another approach to living your best life.
Enter: no-commitment days.
Let me explain my theory here. I’ve started a “no-commitment day” on the weekend where it’s just a day to myself with no plans. Instead of getting overwhelmed with saying yes to meeting up with friends for brunch, dinner, etc., I block out one day of the weekend to myself. It removes the pressure of having to make up an excuse and the guilt of saying I can’t make it. It sounds a little selfish because it is—it’s prioritizing my needs, and for me, that’s downtime to do whatever I want. Personally, it actually feels more powerful than selfish.
If you’re like me then you easily get overwhelmed with too much commitment (and that’s perfectly OK). I don’t always enjoy having a jam-packed weekend with afternoon and evening plans every day. It stresses me out, and as much as I do love hanging out with my friends, the weekends started to lose their luster of relaxing and unwinding when my schedule was completely full. My no-commitment day ritual is my way of embracing the fact that I don’t want to commit and I’d rather spend time laying low or taking the day at my own pace.
We shouldn’t feel guilty for not wanting to commit to 9 million things on the weekend. I’m not saying I sit at home the whole time, but for me, it’s more like I’ll decide and join if I want to. Again, I’m aware I have commitment issues (working on it … but also #normalizecommitmentissues). In the meantime, this is how I’m coping with my commitment probz for my mental health and self-care on the weekends.
For example, this past weekend I had zero plans and was able to try a new restaurant (without a reservation because showing up as a party of one is way easier than trying to book a table for six), and I even had time to book a last-minute skin treatment. It was so delightful, and I started the week feeling refreshed and more importantly rested. On other weekends, it means I have more time to catch up with long-distance family and friends. I love to FaceTime my crew back home while I’m taking long walks around my neighborhood.
If this sounds all too familiar, try my theory and you’ll quickly learn how great it is to carve out “you” time with the no-commitment day strategy.
How do you handle feeling overwhelmed with nonstop group activities on the weekend and saying no to plans? Let us know your ways in our private Facebook group and in the comments on Instagram.
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