How did you spend your weekend? How did you feel and did you make the most of your time?
I spent mine with friends, eating and drinking...so it was the best kind of weekend! Whilst it was busy (we went for dinner Friday night and to an amazing food and drink festival on Saturday), it was in a totally different way to the busy periods during the week. It's less about stress and getting things done, and more about spending your time in good company, doing great things and making memories.
So much of our time is spent stressed, working and trying to reach milestones or 'goals' that society sets for us. This is ridiculous, as we end up putting ourselves under more pressure and the more stressed we are, the less likely we are to reach our goals. And these goals should be the ones that we set for ourselves, not the ones that society sets for us. Everyone is on their own path, their own journey and your achievements are entirely your own.
Sometimes we just need to take a step back, a step away from the day to day and enjoy the time we have with our loved ones. In this case, these were friends that we don't get to see all the time as they live nearly 4 hours away, so everything else in terms of work and other stresses were put to one side so the time could be fully enjoyed with them.
Your friends should be people that lift you up, make you feel great, be a shoulder to cry on and listen when you need them to. They might offer some advice or just provide a welcome distraction from other things going on in your mind. You might only see them for an hour or spend the whole weekend with them, but always take advantage of that time. Have fun, reflect, reminisce...and eat lots of food!
It's important to have a good support network and sometimes, that comes in the form of really great friends.
It also shows the importance of taking the time to switch off and it comes back to self care and your own wellbeing. Remember the following things the next time you're working yourself into the ground:
If you don't take time for your wellness, you'll be forced to make time for your illness;
You need to look after yourself first before you can look after anyone else;
It's not your job to be everything to everyone.
Take some time for you and nurture the relationships you have with the great people in your life.
Kelly
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